WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 SPORTS Champions League to test Klopp’s progress at Liverpool LIVERPOOL: When Jurgen Klopp arrived at they prepare to face Sevilla once more, this time Liverpool were defensively suspect last season, ourselves.” At times, it feels as if Klopp has spent Liverpool in October 2015, he made a promise: “If in the Champions League. The best and worst of and those difficulties have continued into the new two years, and a lot of money, recreating the we sit here in four years, I think we (will) win one the 2017 Liverpool were shown when they beat campaign. Liverpool team who almost won the Premier title,” he said. Next month will mark the second Hoffenheim in last month’s play-off to reach the League under Rodgers four seasons ago. anniversary of Klopp’s appointment, the halfway Champions League group stage. ‘LIKE A WOUNDED ANIMAL’ They are thrilling going forward, an accident point of that four-year cycle. There has undoubt- Klopp’s side showed an attacking verve that Klopp signed Loris Karius from Mainz to be his waiting to happen defensively. The question is edly been progress in that time; a team who were could threaten the best in Europe. Close-season first-choice goalkeeper, then dropped him mid- whether Sevilla are ready to punish them. Much 10th in the Premier League when he arrived fin- signing Mohamed Salah has formed a quick way through last season. Ragnar Klavan, another has changed at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan ished fourth last season. understanding with Sadio Mane and Roberto Klopp buy, from Augsburg, replaced Lovren for Stadium since Unai Emery guided them to a third Whether they are significantly closer to win- Firmino. Salah and Firmino both scored in the last Saturday’s 5-0 thrashing at Manchester City. successive Europa League title with victory over ning a major trophy is more open to debate. home leg, while Mane was heavily involved in two However, the extent of the defeat should be Liverpool two seasons ago. Liverpool reached two finals in Klopp’s first seven of the goals. put into the context that they had matched City Emery went to Paris Saint-Germain, and his months as manager, losing on penalties to It is a wealth of attacking talent, and they still and were trailing 1-0 when Mane was sent off. successor Jorge Sampaoli left at the end of last Manchester City in the League Cup at Wembley, have Philippe Coutinho to come back following “We have to take the first 20 minutes of Saturday’s season for the Argentina job. Eduardo Berizzo and suffering a more decisive 3-1 defeat by Sevilla his failed attempt to engineer a move to game, and how we played before the internation- arrived in May from Celta Vigo and has spent in the Europa League in Basel. Barcelona. Defensively, though, Liverpool were al break, and take it into the next game,” said goal- heavily, bringing in Colombian forward Luis Muriel That European adventure was an unexpected weak in both legs against Hoffenheim; they keeper Simon Mignolet. “Of course, we can’t neg- from Sampdoria and Nolito from Manchester City bonus. Expectations at Anfield are higher now, could easily have conceded more than three lect the performance after that, but we have to supplement last season’s top scorer Wissam Ben but Liverpool look far from a complete team as goals in the tie. another game in midweek when we can prove Yedder. — AFP RB Leipzig relishing Champions League debut LEIPZIG: Just eight years after starting life and Kevin Kampl are the only ones to have in the local leagues, RB Leipzig will played at this level. enhance their rags to riches tale today by The quartet have a combined tally of 31 hosting Monaco on the German club’s Champions League appearances. Champions League debut. In contrast, 17 of the Monaco squad Backed by energy drinks giant Red Bull, have 236 Champions League appearances who bought the licence of a fifth-division between them and last season’s semi-final club, Leipzig began climbing Germany’s defeat to Juventus is still fresh. football pyramid in 2009. But Leipzig’s coach Ralph Hasenhuettl They are widely unpopular with German sees his team’s lack of experience as an fans, due to the commercialism they repre- advantage. “We want to collect some expe- sent, but after four promotions in seven rience for ourselves. It means you more years they finished second last season in alert, sharper, more focused,” said the the Bundesliga to qualify directly for a Austrian. Champions League place. Rangnick is confident of a win. Leipzig make their debut against last “If we can show our full power on the season’s semi-finalists Monaco at the Red pitch, then we are capable of winning,” Bull Arena and director of sport Ralf insisted the RB boss. This is the first time for Rangnick is proud of their achievement. nearly 29 years that European football will “When you think we were still in the be played in the former East German city. fourth division five years ago, then the On the last occasion, Diego Maradona’s Champions League is another promotion,” Napoli drew 1-1 at Lokomotive Leipzig, RB’s said Rangnick. arch-rivals, on October 26 1988 in the sec- “Something like that has never hap- ond round of the UEFA Cup. Fast-forward to pened before and most likely won’t happen today and Monaco will want to bounce again in the next 50 years.” This is a step back after being beaten 4-0 by neighbours into the unknown for Leipzig with only four Nice last weekend in their first defeat of the members of their squad having Champions season after straight wins to start their League experience. French league title defence. Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg, plus It was the first time they have failed to new-signings Bruma, Jean-Kevin Augustin score in 37 top-flight games. — AFP MADRID: Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Keylor Navas stretches to control the ball during a training session in Madrid, Spain, yesterday. Real Madrid will play APOEL Nikosia today in a Group H Champions League soccer match. — AP SOCCER Prudent Real Madrid remain Champions League favourites MADRID: Such is Real Madrid’s confidence in spot in the group stage last season. But Real seems to be playing the long game this season. creating more Champions League history that have mastered the art of saving their best for The Frenchman rested a host of first-team while others have spent hundreds of millions when the competition really gets going for the regulars including Luka Modric, Isco and Gareth trying to catch up, the back-to-back European contenders in the knockout stages in the new Bale on their return from international duty for a champions were happy to cash in. year. “We have a stupendous squad but this is a disappointing 1-1 draw against Levante on Real made a profit of over 75 million euros competition that takes you to the limit in all Saturday. “I am not going to revolutionise what ($90 million) in the transfer market thanks to aspects,” added Butragueno. I want to do with this team due to one bad the departures of Alvaro Morata, James “You can have a big squad with all the game,” Zidane insisted afterwards. Rodriguez and Danilo. Yet they remain very resources, but when the moment of truth Real will be bolstered for the visit of the much the side to beat as the Champions arrives you need to not have injuries, for your Cypriot champions in midweek by the return of League returns on Tuesday having ended a players to be in optimum form and have luck. Cristiano Ronaldo. The World Player of the Year’s near three-decade long wait for a team to There are so many factors.” absence due to a five-game domestic ban for retain the trophy. pushing a referee has exposed the one flaw in “We are the champions so everyone faces us STRENGTH IN DEPTH Real’s squad in a lack of back-up to Karim with extra motivation,” warned former Real strik- Real’s strength in depth was used intelligent- Benzema. LEIPZIG: Leipzig’s German forward Timo Werner (C) attends a training session on the er Emilio Butragueno, now the club’s director of ly by coach Zinedine Zidane to win the club’s Having not replaced Morata, Bale was forced eve of the UEFA Champions League football match between RB Leipzig and AS institutional relations. Madrid coped with that first La Liga and European Cup double for 59 to act as an auxiliary striker against Levante Monaco in Leipzig, eastern Germany yesterday. — AFP challenge admirably last season, dismissing years last season. It is also why one of the rich- after Benzema went off injured. Yet even an Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Juventus in est clubs in the world didn’t feel the need to go enforced rest for Ronaldo could ultimately work the latter stages. Their quest to become the first wild in a hyper-inflated transfer market follow- in Real’s favour come the end of the campaign. side since Bayern in the mid-seventies to win ing Neymar’s world record 222 million-euro The Portuguese scored 10 goals from the Spurs fight to three in a row starts with a more modest test in move to Paris Saint-Germain. quarter-finals on last season as Zidane’s rotation the form of APOEL Nicosia at the Santiago Instead, Real continued their policy of snap- policy left him far fresher and freer of injuries Bernabeu today.