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The Liverpool squad’s latest challenge on tour sees the players battle each other in a keepy-up competition.
James Milner again assumes the role of adjudicator in Hong Kong as three qualifiers whittle down the contenders to a final three – who then face off to be the winner.
Small-size balls add difficulty to the task and contact is not only allowed but encouraged by Milner, meaning many attempts to bring down a teammate in the quest to be victorious.
Watch how the challenge unfolded below…
Liverpool have agreed a £10million deal with Hull City for left-back Andy Robertson.
The 23-year-old Scotland international will undergo a medical on Thursday and is set to become the Reds’ third signing of the summer. Liverpool will pay £8million up front with a further £2million to follow in add-ons.
Robertson won’t fly out to Hong Kong but will remain in the UK before linking up with his new team-mates ahead of next week’s training camp in Germany.
Robertson will compete with vice-captain James Milner for a starting spot. The Reds turned their attentions to the Glasgow-born defender after missing out on Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon.
Robertson made 115 appearances for Hull following his £3million move from Dundee United in 2014.
Released by Celtic as a teenager, the attacking full-back launched his career at Queen’s Park before being snapped up by Dundee United. Three years ago Robertson was crowned the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year before moving south of the border.
The Crown Prosecution Service revealed its intentions in a meeting with the victims relatives at 11am this morning.
Last year it was concluded that the 96 fans that lost their lives at Hillsborough in the 1989 stadium disaster had been unlawfully killed.
Following a six month investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service, today six people have been charged for their roles in the Hillsborough disaster, including match commander David Duckenfield and Norman Bettison, who was heavily involved with coordinating the response of the South Yorkshire Police following the dissaster.
Others charged are Graham Henry Mackrell, Sheffield Wednesday’s safety officer; Peter Metcalf, a South Yorkshire Police solicitor; and Donald Denton and Alan Foster, both members of the South Yorkshire Police at the time of the disaster.
Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and CounterTerrorism Division, Sue Hemming, announced the charges in relation to the Hillsborough Stadium disaster.
Jürgen Klopp plays the main part in New Balance’s latest Liverpool FC based video and it’s fantastic.
Klopp is pictured looking around Anfield with plenty of passion and determination. In the note to his future self he pledges to never forget ‘what this was all about’ and how he was given a chance ‘to live his dream’. It really makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up:
We can’t wait to see Klopp on the touchline at Anfield again in less than two months.
As the celebrations of Liverpool FC’s 125th anniversary begin, see the club’s unique story retold in fast-paced fashion in a fittingly timed 125-second clip:
From humble beginnings to kings of Europe, through triumph and tragedy along the way – the Reds have been on an incredible journey over the last century and a quarter.
The design is said to be “inspired” by the first ever Liverpool kits from 1892. Those first kits were half blue and half white. This kit is half green and white based on the same checkerboard pattern.
The kit features an embroidered commemorative Liver bird crest and a subtle pin stripe within the design – and is completed by a black collar, black shorts and white socks with a green horizontal stripe and black trim.
Visit liverpoolfc.com/store to order yours right now, with the kit also set to be available to purchase at official club stores from Saturday.
LFC 2017-18 New Balance away kit
Liverpool vice-captain James Milner said:
“This kit looks classic – up to date, but with a nod to the past. It will be a reminder of the foundations this great club is built on every time we wear it. The whole team is really proud to be a part of this huge anniversary for the club, and we can’t wait to wear this kit next season.”
LFC 2017-18 New Balance away goalkeeper kit
Click here to order LFC’s 2017-18 away kit online now
Liverpool now know the potential opponents which will await them in their Champions League play-off in August.
AEK Athens booked their place in the fourth qualifying round on Wednesday night, beating Panionios 2-1 to top the Greek Super League play-ff ahead of PAOK Salonika, who lost 3-2 at home to Panathinaikos.
AEK are the 10th team confirmed for the fourth qualifying round, joining the likes of Ajax, Dynamo Kiev, Nice and CSKA Moscow at that stage.
Possible opponents for Liverpool
Liverpool, we already know, WILL be seeded for the play-off round, along with Napoli and Sevilla.
Their opponents will either be one of the five unseeded teams who come through the preceding round, or one of the two unseeded teams already qualified for the play-off round.
So who could they face?
Viktora Plzen (Czech Republic) – finished second, 10 points behind winners Slavia Prague.
CSKA Moscow (Russia) – finished second, seven points behind Spartak Moscow and one point ahead of Zenit.
Club Brugge (Belgium) – finished second, two points behind Anderlecht.
Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) – finished third, behind champions Benfica and second place Porto.
Steaua Bucharest (Romania) – finished second behind Viitorul.
Young Boys (Switzerland) – second to regular pests FC Basel by a whopping 17 points.
Nice (France) – third behind champions Monaco and second-placed PSG.
Hoffenheim (Germany) – fourth, two points behind third-placed Dortmund and 20 behind champions Bayern Munich.
Istanbul BB (Turkey) – second behind champions Besiktas and well ahead of Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.
AEK Athens (Greece) – secured their place by topping a four-team mini-league this week.
As an aside, if Ajax or Kiev failed to get through their play-off round, then Plzen and then CSKA Moscow would move up and become seeds, meaning Liverpool could not draw them after all.
The draw will be made by UEFA on Friday August 4 with the games to be played on either August 16 or August 17, with the return leg a week later on August 23 or August 24.
Liverpool’s official website has revealed the 11 most popular names that fans get on their kits when buying from the club store.
To celebrate Liverpool’s 125th anniversary, New Balance designed a beautiful new home kit for the 2017/18 season. The strip has echoes of years gone by with the white collar and retro design reminding fans of the glory days.
The kit was debuted on the final day of the season as Liverpool romped to a 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough. The Reds secured Champions League football in style with the new kit receiving widespread appreciation.
According to Liverpoolfc.com, the kit release has been a massive success. The top 10 names on the back of the new Liverpool kit are as follows:
Liverpool FC’s brand new home kit for 2017-18 has been released and is now available to purchase in club stores and online.
The New Balance strip celebrates the club’s 125th anniversary year with its retro style, returning to a rich, darker red with tonal pin stripes, a white v-neck collar and the commemorative Liver bird crest.
Supporters can get their hands on the shirt, shorts and socks for next season right now, either by visiting any club store or clicking here to buy online.
Phase one of the club’s new training kit range for 2017-18 – featuring shirts, polos, jackets, performance wear and more – has also been released after its reveal earlier this month.
Browse the New Balance collection by clicking here.
On March 15, 1892, John Houlding famously broke from the board of Everton to form a new club – Liverpool.
Club historian and museum curator Stephen Done explains:
“It’s perhaps not widely known that Liverpool FC’s founding father and first president, John Houlding, was originally president of Everton but, after a huge fall out over a number of issues including rent, he was removed from his position.
“This left Houlding and his colleagues with a fine football ground but no team and no name! The evening of March 15 at Houlding’s home, Stanley House, a new club was proposed and given the name Liverpool Football Club.
“And so began the plans to recruit new players and to formally enter the Football League. By June 3, Liverpool Football Club was official.”
The club will mark its official 125th birthday on June 3, 2017 – the day the club was officially recognised by the Board of Trade in 1892.
This year, 125th birthday celebrations will be kicked off with the release of a special anniversary LFC crest, which will be revealed on next season’s kit in April.
Of course, the best way to honour the 125th year as a club would be to return to silverware-winning ways.
Jürgen Klopp today reflected on reaching the 100-point milestone with Liverpool last weekend and insisted: ‘We’re really ready for the all the challenges still to come.’
The boss achieved his league century with the 3-1 win over Arsenal on Saturday, doing so in just 57 matches at the helm.
Klopp is the third quickest manager to hit the 100 mark in top-flight matches in the Reds history, with only Kenny Dalglish (48) and David Ashworth (56) doing it in fewer.
And asked what he’s learned over the course of wracking up those points, Klopp said in his pre-Burnley press conference:
“I understand the language better, that’s the main improvement for me!
“I’ve learned a lot about the league, I’ve learned a lot about the club and I’ve learned a lot about my players.
“Yes, we have improved and we are able to play good football. We have struggled in a few moments, you know about the reasons – a few injuries, too many, that’s how it is and it’s not let us develop as much as would have been possible I would think. But everything is on a good way.
“The atmosphere within the club is fantastic and we are really close together, really ready for all of what is coming up, in this season, the next season and the season after that. That is all good.
“100 points sounds a lot, but a minute ago we spoke about the matches where we didn’t get the points, so obviously it could have been even quicker and that would have been nice! It is like it is and it’s all in a good way.
“We are still all full of power, full of joy for the job and challenge.”
Brilliant news this morning from Liverpool FC – just days after opening fresh contract negotiation talks with Philippe Coutinho the talented 24-year old Brazilian has put pen to paper.
Coutinho’s new deal will keep him at the club until the summer of 2022, and will reportedly make him the highest-paid player at the club, bringing in around £150,000 per week. It’s nearly twice as much as he was making on his previous contract, one which he extended just last February. From the club’s perspective, the news is even better, as the new contract does not include a release clause.
Coutinho explained:
“I am very happy to sign a new contract here. It is a club that I am very grateful to and this shows my happiness here. I will work much harder to repay the belief shown in me.
“I signed this new contract to stay here for a few more years because it’s a great honour for me. It gives me great happiness because I was welcomed here with open arms by everyone at the club and the supporters right from my first day. I am very thankful to this football club for everything.”
Securing Coutinho’s services until 2022 is a major boost for Jurgen Klopp and a ringing endorsement of the direction the club is heading in with the German at the helm. He has blossomed into arguably the club’s biggest asset and the new deal reflects both his importance and influence.