Archive for the ‘Knockout Game’ Category

Watford defeat allows Jrgen Klopp to take FA Cup seriously, and to focus on a historic treble – Liverpool.com

Watfords stunning demolition of Liverpool left plenty of questions: should Jrgen Klopp adapt his approach? Has the team grown complacent? Why have they looked so lethargic since the winter break? Does missing out on going a full season unbeaten drop this teams place in the Premier League pantheon?

But as evidence by Klopps post-match words, there are some positives, if you look close enough.

The performance was awful. But in terms of Liverpools overall goals this season, the defeat might have come at the perfect time. The team has looked tight and antsy since they returned from the break. The weight of all the records and history was clearly on their minds.

I see it rather positive, Klopp said post-game. Because from now on we can play free football again. We dont have to defend or try to get the record we just can try to win football games again.

The idea of free football was a deliberate phrase. Liverpools front three were free to roam and move on Saturday, but it had little impact. Roberto Firmino dawdled out to the right without any real intent. Sadio Man cut further and further inside looking for a kick of the ball, clogging Mohamed Salah natural habit. As so often is the case, the Egyptian maestro switched places with Firmino, hunting for a sight of the ball inside. But the supply line was cut-off, with Man routinely jamming his space dragging defenders into Salahs path.

According to Understat's expected goals metric, it was the worst attacking performance from any game during Klopps tenure as Liverpool manager just 0.2 xG, a pitiful return against a side 19th in the league. They mustered only two shots in the box. Two.

The players were moving and rotating positions, but not with any kind of purpose. Their shape became discombobulated, disorganized, and made life easier for the Watford defence.

An embarrassing drubbing might be enough to blow all those cobwebs away. Fortunately for the team, they have a game on Tuesday night against a Chelsea side that is rank average without the ball.

Frank Lampards team plays an expansive, wide-open style, nothing like the past four games that have given Klopps team bother. It is just the sort of game that should give Liverpool's front-three the space to do what they do better than any attacking trio on Earth.

Re-focusing on cup competitions rather than an unbeaten season is a net-win. Winning a treble is more difficult, more meaningful than going unbeaten over the span of the season. The Arsenal Invincibles were an exceptional team. But it's interesting to note that that achievement is often cited by fans and media members more so than the players themselves. It's an extraordinary achievement, but drawing 12 games and losing in the FA Cup and Champions League quarter-finals puts a slight dampener on the thing. If they were really invincible, they would have waxed the floor with opponents in Europe, too.

A defeat right before an FA Cup game allows Klopp to shift his focus to the knock-out tournaments. The European Cup is obviously the biggest prize, and building towards the Atltico game should be the major focus of all at the club, coaches and players. But the FA Cup is there for the taking. All other sides, except Man City, have something to fight for in the league. Only Liverpool and City are able to tweak their squads in such a way that they can be at full during the knockout rounds of the cup and in Europe.

Klopp has to take advanatge. It was in vogue, including from this very writer, to call on the manager to play the kids after they found their way past Shrewsbury in early February. They earned the right to play at Stamford Bridge, the idea went. But that's gone now. Klopp has to put out his strongest, fittest XI on Tuesday. "We want to strike back straight away and we will," Virgil van Dijk said after the Watford game, a rallying cry that should be echoed by all within the club.

Winning a treble is the most impressive team a club side can do. Saturday's defeat stung, but that doesn't lessen the team's chances to pull off something that's never before been done in the club's history. Klopp has toyed with the FA Cup before treated it as lesser than. Now, it's time to take it every bit as seriously as a Champions League knockout game.

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Watford defeat allows Jrgen Klopp to take FA Cup seriously, and to focus on a historic treble - Liverpool.com

The Discovery Bowling Club dominated on Florida North territory – Roodepoort Record

Lynne Marnewick, Jane Blythe, Mary-Ann Dummer, and Amanda Jooste from the Honeydew Bowling Club. Photo: Supplied.

Bowls, or lawn bowls, is often referred to as old mans marbles. The objective of the game is to roll a slightly larger black ball (known as a bowl) towards a smaller, stationary white ball known as the jack.

Despite the common association with elderly players, bowls is actually an all-ages game. The Sables Bowling Association is made up of 10 clubs from throughout the West Rand, and their youngest player is nine years old (with their oldest player being over 90 years old). The Sables Bowling Association has more than 800 players.

Despite the fact that the game may seem monotonous to onlookers, bowls is extremely competitive, and can be quite straining, according to Brain Oxley, the Sables Convener.

On Sunday, 16 February, the Florida North Bowling Club hosted the Sables annual District Fours Tournament. Teams of four players each male and female from the different West Rand clubs participated. There was no limit on the number of teams each club could enter, and no age restriction either. This year, 24 female teams and 36 male teams were ready for action.

The first stage of the competition consisted of the teams being split into sections of four teams, then playing three games against each other. The highest-scoring team from each section progressed to the next stage.

In the second stage, the winners of each section were entered into a draw to play one knockout game each until the tournament was down to four male and four female teams that would compete in the semi-finals.

The semi-finals and finals are played on the same day. The four teams play against each other and aim to get the most points. The two lowest-scoring teams in the semi-final then play against each other to determine third and fourth place, while the two highest-scoring teams move to the final where they play for first and second place.

The Sables Mens Fours winning team was made up of Mark Beckett, Sakkie Oosthuizen, Werner van Rensburg, Piet Steyn and Richard Miller from Discovery Bowling Club.

The Womens Fours winners were Di Anderson, Kimberly du Preez, Marianne Lane and Midge Calicchio, also from the Discovery Bowling Club.

The Sables District has produced some superb players, with some representing the Proteas team, and the Gold and Silver Squads. The Junior teams (U/15 and U/20) have just won the Gauteng Challenge and will now be competing in the National Championships in Bloemfontein in March.

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The Discovery Bowling Club dominated on Florida North territory - Roodepoort Record

COVID-19, No future and heavy defeats life at the Sunwolves – ESPN Australia

They have just 12 more games. Their home games remain shrouded in uncertainty. And they're coming off consecutive 45-plus point defeats.

Welcome to life with the Sunwolves: The Japanese Super Rugby franchise whose existence will cease - save for an unlikely run to the finals - on Friday May 30th when they face the Brumbies in Canberra.

Coincidentally, the Sunwolves face the Brumbies on Friday night in Wollongong, a match that was moved from Hanazono after the COVID-19 [Coronavirus] forced tournament organisers SANZAAR into action.

If the Sunwolves weren't up against it already, having back-to-back home games against the Brumbies and Crusaders moved to offshore venues - and the high likelihood that others may follow suit - has only added to the team's challenge in what is their farewell Super Rugby season.

"Management are dealing with it more than what the players have to; for us, we knew that we were going to be on the road most of the year anyway, so it was more just a change of scenery," Sunwolves back-rower Jake Schatz told ESPN from the team's current base in Coogee, Sydney.

"We were always going to be doing lots of travel, so it was more behind the scenes, they were working a lot harder than us [logistically]. We've just got to focus on rugby and the next week; we've had a couple of hard losses. So we just need to get back on the winning bandwagon and work out what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong."

The coronavirus is just another speedbump the Sunwolves have had to deal with since they were told they had no long-term future in Super Rugby midway through last season, a decision SANZAAR officials arrived at when the Japan Rugby Football Union refused to stump up $[U.S]10 million to bankroll the franchise's future.

How would the Sunwolves attract players for only one season? Would fans walk away from the club given it had no long-term future? How would they compete in a competition that still includes some of the game's greatest players?

They were all valid questions.

As for what he saw in the opportunity with the Sunwolves, Queenslander Schatz says the positives outweighed the negatives as he plotted his next career move following two seasons in England.

"I'd been overseas at London Irish and was looking to come home, so the Sunwolves presented an opportunity to come home and play Super Rugby again, that's how it all worked out," Schatz said.

Was there any hesitation then given the Sunwolves were, in effect, on the clock?

"Yes and no, like I said it was a bit of an opportunity either way. Rugby in Japan, especially, has grown so much, you get 20,000 people to your home games in Japan so you can't really complain on that front."

And that has been the effect of last year's Rugby World Cup in which Japan made the quarterfinals for the first time, having upset both Ireland and Scotland as they topped Pool A to book a knockout game against eventual champions South Africa.

Japan's Top League has enjoyed a surge in popularity as a result with crowd figures in some regions outstripping those of the long established J-League football competition, but there was always a question mark as to whether that support would transfer to the Sunwolves.

Those doubts were quickly cast aside in Round 1.

Playing their opening home match against the Rebels in Fukuoka, the Sunwolves drew more than 10,000 people while two weeks later they were greeted by a near-capacity crowd at their regular base: Tokyo's Prince Chichibu Stadium.

"They love it, the support's great, the people get around it; they buy the merchandise; they turn up to the games; you can't really ask for much more from the fans than that," Schatz said of the Sunwolves fans. "I'd say the rugby support in Japan in general has gone through the roof.

"Coming off the World Cup there was a bit of buzz around rugby in Japan, so to get that following just makes it even more special when you play in front of a good crowd.

"So hopefully that continues to grow and we keep our supporter base at least for the rest of the season, and hopefully we can do them proud."

Whether SANZAAR turns out to regret its hardline financial demand for the Sunwolves, will be seen in the run to the next five-year broadcast cycle in 2025, but there is little doubt the power struggle for new territories and redrawn competitions is well and truly underway.

SANZAAR boss Andy Marinos last week told reporters the alliance was doing its due diligence in assessing the opportunities in Japan but wasn't concerned by rumours the Six Nations had approached the JRFU, perhaps due to similar reports linking the Springboks with a move to the northern hemisphere.

"It's not about who gets there first, it's about growing the game in that market," Marinos said. "Ultimately we can do all the hard work we can because we want to align with Japan, we want to grow into the Asian market and their executives could turn around and say 'we want to align with the northern hemisphere,' and we can't control that.

"I think what we've got to be working hard towards is how can we best develop rugby in that country so that they can have a competitive national team. And then it's going to be about which hemisphere is going to have a bigger appetite to include them in their structures going forward."

All the Sunwolves can do in the meantime is give their absolute all for the remainder of the year and, in Schatz's case, play as well as he can so that he is left with more than one offer for his next professional move.

He says that could be in Japan - where a new Top League competition could commence as early as next year - or back home in Australia with another Super Rugby franchise.

Given the spread of the coronavirus and threats of travel bans, there may be a couple more curve balls to confront before the sun sets on the Sunwolves and the howls at Prince Chichibu fall silent for good. But Schatz and his fellow squad members from around the globe, will just get on with the job.

And that job continues against the Brumbies in Wollongong on Friday night.

"The Brumbies are always a tough challenge, they're forward orientated and that's probably the area where we have to aim up," he told ESPN. "I think last week we let ourselves down in first-up tackles; we've had some good starts to games and I really like to play the game plan we're playing, but we really need to keep ball in hand and be able to make those tackles.

"And the Brumbies biggest [strength] is really that set-piece area, so we really need to focus there as well."

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COVID-19, No future and heavy defeats life at the Sunwolves - ESPN Australia

Joao Moutinho says Wolves determined to make a big statement ahead of first European knockout game in almost 50 years – Telegraph.co.uk

Joao Moutinho is targeting a second Europa League winners medal as Wolves prepare for their first knockout tie in nearly 50 years.

Moutinho lifted the trophy in 2011 with Porto and the experienced midfielder insists Wolves are determined to make a huge statement in this years competition.

Wolves progressed from the group stages as runners-up from Group K and face Spanish strugglers Espanyol in the first leg at Molineux on Thursday night.

Espanyol are bottom of La Liga and while Moutinho has warned Wolves to expect a difficult evening, he is on a mission to add some more silverware to his CV.

Moutinho, 33, has also won three league titles with Porto, a league title with Monaco and was a member of the Portugal squad which triumphed at Euro 2016.

Ive won it [Europa League] once before and we are in every competition to try and win every game, he said.

The direction of the club at Wolves is going up and up. There is a big difference between what the other clubs pay and its difficult for our budget to do it - but we have a young team, a very good group, and we want to try and catch the big teams.

We are now in the knockout stages and the feeling is good.

Espanyol is a good team, even though their position in the league is not a true reflection with the players they have. It will be a tough game and we have to do it 100 per centto pass.

Wolves have not competed in the knockout rounds of major European competition since the 1971/72 season and head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has insisted that Espanyol cannot be underestimated.

Nuno is also hoping that Wolves do not experience any further issues with the Video Assistant Referee, with the system to be introduced by Uefa for the knockout stages.

Wolves have suffered more than most at the hands of VAR this season, most recently with a controversially disallowed goal against Leicester last Friday night.

Nuno said: Losing the emotion part of the game is the big risk. Football is about goals and that cannot go away from the game.

It is part of us, it is here to stay and the only thing I hope [for] is improvement, to be more clear to everybody and especially the players.

Sometimes they are on the pitch and they dont understand. With the delays the fans are not happy and something has to be done.

Nuno is expected to field a strong starting XI against Espanyol, with wing-back Ruben Vinagre the only absentee with a hamstring injury.

This is a tough game and the table doesnt mean anything, he said. We have done well [so far], we started early in the competition and the group phase was tough but since day one we have embraced the challenge.

We are proud of what we have done and now know we want to compete well. We want to keep building and improving.

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Joao Moutinho says Wolves determined to make a big statement ahead of first European knockout game in almost 50 years - Telegraph.co.uk

How To Defeat Liverpool? Better Call Saul, Simeone And Atletico Madrid – Forbes

MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 18: Saul Niguez of Atletico Madrid celebrates 1-0 during the UEFA Champions ... [+] League match between Atletico Madrid v Liverpool at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on February 18, 2020 in Madrid Spain (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Some of the sides Atltico Madrid have beaten at home in Champions League knockout ties under Diego Simeone: Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona (twice), Bayern Munich, Milan.

Liverpool.

The Spanish outfit fought from a well-organised base provided for them by their manager, and their opponents finished the game having not had a shot on target.

Another record which remains intact thanks to this result is that they have not lost a Champions League knockout game at home under the Argentine who joined the club in 2011.

To triumph here they needed to buck their own form, but also defeat a team who are defending European champions and have been literally unbeatable in their domestic league so far this season.

MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 18: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool ... [+] with Diego Simeone manager of Atletico Madrid before the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool FC at Wanda Metropolitano on February 18, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool did lose to Napoli in the Champions League in September, and Atltico set up using a similar 4-4-2 setup to the one used by the Serie A side who were then coached by Carlo Ancelotti.

Klopps side generally struggle against this formation, and most of their defeats in Europe in recent seasons have come against sides playing this shape.

Napoli in group stage matches, both this season and last season, Crvena Zvezda in the groups last season, and the 3-0 defeat in the first leg of last seasons semi-final against Barcelona at Camp Nouall 4-4-2

And so it was for Atleti here. It wasnt pretty but it was effective. It was typical Atltico Madrid. Typical Simeone.

The star at Atltico is the team. It could be argued it is Simeone, but with just one win in their last five La Liga matches, and a Copa del Rey exit at the hands of third tier team Cultural Leonesa, it was time for the coach and his team to step up.

Having the third best defence in Europes top five leagues is all well and good, but someone needs to score. Better call Sal.

The Spaniard pounced on a loose ball which had wriggled through to him via a couple of Liverpool defenders, and he finished well over Alisson and inside the far post.

MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 18: Thomas Partey of Atletico de Madrid competes for the ball with Sadio ... [+] Mane of Liverpool FC during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool FC at Wanda Metropolitano on February 18, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

The goalscorer and his midfield partners in crime, Koke and Thomas Partey, made their midfield contemporaries in the oppositions lineup appear meek and rendered them ineffective.

The crowd helped them, creating a cauldron of noise, bellowing down onto the field to support their own players and intimidate Liverpools.

Every poor touch and every lost ball from the defending champions was greeted with cheers, every good touch with jeers. A potentially demorsalizing feeling for those in black and something they werent able to overcome.

Many of Liverpools best passes came from the back, especially from Joe Gomez who finished the game having completed more dribbles and more key passes than his midfield team-mates combined.

Granted, that isnt too difficult when those midfielders created no chances and completed no dribbles.

MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 18: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Head Coach Diego Simeone of Atletico de Madrid ... [+] gestures during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool FC at Wanda Metropolitano on February 18, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alejandro Rios/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Simeone gesticulated to the crowd, encouraging them to give one last effort in the final few minutes.

Meanwhile, Klopp was booked for protesting against a handball decision which was let go by the officials.

It summed up a night of frustration for Liverpool and a night of effective, well organised, hard work for the hosts.

Klopp will hope that the roles are reversed when the sides meet in the second leg at Anfield next month. It could prove even more difficult than overturning that 3-0 deficit against Barcelona on their way to glory last season.

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How To Defeat Liverpool? Better Call Saul, Simeone And Atletico Madrid - Forbes