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SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020
LONDON (AFP) - Jordan Henderson has urged
Liverpool to show their hunger to retain the
Premier League title when they face Arsenal
in the Community Shield today
(11.30pm
Brunei time)
.
Just ive weeks after Liverpool captain
Henderson lifted the Premier League trophy,
Jurgen Klopp’s side kick off the new season in
the glamour friendly at Wembley.
While their Premier League title defence
doesn’t get underway until September 12, the
Reds are keen to lay down an early marker to
their title rivals.
Henderson knows FA Cup winners Arsenal
will pose a good test of Liverpool’s desire for
more silverware after beating the champions
21 at the Emirates Stadium late last season.
Liverpool have been getting back to busi-
ness at a training camp in Austria and England
midielder Henderson is pleased with the atti-
tude he has seen from his team-mates so far.
“We’ve been cracking on, really working
hard. New season, new start and a lot more
things we want to go on and achieve,”
Henderson told Liverpool’s website.
“I’m really excited to see what we can do this
season, another big season for us. Hopefully
we can take conidence from the last year or
two but we need to stay hungry and need to
keep the desire to go and want more.
“I can certainly see that from the irst days
that I’ve watched training in pre-season.”
Having ended the club’s 30-year wait to
win the English title, just a year after clinching
the Champions League crown, it would be
understandable if Henderson and company
took their foot off the gas this term.
Klopp has yet to make any major new
signings and they will face a renewed
challenge fromManchester City, big-spending
Chelsea and Manchester United’s emerging
young side.
But Henderson, whose team inished 18
points ahead of second-placed City, has no
doubts Liverpool are up to the task of keeping
their rivals at bay.
“You’ve got to look at the players in the
squad and the manager as well, it’s always
about looking forward and wanting more and
improving,” he said.
Liverpool’s captain Jordan Henderson. PHOTO: XINHUA
Henderson expects
Liverpool to make
statement against Arsenal
“Just to keep going and win as many
trophies as we can because we’ve proven that
over the last few years we’re a top team.
“Pre-season is no different. You’ve got to
train so hard to be ready for the irst game of
the season, which for us comes against Arsenal
in the Community Shield.
“We’ve got to be right at it come that
irst game and we’ve got another chance to
win silverware.
“After that, the Premier League starts
pretty quick after that as well, so you need to
be ready.”
For Arsenal, the curtain-raiser to the new
season offers Gunners boss Mikel Arteta an
opportunity to gauge his side’s progress
heading into his irst full campaign in charge.
The Spaniard’s impressive work after
arriving from Manchester City in December
culminated in FA Cup glory against Chelsea,
a success keyed by Arteta’s astute tactics and
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace.
Since that memorable victory, Aubameyang
has kept Arsenal waiting as they try to persuade
him to extend a contract that expires at the end
of this season.
LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea coach Frank
Lampard is under pressure to deliver a
serious Premier League title challenge after a
spending spree fuelled by his desire to catch
champions Liverpool.
Lampard showed promise in his irst season
by steering the Blues into the Champions
League with a fourth place domestic inish.
But Arsenal exposed the laws that were
visible in Lampard’s side all season with a
21 win against their London rivals in the FA
Cup inal.
Having inished 33 points behind the Reds
and 15 adrift of second placed Manchester
City last term, the response from the Stamford
Bridge hierarchy has been emphatic.
City set the record for the biggest total
spend by a Premier League club when
Pep Guardiola splashed out GBP223.8
million (USD295 million) ahead of the
201718 season.
But Chelsea are on course to shatter
that mark.
After enduring a transfer ban in the 2019
summer window before failing to sign a single
player during the 2020 January market, owner
Roman Abramovich sanctioned the kind of
money-is-no-object recruitment drive that
was commonplace when he irst bought
the club.
After relying on a cadre of promising
youngsters to kick-start his reign, Lampard
has prioritised proven talents in the
transfer market.
He paid a combined GBP141 million for
Leipzig striker Timo Werner, Ajax playmaker
Hakim Ziyech and Leicester left-back
Ben Chilwell.
The west Londoners are expected to
wrap up their GBP90 million swoop for
Bayer Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz this
week, which would take them past City’s
record spree.
Malang Sarr has also arrived on a free
transfer after the 21-year-old centre-back left
Nice, but he is seen as one for the future and
will be sent on loan.
That won’t be the end of Lampard’s overhaul
as Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva joined
Chelsea for free after leaving Paris Saint-
Lampard must deliver after Chelsea spending spree
Chelsea’s manager Frank Lampard. PHOTO: XINHUA
Germain (PSG) following their Champions
League inal defeat.
Lampard will hope the lavish investment
reaps the same rewards for his club as City
enjoyed in 2018, when they were crowned
champions thanks in large part to the spending
of owner Sheikh Mansour.
Chelsea have not won the Premier League
since 2017, failing to inish in the top two
since then as City and Liverpool established
a formidable duopoly.
Klopp’s side will be the team to beat when
the new campaign kicks off on September
12 and City can never be discounted while
Guardiola is in charge.
But Chelsea are in the title conversation
after bringing in so many quality additions.
Now it is up to Lampard to ensure his team
fulil those burgeoning expectations.
Often frustrated by Chelsea’s failure to
break down stubborn, defensive opponents
last season, Lampard must ind a way to
harness the talents of Christian Pulisic,
Werner and Ziyech in what should be a vibrant
front three.
Together with Havertz and Chilwell, those
ive were involved in a mammoth 131 goals
in all competitions for their respective teams
last season.
Lampard can also call on Tammy Abraham,
Olivier Giroud and Callum Hudson-Odoi to
freshen up his attack.
Getting a disparate group of new recruits
to gel successfully is no easy task.
But scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem
and Lampard will hope Silva and Chilwell can
solidify a defence that often conceded far too
easily last term.
Chelsea allowed 54 league goals last
season, 21 more than Liverpool and 19 more
than City.
Chilwell should be an upgrade on Marcos
Alonso and Emerson at left-back.
The 35-year-old Silva is expected to provide
leadership and experience at the heart of the
defence, but it remains to be seen how he
adapts to the unique physical demands of the
Premier League.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world’s most
expensive goalkeeper, was dropped to-
wards the end of the season, but vet-
eran back-up Willy Caballero is not
s i gn i f i can t l y be t t e r t han t he e r ro r-
prone Spaniard.
LONDON (AFP) - Eberechi Eze became
Roy Hodgson’s most expensive signing
in his time as Crystal Palace manager
yesterday, joining for a reported GBP20
million (USD26.5 million) from second-tier
Queens Park Rangers.
Hodgson saw off rivals West Bromwich
Albion and West Ham to secure the
signature of the 22-year-old forward, who
penned a ive year contract.
Eze, who scored 20 goals in 112
appearances for QPR and has been capped
at Under-20 and Under-21 level by England,
said Palace offered the chance for him to
develop as a player.
“As a football club, I feel like there
are great players here and it’s a brilliant
opportunity for me to come and be
with these players, to link up with them
and to really push on,” he said in a
club statement.
Palace succeeded at the third time of
asking after having bids of GBP8 million
and GBP12 million rejected.
“Eberechi isaplayerwhosedevelopment
we have followed closely,” said Palace
chairman Steve Parish.
“We are delighted he has chosen
to sign for us over the other clubs that
were interested and we feel that this
is the right club for him to continue
his development.”
QPR manage r Ma r k Wa rbu r t on
had stipulated Eze would only leave
if the club’s GBP20 million valuation
was met.
The deal is reportedly for GBP16
million up front with GBP4 million in
potential add-ons.
Belgium striker Christian Benteke
remains Palace’s most expensive signing,
bought for an initial GBP27 million in
August 2016.
Eze does it as
Palace boss
Hodgson signs
forward