NEWS. . . BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Sven-Goran Eriksson subsidised Liverpool to win the Premier League title this season and believes Jurgen Klopp deserves enormous credit for having controlled the club’s young ability in recent months.
Only goal difference separates Liverpool from sensible Arsenal with ten games left in the campaign, in what is Klopp’s farewell season as manager.
Liverpool were on course for a historic quadruple after winning the Carabao Cup last month, a dramatic FA Cup defeat to Manchester United leaves the club fighting for Premier League and Europa League honours.
The Merseyside giants will desperately want to get back to winning tactics when they host eighth-placed Brighton in a week’s time, with Klopp’s men drawing 1-1 with rivals Manchester City last time out on the most sensible flight.
Deprived of many of Liverpool’s key players for much of the campaign, Klopp was forced to rely heavily on players from the club’s young ranks as the grueling season progressed.
Former England manager Eriksson, a lifelong Liverpool fan, admires the work done by Klopp and predicts the German will get his hands on the Premier League trophy for the second time in May.
Asked if Liverpool could win a treble this season, the Swede replied: “I don’t know. . .
“Well, I think Liverpool will win the league. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to win the FA Cup.
“But they’re betting on smart football and young players are emerging, players I’ve never seen.
“As a result, it also gets them into a lot of games. It takes a lot of courage to do that.
“So it’s wonderful to see that Liverpool are wonderful and that Liverpool will be wonderful, even in the future, with the young players. “
Eriksson, who will lead a Liverpool FC Legends team opposed to Ajax this weekend, surprised and saddened when Klopp announced his imminent departure in January.
“It’s wonderful for me. No, I haven’t told you yet, it was very kind of you to make an invitation and one day I’ll go!” he said.
“But he’s doing a wonderful job and I’m not happy he’s leaving. “
Eriksson, who coached the Three Lions from 2001 to 2006, revealed in January that he had “one year to live” after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
A crusade has temporarily accelerated to fulfil Eriksson’s dying wish to manage Liverpool and the 76-year-old said he fulfilled a “dream” by facing Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Sami Hyypia against Ajax this weekend.
“When I was a manager, I dreamed of Liverpool, but it never happened,” he told reporters.
“It was shut down once. There were discussions once, many years ago.
“It’s like a dream. I may never have dreamed of it. It’s got to be the overall vibe and a component of that comes from the song when the musicians come out: You’ll Never Walk Alone. “
“When they asked me, I thought it was a joke. Of course, he had come to a Legends match. It’s for charity, which makes it even prettier.
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