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Chelsea will not attempt to copy Liverpool in their bid for success next season, according to Blues manager Frank Lampard.

The Reds have put together an exceptional squad in recent seasons, culminating in 12 months of immense success. Last season, Jurgen Klopp's men claimed the Champions League, and on Wednesday night they will lift the Premier League trophy having won the English top flight for the first time in 30 years.

Klopp has put together a strong team with a unique image, featuring the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. Lampard is attempting to do something similar with Chelsea, with big-money signings Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech already secured this summer, and Kai Havertz also on the club's wish list.

However, Lampard - whose Chelsea side face Liverpool on Wednesday night - says simply attempting to ape the Reds is not a viable method for success, and they have to try and mind their own path to glory.

He told Sky Sports: "They've been working together for a while now, Liverpool, and the thing that jumps out at you is their consistency. I know how hard that is. You don't see that sort of consistency, in terms of performance and results, in many Premier League seasons.

"The have speed, power, individual qualities all over the place. It's always impressive when you see a team that plays in the image of their manager, with character and aggression. You can see the evolution since [Klopp] has been there - but it's not a case of trying to clone Liverpool. We have to try and do it in our own way to close the gap."

Lampard arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer with the club in disarray, reeling from a transfer ban which prevented the young boss from making any signings last summer.

The former Blues midfielder has enjoyed a good first season in charge, however, with the team fighting for a Premier League top-four finish and into the final of the FA Cup.

Lampard has placed a lot of trust in young academy products such as Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour and Tammy Abraham this season, and is pleased with their efforts, even if he feels the squad has a long way to go to match Liverpool.

He said: "It does feels like progression, what we've done so far.

"Expectations for us were mixed at the start of the season; there were some unknowns in terms of the squad - I had players who were making their debuts in the Premier League - and I just wanted to see where we could get to.

"We've made some really good steps forward but then we have to think of the next one because we're Chelsea. We understand at the moment that the gap in the league is big above us and we want to close that."

Mustafa Kizza’s agent Adamson Mansoor believes his client's move to Montreal Impact could open the European gates for the left-back.

Montreal Impact confirmed the signing of the 20-year-old Ugandan from KCCA FC and Mansoor is confident many opportunities may open for the youngster if he impresses in Major League Soccer (MLS).

“MSL has been exporting players to the top five leagues in Europe, the latest one is Alphonso Davies at FC Bayern Munich, also a left-back like Kizza who started as a left-winger,” Mansoor told Football256.

“Today, we are in a global market, once you do well, the whole world will open doors for you and MLS has attributes that Kizza will continue progressing on which are the physical attributes of the game.

“MLS has fast and strong players, so it’s something he is going to enjoy and continue progressing as a player and also has a man.

“He is definitely coming to compete, he is coming with a lot of luggage behind him, some Caf Champions League football with great performances against the best teams in Africa like Al Ahly and Esperance like you already know.

“He has great game statistics, in the league and national team, he has a lot of games for his age so he is obviously not coming to just develop but to compete.”

Mansoor believes Kizza, who will remain at KCCA on loan until December, will need more time on the pitch in order to accelerate his growth.

“But also, the process of developing requires getting game time, so the more he plays the more he will develop, but he is definitely coming to compete for a starting position,” he added.

The player's manager also revealed why Kizza did not take previous offers after trial stints in Europe.

“Every time Kizza came to Europe he was successful but we felt it wasn’t the right move for him, so we had to wait for the right move,” Mansoor explained.

“We had several options on the table and we had to take aspects of the offers we had into consideration.

“Montreal are the one that ticked all the boxes, sports-wise it was a great opportunity, the sports director [Olivier Renard] is one that has unbelievable global knowledge about the players in the market.

“Very successful with buying young players, develop and reselling them after. Then the coach is obviously one of the best players ever, without a doubt with a football brain next to none.

“Montreal are a club with an amazing history, with the ability to attract top players, Didier [Drogba], [Victor] Wanyama, Bojan [Krkic], players who bring huge luggage of football experience.

“So, for Kizza to be around Wanyama, Henry and Krkic, I think is the best gift you can give a young player for him to learn, adjust as quickly as possible to meet international football demands.”

Kizza becomes the second Ugandan to sign for Montreal Impact after Mike Azira.

Aston Villa boosted their Premier League survival chances following Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Villa Park.

Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan was the hero as his 27th-minute strike handed Dean Smith’s men all three points.

The Egypt international slammed the ball past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after Tyrone Mings had flicked on Conor Hourihane’s corner kick – as Mikel Arteta’s Gunners would lick their wounds over Eddie Nketiah’s missed opportunity.

However, Ahmed Elmohamady’s injury was the sore point for the hosts as the 32-year-old was replaced by Frederic Guilbert in the 25th minute after sustaining an injury without any contact.

Following this result, the Claret and Blue Army are out of the relegation zone with a game left in the 2019-20 season.

Trezeguet was in action from start to finish alongside Congo and Angola prospect Ezri Konsa, while Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba was a 73rd-minute replacement for Hourihane.

The quartet joined the rest of the Villa squad in revelling in the very vital triumph over the North Londoners.

“What a massive win tonight for the team and our fans,” Nakamba tweeted.

“Nothing is impossible there are ways that lead to everything. Our focus now turns to the weekend.”

Aston Villa need a win at West Ham United on Sunday to secure their slot in the English elite division next term – and that is the focus of 22-year-old Konsa.

“What a massive win!!! Focus now turns to the weekend... One final push!” he tweeted.

Arteta’s men are 10th in the log having accrued 53 points from 37 matches, and they will be aiming to end the season on a high when they welcome relegation-threatened Watford to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Steven Gerrard says Luis Suarez had "no respect for anyone" during training sessions at Liverpool, and that he knew "straight away" he would be a "top player" for the club.

Suarez completed a £23 million ($29m) move to Anfield from Ajax in January 2011, and went on to score 82 goals in 133 appearances in the famous red shirt.

The Uruguayan quickly became a cult hero among Liverpool supporters for his fierce determination and penchant for magical moments in the final third, and he inspired a Premier League title bid in his final season on Merseyside.

Suarez made his way to Barcelona after the Reds were narrowly beaten to the top-flight crown by Manchester City, but he is still fondly remembered by fans and former Anfield team-mates to this day.

Gerrard recalls being blown away by the 33-year-old's fearless attitude in training upon his arrival in England, and says it was clear to see that he was capable of making a big impact in the Premier League.

When asked to name the best player he played with, the Liverpool legend told the  BBC's Match of the Day Top 10 podcast: “A lot of strikers that we used to sign did have respect for the likes of Jamie Carragher and other names around the squad but he (Luis Suarez) had no respect for anyone in training, in a good way.

"He’d be backing into them, he’d be leaving a bit in on them, he’d have elbows up and I’d be thinking that’s not normally what you’d see in training, you’d normally see a lot of respect but Luis would run through anyone and have a defender up the wall at any given moment.

"You knew straight away in days rather than weeks that he was going to be a top player for Liverpool.” 

Liverpool's 30-year wait for domestic glory came to an end on June 25, and they will receive an elusive piece of silverware following their final home game of the season against Chelsea on Wednesday .

Gerrard, who was a runner-up with the Reds in the Premier League on three occasions, has been delighted to see Jurgen Klopp deliver a long-awaited trophy in 2019-20 while watching on as a "fan" during his first year in charge at Rangers.

He added: “First and foremost, for me, it was fantastic to bury a few demons, from 2014 it was certainly a big relief. Being a Liverpool fan and ex-player, I’ve known the big, long wait and I’m still in touch with a lot of the players that are in that dressing room so a lot of them shared that pain with me.

"It was fantastic for everyone connected to the club but it was mixed emotions in many ways because of my own experiences, being a fan and ex-player and a lot of my family are Liverpool fans as well.

"To be honest with you, I’m still on a really big high watching all of the TV coverage and seeing all of the emotions flying about.”

The South African Football Association (Safa) has received a response from Fifa advising them that they have the powers to extend the date of completion of the 2019-20 PSL season. 

In a statement released on Wednesday, Safa said the season can be extended in terms of the Transfer Management System (TMS).   

This means the suspended season can go beyond the August 31 deadline set by the PSL.  

"The world football governing body, Fifa has written to the South African Football Association (Safa) advising them that they can extend the completion of the current Premier Soccer League season in terms of the Transfer Management System (TMS)," reads the statement. 

Furthermore, Fifa mandated Safa to amend the start of the upcoming season as well as the registration of new players.  

"In the same context, Fifa has given Safa the mandate to amend the start of the PSL next season (2020/2021) and this may require the Association to amend the registration periods provided in the TMS."

Safa published part of the statement as sent to them by Fifa, and it reads as follows:

"As such, the association concerned should extend the end date of the ongoing season in the TMS, to reflect the match schedule. This may also require the association to amend the registration periods provided in the TMS." 

Safa acting CEO Tebogo Motlanthe said the association was pleased with the clarification from Fifa and assured the country that the referees will be ready come August 1. 

"We are glad with the clarification we got from Fifa and we have already started preparation of the referees. They will arrive at the camp in batches and I want to assure everyone that the match officials will be ready, come 1 August 2020 when the PSL kicks off," said Motlanthe.

Last week, Safa rejected PSL's proposed return date of July 18, stating that the match officials were not ready and fit enough to complete the season. 

The country's FA further resolved that referees be mandated to a 14-day fitness and medical tests, a compromise on their side as Fifa requires match officials to undergo a three-week intense training programme before they can be deemed ready to resume work.  

Safa offered to cover the costs of the 110 match officials which include accommodation, transportation and the conducting of tests. 

It is unclear at this stage if the PSL will accept Safa's proposed return date of August 1 but the league said in its response that Dr Irvin Khoza would re-engage all the stakeholders on the association's position. 

Weekend reports suggested the PSL was considering cancelling the campaign as it feels it would not have enough time to play the remaining of the matches. 

The league is expected to hold a board of governors meeting this week to plot the way forward for the current season which has been suspended since mid-March.  

Manchester United and Chelsea must turn their focus back to the Premier League—and to the race for the Champions League—after their FA Cup semi-final showdown at Wembley on Sunday.

The Red Devils, favourites ahead of the meeting after their excellent recent run of form, were found wanting on the big day, falling to an unexpected 3-1 defeat that sent Frank Lampard’s side into the final, where they will meet London rivals Arsenal.

United—and particularly David de Gea—must now pick themselves up for the visit of West Ham United on Wednesday, while Chelsea are away at champions Liverpool looking to get over the line in the race for the top four.

For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, drastic improvement is needed.

They have been the in-form team of the top flight since lockdown, but they’ve faded in recent weeks, dropping points at the death against Southampton following a lacklustre display, before falling short against Chelsea on Sunday.

Admittedly, there were extenuating circumstances.

Solskjaer trialled a back three against the Blues, but his plans were undone when Eric Bailly was replaced with what appeared to be a serious head injury at the end of the first half.

Similarly, his decision to pair Marcus Rashford alongside Daniel James up top didn’t bear fruit, with the duo struggling to impose themselves on Chelsea’s own back three.

While Brandon Williams and Aaron Wan-Bissaka found themselves pinned back and unable to influence proceedings, Reece James and Marcos Alonso pressed forward, helping Chelsea overload the United defence in the final third.

The Red Devils need improved performances across the board, but not least between the sticks, where De Gea delivered a hapless showing against Chelsea.

He was at fault for allowing Olivier Giroud’s effort to squirm beyond him, and then failed to deal with a low effort from Mason Mount, and was only able to turn the ball into the corner of the United net.

Despite the club’s domestic resurgence, De Gea appeared entirely devoid of confidence and belief…it’s a weakness that West Ham and David Moyes will hope to exploit on Wednesday.

Similarly, it will be fascinating to see how Michail Antonio—with all of his pace, directness and aggressive forward play—can test both De Gea and Harry Maguire, who fared only slightly better than his goalkeeper on Sunday.

Further forward, the Hammers will need to find a way to silence Bruno Fernandes, who was perhaps the only United player who emerged with his reputation intact at the weekend…even though he too is appearing increasingly jaded.

Wednesday 22 July: SuperSport Fixtures

Manchester United vs West Ham (Premier League)

Liverpool vs Chelsea (Premier League)

Parma vs Napoli (Serie A)

Inter Milan vs Fiorentina (Serie A)

SPAL vs Roma (Serie A)

Also on Wednesday, Chelsea are away at the champions, and Lampard will be keen for his side to build on his encouraging showing against United.

Leading the line, Giroud led the line with aplomb, demonstrating intelligence and the kind of physicality that will test Liverpool’s centre-backs.

Elsewhere, Mateo Kovacic and Mount appear to be ending the season strongly, while the likes of Tammy Abraham, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Pedro represent menacing options off the bench.

Liverpool’s season is in danger of petering out, with the champions having taken just one point from their last two matches.

The 1-1 draw with Burnley and the 2-1 defeat by Arsenal ended their hopes of breaking Manchester City’s record points tally, and has prompted suggestions of a lack of focus—despite Jurgen Klopp’s assurances to the contrary.

Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson are injured for the Reds, while Dejan Lovren and James Milner are doubts.

For Chelsea, Fikayo Tomori and Billy Gilmour are both injured, while N’Golo Kante is unlikely to be risked, as he continues his comeback from a fitness concern.

Regardless of the result on Wednesday, after the match Liverpool will be presented with the Premier League trophy, having ended their three-decade wait to be named champions of England.

"It's been a really long run-up to this,” Klopp told journalists. “We have been champions for a month now.

"It's a bit like Christmas - you know you're getting a specific present but you are still excited,” he added.

"It will be special. I'm absolutely delighted the boys have this moment.

"They deserve it more than anyone because there were so many setbacks they have dealt with."

Over in Italy, SuperSport are delighted to present three live Serie A matches on Wednesday evening, with Internazionale’s meeting with Fiorentina the pick of the bunch.

Antonio Conte’s side is eight points behind leaders Juve with four matches to play, and while the gap may appear significant, the Nerazzurri can take some confidence from their rivals’ patchy form.

Juve may have defeated Lazio 2-1 on Monday to avoid more lost points, but they’ve taken just two draws from their previous three matches, and Inter can heap more pressure on their foe with a victory against Fiorentina.

Inter will be without Stefano Sensi and Matias Vecino, but it will be fascinating to see how La Viola deal with the duel threats of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.

Elsewhere, Parma face Napoli, while bottom club SPAL host AS Roma, aiming to halt their run of five consecutive defeats.

SuperSport United chief executive officer Stanley Matthews says they are yet to be compensated by the South African Football Association (Safa) over their approach for ex-coach Stuart Baxter, who are unaware of the debt.

The British coach was appointed Bafana Bafana head coach towards the end of the 2016/17 season after he guided SuperSport to the Nedbank Cup trophy.

Baxter was still contracted to Matsatsantsa at the time and Safa reportedly agreed to pay the Tshwane giants over R1 million as a compensation fee.

Matthews has now confirmed that they are still waiting for a payment from the country's football ruling body.

“Yes, I can confirm that we haven’t been compensated for Baxter but I can’t share more than that because of the respect that I have for Safa as the mother of our football,” Matthews told IOL.

Baxter rejoined Bafana for his second spell as the national team head coach having previously coached the team between 2004 and 2005.

The Wolverhampton-born tactician replaced Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba who had fallen out of favour with the Safa management.

But Safa's chief executive officer Tebogo Motlanthe insisted that they are in the dark regarding the outstanding compensation fee.

“There’s no one who knows where this Baxter thing comes from. I don’t have an invoice from SuperSport," Motlanthe told the same publication.

"When I owe, you must give me an invoice to say this is what you owe me. Safa is an [professional] institution, I can’t just say I had an agreement with you and I’ve not been paid, you send a letter of demand.

“I was not the CEO then, the people who were involved were the CFO [Chief Financial Officer, Gronie Hluyo]. I’ve sent all the queries to the CFO. He doesn’t have an invoice."

Baxter resigned as Bafana coach last August after guiding the team to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals where they were narrowly defeated by Nigeria's Super Eagles.

The former Kaizer Chiefs head coach was replaced by local tactician Molefi Ntseki, who is expected to ensure that Bafana qualifies for the next Afcon finals and the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

Bafana players recently received their payments from Safa for the camp that took place in November 2019.

What's the Premier League manifestation of the Groundhog Day experience?

There are some good shouts, but consider this one: being a West Ham United fan. Every summer, the Hammers enter the season with designs on a place in the top 10; they suffer a bad run, which may or may not result in a managerial change; they right themselves in time to escape relegation; and then it begins again.

Much of the initial optimism is of course founded on the club's transfer activity. At the start of 2019/20, West Ham spent €89 million on reinforcements, the bulk of which was plowed into handsome transfer fees for striker Sebastian Haller and winger Pablo Fornals from Villarreal.

The expectation was that Franco-Ivorian forward Haller, who had been a part of a terrifying attacking triumvirate at Eintracht Frankfurt (alongside Ante Rebic and Luka Jovic) would finally provide much-needed cutting edge upfront for the Hammers.

Likewise, Fornals would bring guile and invention between the lines. There is a pattern here: exciting attacking players signed for eye-watering amounts from abroad as a means for the club to bridge the gap to the upper reaches of the Premier League table.

The trouble for West Ham is that, for the second season running, this idea has not borne fruit.

In 2018/19, close to €60m was spent on Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko; both have had memorable moments in claret but neither is a starter for the club two years on. This season, the duo of Haller and Fornals have been upstaged by Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen.

Antonio, a 30-year-old battler who began his career at non-league level and has occasionally featured wide and at full-back, is enjoying his best goalscoring season as the arrowhead of the Hammers' attack.

At the risk of delving into cliché, his hunger and desire contrast favourably with Haller's more introverted style, as there is a sense that whereas the Frenchman seemed to need the team to play to his strengths, Antonio is happy enough to simply give the team what it needs.

The same is true of Bowen, who joined in January from Championship Hull in a €20m move, and has been an absolute standout with his inswinging deliveries from the right flank and his wand of a left foot.

There is a lesson here: there is something to be said for a less exotic transfer strategy, and some value in looking closer to home in terms of improving the squad. Sure enough, neither Antonio nor Bowen has been part of a European push in Serie A, the Bundesliga or La Liga, but perhaps that sort of experience is not exactly relevant to West Ham and what they are.

The good news is that it seems they might finally be learning this lesson.

The clearest indication of this is their pursuit of midfielder Ebere Eze. Per the latest reports, the Hammers are favourite to sign the Queens Park Rangers player ahead of fellow London club Crystal Palace.

Manager David Moyes is a huge fan, and is believed to have watched Eze in the Rs' 4-3 win over Millwall at the weekend. If so, he will have come away mightily pleased: the England youth international scored his side's third, and demonstrated the most talked-about aspect of his game – his creativity and flair – by playing three key passes and completing four out of seven dribbles.

Eze has been one of the stars of the Championship this term, shining even amid QPR's frustrating inconsistency. He leads the team in goals and assists (13 and eight respectively), as well as in overall big chances created: 13.

The profile is strikingly similar to Bowen's, who at the midway point of the season had 16 goals and seven assists for a struggling Hull. Both are players clearly too good for the second tier, and it is in this pond that West Ham should consistently be fishing.

Eze would bring skills the club has so far lacked. A lack of proper creativity from central areas has meant an overt reliance on crossing. In recent games, Moyes has even taken to playing Mark Noble as the farthest forward midfielder, and while the 33-year-old got an assist and looked sharp against a hapless Norwich, it is hardly a sustainable long-term play.

Adding Eze into the mix would immediately make West Ham a more dangerous, unpredictable proposition: he has both the ability to play slide-rule through balls against team's that sit deep, and his penchant for carrying the ball over long distances would aid the side's transitions against the bigger sides. Also crucially, he is a masterful dribbler: only Ovie Ejaria betters his three successful dribbles per game.

All elements West Ham could do with; all available on their doorstep. In order to finally find the upward mobility they crave every summer, the Hammers must let their transfer policy be dictated, not by glamour and ambition, but by value.

Eze lacks the profile of some of the players the club have brought in for sizeable fees, and he will not be arriving on the back of a Europa League finish in one of the other top five European leagues. Sometimes though, value is closer to home than it at first appears.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) will miss eight key players when they take on Mtibwa Sugar in Mainland Premier League match on Wednesday.

The players, led by captain Papy Tshishimbi, will miss the clash owing to various reasons, some are injured while others are not in the coach’s plans for the fixture.

The other players who will miss the clash against the Sugar Millers are Haruna Niyonzima, Mapinduzi Balama - both of whom have been ruled out for the season - Ally Ally, Andrew Vincent, Eric Kabamba, Ramadhan Kabwili, and Raphael Daud.

According to Yanga coach Luc Eymael, the absence of the players is a blow to the Jangwani giants but he will have to use those available in the remaining two league matches.

“We have eight players who will miss the clash, of course, it is not good to miss your key players especially at this time when we want to finish the season in the second position, but I think we will use those who are fit and available,” Eymael told Goal.

Yanga will, however, welcome back keeper Farouk Shikalo, who missed the last match against Mwadui FC, owing to a hand injury.

“Shikalo is back, he has been training well and he is in the squad for the fixture, I don’t know if he will start but it is good to have him in the squad," Eymael confirmed.

Yanga are fighting to finish second on the 20-team league table after missing the chance to get a direct ticket to Caf Confederation Cup when they lost 4-1 to rivals Simba SC in the FA Cup semi-final.

The team arrived in Morogoro on Monday ready for the clash against Mwadui.

The players who travelled alongside Shikalo include Metacha Mnata, Ramadhan Kabwili, Geoffrey Magaigwa, Juma Abdul, Paul Godfrey, Ally Mtoni, Jafary Mohammed, Adeyum Saleh, and Lamine Moro.

Others are Faisal Salum, Abdullaziz Makame, Said Juma Makapu, Deus Kaseke, Mrisho Ngassa, Eric Kabamba Yikpe Gislain, David Molinga, Tariq Seif, Ditram Nchimbi and Adam Kiondo.

Yanga are currently second on 68 points, two more than third-placed Azam FC, who are also keen to claim the spot.

Rachel Sebati has revealed her pride at how ALG Spor won the Turkish Kadınlar Ligi title for the first time in their history in the 2019-20 season.

Sebati joined the Turkish giants in 2019 from Minsk, seeing out her contract with the Belarusian giants where she won two titles and reached the Women's Champions League Round of 16.

Since moving to Turkey last summer, the 27-year-old made an instant impact at ALG, providing three assists in 11 matches before the league suspension due to the coronavirus outbreak in March. 

The subsequent cancellation saw Mehmet Karayılan's ladies declared the Turkish champions early July, having topped the table with 43 points from 15 games, and the midfielder is pleased with their feat.

"It's obviously the effort of the whole team, alone it was never possible," Sebati told Goal.

"It was a top priority for us to qualify for Uefa Women's Champions League. Personally, this carries so much weight as it will be the second time God comes through for me.

"That is called grace. It is a magnificent and breathtaking moment and we embrace it with open arms."

They were the only unbeaten side in the Turkish top-flight, edging former champions Beşiktas by a point before the coronavirus pandemic put the league campaign on a hiatus.

Featuring in 11 out of 15 games, Banyana Banyana woman, who twice made the Team of the Week, reflected on her times in Gaziantep.

"I cannot remember having any other lowest moments except getting sick because of environmental changes and culture shock," she continued.

"We are obviously in a foreign land thus chances are that one will get sick before adaptation. Otherwise, every moment is magical and special. Everyday is my highest as long as I'm healthy."

While the men's league enjoyed a restart, the women's division was cancelled, which did not go down well with many, including Sebati, despite not ruining their domestic title dreams.

"The tragedy of Covid-19 is disastrous but somehow it is a blessing in disguise," she said.

"All things happen for a reason and we are blessed to be the favoured team in the situation at hand. Well, it was sad to have not been able to finish what we have started as we all looked forward to playing more games. 

"We had great plans and everyone looked forward to second round challenges. The cancellation has somehow affected our team in terms of fitness because everyone was in a good shape and inspired by the achievement thus far. 

"Though the cancellation is also seen as something positive, in such a way that the team uses the time to reflect, go back to the drawing board to try to rectify were needed. 

"There is always the positive and a negative side of everything, it just depends on how you choose to see the situation."

Everyone connected to Liverpool was undoubtedly filled with anxiety in March when the coronavirus pandemic brought football to its knees.

Having waited 30 years to win a domestic title, the red half of Merseyside never would have envisaged a scenario in which a global pandemic threatened to derail what seemed like a formality before the Premier League was halted.

When it emerged voiding the season was a possibility, albeit a slim resolution, that apprehension among fans, players and manager probably grew.

Fast forward three months and Liverpool have now been crowned champions. Delay, it proved to be, not denial for Klopp’s troops, who will go down in history as the club’s greatest side in a generation.

While the club’s wait throughout the lockdown was fraught with unease, one player who was certainly a beneficiary of the enforced hiatus was Naby Keita, the dynamic Guinea maestro whose season had been marred by niggling injuries.

The former RB Leipzig midfielder had started a miserly three times in the league, with several muscular injuries limiting how often Klopp could rely on the West African star during the campaign.

His non-involvement was especially felt in their Round of 16 Champions League elimination by Atletico Madrid when the German tactician could only summon James Milner and Fabinho from the bench (to replace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson respectively) against the Spanish giants.

Those sort of nights was why the Anfield giants not only paid a premium for his services but waited a year to see him grace the English top flight. However, as the ex-Borussia Dortmund trainer sought solutions against a resolute Atletico side, Keita was frustratingly missing through injury.

Despite all the uncertainty that the lockdown brought, it was just what the doctor ordered for the lively Guinean in an injury-plagued season. The time off has allowed him to become healthy and it’s told in his performances since Project Restart became a reality.

Keita has started three of Liverpool’s seven games since June, featuring for 65 minutes in their dour Merseyside derby draw with Everton, 85 minutes against relegation-threatened Aston Villa and for an hour against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Of the aforementioned games, Klopp will probably have been most impressed by the encounter with Villa at Anfield, not because he set up the first of two goals but owing to the fact he lasted 85 minutes unscathed. You’d have to go as far back as December to witness the Guinean either lasting longer or playing an entire game.

Indeed, it signified progress on all fronts as Keita not only played significant minutes but also made a telling impact on the pitch as well.

The ex-Leipzig man created Sadio Mane’s opener with 19 minutes to play, which happened to be Liverpool’s only effort that fell into the ‘big chance created’ column, had the most touches of the home team’s midfielders and won more duels (four) than Chamberlain and Fabinho combined.

That showing was followed up by an even better evening at the Amex, where he set up Mohamed Salah’s 18 league goal of the campaign to put the visitors 1-0 up. Against the Seagulls, despite playing for only an hour, Keita created four chances (including two clear-cut efforts), had a 100 percent success rate from three attempted dribbles and won all but one of seven total duels – the same number as Henderson (three) and Georginio Wijnaldum (three) combined.

Admittedly, both assists came against teams currently placed 18th and 15th in the standings, but still, it’s been pleasing to see Keita flourishing for the Reds and so-far avoiding a recurrence to past layoffs.

Thus, it poses questions as to whether Klopp should retain faith in the African ace or look to beef up his midfield regardless of the physical condition of his healthy-again star, especially in light of recent links to Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

The former Barcelona playmaker is reportedly interested in a move to the world champions, who are said to be keen on a player entering the last year of his contract.

While it’s certainly hard to argue against swooping in for a performer as supremely talented and effective as Thiago at a relatively cheap fee, the player’s age and persistent injury problems will pose a concern.

Despite his undoubted quality, the Bayern virtuoso, aged 29, doesn’t fit into the age bracket of recent Liverpool signings, while incessant layoffs throughout his career in Spain and Germany don’t bode well in a league as physically demanding as the Premier League.

Given the ages of Henderson and Virgil van Dijk (30 and 29 respectively), Roberto Firmino, Salah and Mane (all 28), the Reds will certainly want to avoid a situation where they’ll need a heavy rebuilding job on their squad in two years.

Nevertheless, the departure of Adam Lallana and the contract situation of 29-year-old Wijnaldum, whose current deal runs out in a year, indicate the newly crowned champions need a signing or two in midfield even if the Dutch star does sign on the dotted line.

While the pandemic has left the Merseyside giants in a somewhat tricky financial situation, the arrival of competition in midfield shouldn’t affect Keita so much, as history already suggests his minutes on the pitch ought to be managed wisely to get the best out of him.

Evidence since the restart points to this already, as Klopp has used the Guinea star sensibly in the last month.

‘Naby Lad’ has started as many league games in a month than he managed between August and March, but whether the talented midfield man will be given greater responsibility or otherwise next season will be determined by how frequently he maintains this current bill of health.

Sreenidhi FC, the Telangana-based group, has drawn out a long-term plan to build a sustainable football club and target a place in the I-League in the near future.

The club & academy, owned by the region's well known Sreenidhi Educational Group, has taken an interest in Indian football since 2016. The group already had a fully-fledged cricket ground and infrastructure for other sports but they waited and observed before delving into the tricky world of football in India. 

Chairman of the group Dr. KT Mahi, who is also the chairman of the Telangana Football Association (TFA) and Sreenidhi's director Abhijit Rao brought the academy to life. The focus early on was to work out a plan to improve the grassroots and infrastructure and in 2018, the club stepped up their efforts as they brought in UEFA B-Licensed coach Fabio Ferreira as the Technical Director.

It was a step in the right direction or a club that wanted to be professional in what they are trying to achieve. And two years later, they are one of the three clubs to have picked up the bid document to gain entry into the I-League. 

"It is not about bidding for I-League and just creating a first-team, that is why we waited for five years before going ahead," club director Abhijit Rao told Goal.

"We have been observing Indian football for a few years now. One thing we knew for sure of is that we want a sustainable model. it is not about putting everything into the first team. We feel that we have built a foundation and felt it is the right time to take the opportunity. We are waiting to hear from the AIFF."

Running a football academy in India, without a solid source fo revenue, is a challenging task. Sreenidhi also has had to take it one step at a time. Now, with several years of functioning as a regular in the age-category leagues in India, the club looks ready for the next step.

"It is important to plan well. We could have tried to get accredited with the AIFF when we started. We wanted to plan properly and the most important thing is the long term project, even if we play in the I -League. We are not going to invest heavily on foreign players. we want a balanced approach.

"We are not going to go for the championship in the first year. Whoever we appoint as a head coach, we are going to give them a three-year contract. We want to invest more and give more gametime to Indian players. There are so many positions which Indian players don't play - the striker, for example. How are they going to improve if they don't play in that position? We don't want to keep on pumping money, it is a long-term project," Rao shared his thoughts. 

The Coronavirus pandemic has affected Sreenidhi's plans to an extent. They had a residential academy coming up but that will now only be looked at next year. Their grassroots level programs had to be stopped for obvious reasons and the team is currently looking to kickstart online coaching and fitness sessions to keep the players engaged. 

"Everything you do at a club should be to achieve sustainability. The idea is to build a good team and when we get guys with expertise in, the idea is also to educate other Indian coaches. It is not only about developing our club, the TFA is very open to working with us to try and develop an ecosystem here. Only when we make an ecosystem, we can make a significant impact. 

"Another focus is to try and give our players more gametime, Apart from the youth leagues, we are trying to send players for tournaments. The main objective is to at least vie our young players at least 20 matches per year. The TFA is taking a serious look into it."

All this is good news for the footballer levers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, a region that boasted of world-class India national team players and achieved a lot of success in the 1950s and 60s. 

Abhijit added, "We want to give back to football in Telengana and Andhra Pradesh. We recruit locally as much as possible. We will definitely be encouraging local talents regardless of whether we play in the I League or not."

Thus the project is definitely rolling, I-League or no I-League. 
 

East Bengal were given a major boost in their preparations for the upcoming season after Quess Corp agreed to a mutual termination of a joint venture, Quess East Bengal FC (QEBFC), between the two entities.

The termination also meant the club re-obtained the sporting rights required to field a team in any recognised competition . This significant development lifted a huge cloud of doubt that was hanging over the club's immediate future, given that they were at an impasse with Quess for a few months over the issue.

However, along with the sporting rights, East Bengal have also taken on a set of responsibilities and liabilities.

When Quess and East Bengal entered into an initial three-year-long joint venture back in 2018, the agreement was that Quess would hold 70 per cent of stakes in the same and would take care of the operational cost of running the club. East Bengal, naturally, held only 30 per cent of the stakes.

As a result, Quess were responsible for the contracts executed between players and QEBFC during the two years the association lasted.

However, Quess decided to disinvest from QEBFC at the end of May 2020, ie the end of the 2019-20 season, and senior officials from the Bengaluru-based firm had stated that they will not be financially liable for any operation post that deadline.

"QEBFC, as we told, that the 31st May of this year is the last day, our contract with the club terminates. We have no financial liability post that. But meanwhile what we have been trying and that we also in the discussions with a couple of investment bankers to get a suitor so that we can divest. So we will be trying our best to do that. Hopefully, we'll get somebody to offload our share. And if nothing happens, but -- 31st May, post that, we have no financial liability. That is the last point," stated Quess Group CEO & Executive Director Subrata Nag back in February. 

Now, with the termination concluded, all the liabilities fall back to East Bengal. And that includes all contracts and clauses entered into with a player by QEBFC.

Goal understands that around 16 players have long term contracts with QEBFC that run till the end of the 2020-21 season and in some cases, beyond that. All the liabilities attached to these contracts now fall on the Red and Golds.

All payments related to the same, bonus and more are East Bengal's responsibility now. It must be noted it was Quess East Bengal who were handed a transfer ban and fined after irregularities in their approach to sign Sukhdev Singh from Minerva Punjab back in 2018. Though it was East Bengal who tried to sign him (just before Quess came on board), the liability fell on QEBFC back then.

In case, the players have any grievances related to non-fulfillment of their contractual terms, the club will have to answer for it in front of any official redressal forum. The termination date of QEBFC was July 17 and it is not clear who will cover the payments owed to players for the month of June and 17 days in July.

If the players have a grievance, they can only file a complaint against East Bengal with All India Football Federation (AIFF) or FIFA since Quess are no longer associated with the sport.

The club have already stated their intention to apply for the necessary club licensing procedures required to participate in national competitions for next season under the name of a new company - East Bengal Club Private Limited.

All existing liabilities of QEBFC will also now come under the aegis of East Bengal Club Private Limited.

Former Chennaiyin FC skipper Henrique Sereno believes India international Anirudh Thapa has the ability to play in Europe.

The Spanish defender who won back to back ISL title at ATK (2016) and Chennaiyin (2017-18) was all praises for his former teammates while speaking in a Live Instagram chat with Chennaiyin fan group Super Machans.

The Portuguese said, “We had so many players. Even the players who didn’t play a lot like Keenan (Almeida), (Fulganco) Cardozo, they had amazing skills but they didn’t get many chances but they were good in the training. That was the key to success.  We had many good young players as well like Anirudh Thapa. He can play in Europe. He is a very good number 10 and has very nice skills. We also had Jeje (Lalpekhlua) who is a great striker.”

When asked about the strongest Indian player in the title-winning Chennaiyin FC squad, Sereno suggested, “The strongest Indian player in the club was my captain Dhanpal Ganesh. He is very strong. Usually, Indian players are not too big. Dhanpal used to win every single ball in the midfield. He used to communicate well with the defenders.”

The Portuguese defender also paid homage to the fans at Chennaiyin FC who he felt were as passionate as any fan group in the country.

“They (Chennaiyin) have a big stadium and it was nice playing in front of the passionate fans. The fans were always behind the team. Even the training sessions used to full. It was very special.

Sereno revealed that the best player he had played with at Chennaiyin FC was Brazilian midfielder Raphael Augusto who is currently contracted to rivals Bengaluru FC.

“Raphael Augusto for me was the best Chennaiyin player. He was very skilful. He could have played for any team in Europe but he chose to play in India. For me, he was the best I had played at Chennaiyin FC.”

Mikel Arteta called for Arsenal fans to calm their criticism of owner Stan Kroenke as he insisted he has the full backing of the club's board.

Arteta has led the Gunners to the FA Cup final after arriving mid-season from Manchester City, but his side can finish no higher than eighth in the Premier League after losing at Aston Villa on Tuesday, ensuring the Gunners' worst league finish in 25 years.

Ahead of the game, a banner flown over Villa Park – seemingly from an Arsenal fan – read: "Back Arteta, Kroenke out."

Yet the head coach was adamant post-match he already had been backed as he professed his support for the unpopular Kroenke.

"No, no, no," Arteta told Sky Sports. "The Kroenkes and the board and the sporting director, I feel full backing with them.

"What we don't know is a lot of things, we need to wait a little bit of time to be there. But backing and support, 100 per cent, I believe that.

"Absolutely [stick with the club]. The fans have to believe what I'm saying. If not, I would not say that."

Arsenal had beaten both Liverpool and City last week before their momentum stalled against struggling Villa.

However, Arteta had no issue with the attitude of his players on Tuesday, accepting it will take time for the Gunners to return to a consistently high level of performance.

"I'm not disappointed about the attitude at all. It's where we are," he said. "I know where we are in certain moments and certain areas of the pitch where we need to improve more.

"We will get that, but we need a bit more time."

Explaining why such a flat performance – in which Arsenal failed to register a shot on target – could have followed two stunning wins, Arteta said: "It could be fatigue.

"Emotionally and physically, it's been a very demanding week. But at least I saw a team that wanted to win and fight until the end. They were trying their best."

Arsenal will finish up the Premier League season against Watford before turning their focus to the FA Cup final against Chelsea.

Kylian Mbappe says he will be a Paris Saint-Germain player next season "no matter what".

The World Cup winner continues to be linked with moves away from PSG, the club he joined from Monaco in 2017 on an initial loan that was followed by a €180million transfer.

Mbappe scored 30 goals in all competitions before the Ligue 1 giants saw their season suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The France forward will get the opportunity to add to that tally as the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Champions League continue in the coming weeks.

And while certain reports have linked Mbappe with a potential move to Liverpool or Real Madrid once the current season comes to a close, he has confirmed that he will also remain at the Parc des Princes in 2020-21.

"I'm here. I am in the project for a fourth year," Mbappe told beIN SPORTS on Tuesday.

"The 50th year of the club is an important year for the club, the supporters, everyone, so I will be there no matter what.

"I will try to bring back trophies with the team and give the best of myself."

Mbappe could yet be joined in staying in Paris by another key figure, as Thomas Tuchel acknowledged Thiago Silva's future has not been settled.

PSG announced their captain would depart at the end of the campaign but later confirmed an extension to take in the remaining three competitions, while the likes of Edinson Cavani and Thomas Meunier opted to leave Parc des Princes immediately. 

The Braiil defender has represented PSG since 2012, racking up more than 300 appearances for the club since joining from Milan and lifting 21 pieces of silverware, including seven Ligue 1 titles.

Speaking of Silva after Tuesday's 4-0 friendly win over Celtic, Tuchel said: "He's our player, he's our captain, and we need to talk about this after the Champions League.

"Today is the time to be focused. It looks like he's going to leave, but in football, you never know."

Stefano Pioli will be staying in charge of Milan after signing a contract extension with the Serie A club.

It was expected Pioli would be replaced by Ralf Rangnick, who had been in talks with the Rossoneri about a deal that could have seen him become head coach and effectively sporting director.  

However, Rangnick's representative confirmed on Tuesday that talks had been called off because "it is not the right time at the moment and there is no momentum for working together". Marc Kosicke also pointed to "the good development and results under Pioli" as a reason for the move not taking place.

Milan later confirmed their current coach had agreed to a new contract that would keep him at San Siro until June 2022. 

"I am happy and proud of the trust I have received from AC Milan," Pioli said in a statement.

"I want to thank everyone, including our fans, who we are really missing at the stadium, but are always close and supportive. As I have said many times, our future is today: we must be focused and determined, be united and play as one. We are at the beginning of an extraordinary path. If we keep working this way, we will grow and be more and more competitive."

CEO Ivan Gazidis said: "Stefano has shown he can deliver the vision of football we have for our club - exciting, progressive and passionate.

"This is not a decision based on recent victories, but one based on how Stefano has built team spirit and unity of purpose, the way he has improved the performances of the individual players and the collective team, the way he has embraced our vision and the way he has represented himself and the club's values." 

Pioli had been publicly backed by players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as speculation continued he would be replaced by Rangnick, who was said to be keen on a dual role that would have seen technical director Paolo Maldini likely forced to leave the club. 

There are reports negotiations broke down because Rangnick, who leads Red Bull's sports and development section, was not prepared to accept a new proposal that would have seen him join as a director but with Pioli still in charge of the first team. 

Milan have enjoyed a strong run of form since the season resumed last month, their 2-1 win at Sassuolo on Tuesday making it 10 games unbeaten in all competitions.

The win lifted them to fifth in the Serie A table, a point above Roma and three above Napoli, having played a game more. 

It was also the ninth game in a row Milan had registered at least two goals, their best scoring run in the league since 1964.