Klopp Hopes to Give Liverpool Season ‘A Little Push’ against Wolves

Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2023 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacts after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2023 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacts after the match. (Reuters)
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Klopp Hopes to Give Liverpool Season ‘A Little Push’ against Wolves

Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2023 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacts after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2023 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacts after the match. (Reuters)

Liverpool will play Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fourth time in 11 games and manager Jurgen Klopp said they will look to get their Premier League season back on track as they chase a top four spot in a "super important week".

Liverpool are seventh in the standings, nine points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place, but Klopp's side have two games in hand, with arch rivals Manchester United visiting Anfield on Sunday.

Liverpool played Wolves twice in the FA Cup, winning the replay 1-0 before losing 3-0 in the reverse league fixture earlier this month and Klopp said he hoped to learn from their mistakes in that defeat.

"Nothing I saw in training suggests we don't have a chance. We know a lot about each other and we know it won't be easy. There won't be the most surprising information and we have to make sure we are ready," Klopp told reporters.

"It is a super important week, we cannot ignore that. We have two home games... I would love to give the season a little push this week and we need results for that. And for results we need good performances.

"The main difference is we will play at Anfield and we have to make that count. It's a long period between games, we want to put it right. But I am more focused on giving the season a proper push, we need to find a steady mood."

Liverpool still have several injuries, however, with influential midfielder Thiago Alcantara still sidelined with a hip problem while defender Joe Gomez is also ruled out with a muscle injury.

The club did receive a boost with Luis Diaz back in training after a knee injury but Klopp said the Colombian forward has not trained with the team yet.

Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez is a doubt with a shoulder injury but Klopp said it was "massive" to have former Wolves winger Diogo Jota back after the Portugal international returned from a calf injury that had ruled him out of the World Cup.

"Diogo is an exceptional player. He needs to get rhythm now," Klopp said.

"He was tired after the game on Saturday (a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace) and we have to see. He will definitely be involved again... He's a top class player, versatile, helpful for this busy period."



US Driver Guthrie Leads Dakar in Saudi Arabia After Stage Three Sweep for Ford

Rallying - Dakar Rally - Stage 2 - Yanbu to AlUla - Yanbu, Saudi Arabia - January 5, 2026 General view of Ford Racing's Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch in action during stage 2. (Reuters)
Rallying - Dakar Rally - Stage 2 - Yanbu to AlUla - Yanbu, Saudi Arabia - January 5, 2026 General view of Ford Racing's Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch in action during stage 2. (Reuters)
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US Driver Guthrie Leads Dakar in Saudi Arabia After Stage Three Sweep for Ford

Rallying - Dakar Rally - Stage 2 - Yanbu to AlUla - Yanbu, Saudi Arabia - January 5, 2026 General view of Ford Racing's Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch in action during stage 2. (Reuters)
Rallying - Dakar Rally - Stage 2 - Yanbu to AlUla - Yanbu, Saudi Arabia - January 5, 2026 General view of Ford Racing's Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch in action during stage 2. (Reuters)

Ford Raptors filled the top five places in the Dakar Rally as American Mitch Guthrie Jr won the third 421km stage in Saudi Arabia, his first victory in the top car category, and took the overall lead on Tuesday.

Guthrie ended the loop starting and finishing in AlUla with a 26 second overall lead over Czech driver Martin Prokop with Sweden's Mattias Ekstrom third.

"We started at the back and (co-driver) Kellon (Walch) killed it with the navigation," said Guthrie.

"There were a lot of tricky spots, but we ‌had no flat ‌tires. The car was great so ‌we ⁠just kept ‌moving all day, really."

Spaniard Carlos Sainz, a four-times Dakar winner still competing at 63, was in fourth place overall and compatriot Nani Roma fifth.

Brazilian Lucas Moraes was sixth with Dacia Sandrider teammates Cristina Gutierrez, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb seventh, 10th and 12th respectively.

Five-times winner Al-Attiyah had led the standings after Monday's ⁠stage but dropped to 11 minutes and 39 seconds off the pace.

Al-Attiyah, ‌who suffered two punctures, was the only ‍driver of Monday's leading six ‍to remain in the top 10. Toyota had filled ‍the top five places in Monday's stage.

Nine-times world rally champion Loeb also lost time with two punctures in the first 100km and no further spare tire after that.

"We’re driving at about 20% of our capacity just to avoid punctures and we still get them," said the Frenchman.

"You don’t see the ⁠punctures coming and with two flat tires and 300 km to go, I had no spare wheels left so we drove the rest of the stage at crawling pace.

"I’m just happy to be at the finish because at one point I really didn’t think we were going to make it".

In the motorcycle category, Spain's Tosha Schareina won the stage for Honda with Australia's defending champion Daniel Sanders retaining the overall lead on a KTM, one minute and seven seconds ahead of ‌Honda's Ricky Brabec.

Wednesday's fourth stage is 417km from AlUla with an overnight bivouac in the desert.


Liam Rosenior Leaves Strasbourg and Confirms He Has an Agreement to Manage Chelsea

Strasbourg's British head coach Liam Rosenior reacts during the French L1 football match between Stade Rennais FC and RC Strasbourg Alsace at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes, western France, on November 2, 2025. (AFP)
Strasbourg's British head coach Liam Rosenior reacts during the French L1 football match between Stade Rennais FC and RC Strasbourg Alsace at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes, western France, on November 2, 2025. (AFP)
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Liam Rosenior Leaves Strasbourg and Confirms He Has an Agreement to Manage Chelsea

Strasbourg's British head coach Liam Rosenior reacts during the French L1 football match between Stade Rennais FC and RC Strasbourg Alsace at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes, western France, on November 2, 2025. (AFP)
Strasbourg's British head coach Liam Rosenior reacts during the French L1 football match between Stade Rennais FC and RC Strasbourg Alsace at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes, western France, on November 2, 2025. (AFP)

Liam Rosenior confirmed his exit from French club Strasbourg on Tuesday and strongly hinted he will be the next Chelsea coach.

Rosenior has been praised for turning Strasbourg, which is part of the same ownership group as Chelsea, into a force in French soccer after a seventh-place finish last season.

Rosenior told a press conference in Strasbourg he has an agreement with Chelsea but has not signed a contract.

“Everything is agreed, it will probably go through in the next few hours,” he said.

“It looks like I will be the next manager of that football club.”

Rosenior’s previous jobs include a stint as assistant coach at Derby to Wayne Rooney, who praised his “incredible” work ethic and attention to detail.

“He’s more than capable of going into Chelsea and doing a great job,” Rooney said on his podcast on Monday. “His detail, how he approaches day to day, he’s as good as I’ve ever worked with.”

The 41-year-old Rosenior has never coached in the Premier League.

Chelsea last week parted company with Enzo Maresca, who spent 18 months in charge.

Moving to Chelsea will bring much more visibility and pressure for Rosenior.

The fifth permanent coach since BlueCo ownership took over in 2022, Rosenior will inherit a team which is capable of high-level success but has lacked consistency. Chelsea is fifth in the league with a 17-point gap to leader Arsenal.

Rosenior could head straight into his first competitive game on Wednesday against Fulham, one of his former clubs as a player.

Interim coach Calum McFarlane laid out one potential challenge when he revealed some players had been left stunned by the decision to move on from Maresca’s 18-month tenure.

“Enzo was incredibly successful with this group and some of them were shocked by the decision,” McFarlane said on Sunday.

Maresca left after a reported breakdown in his relationships with club management and made cryptic public comments about a lack of support. McFarlane stepped in as interim coach to oversee Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

Getting the Chelsea job is a rare top-level opportunity for a Black British coach in the Premier League.

“This opportunity for me is something I can't turn down at this moment in my life,” Rosenior said, adding that the perspective of being reunited with his family added an extra incentive.

“It means that I can go home and see my kids,” he said. “I'm away from my children, I missed them. And I wanted to make the sacrifice of not seeing them worth it, with the success that we have here.”

Son of former player and coach Leroy Rosenior, Liam played in the Premier League as a full back for Fulham, Reading, Hull and Brighton over the course of a 16-year professional career, as well as for England Under-21s.

He returned to Hull for his first head coach role in 2022 and joined Strasbourg two years later.


Sabalenka Eases Through Brisbane Opener, Kyrgios Falls at First Hurdle

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning with fans after her match against Cristina Bucsa of Spain during day three of the Brisbane International tennis tournament at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia, 06 January 2026.  EPA/DARREN ENGLAND
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning with fans after her match against Cristina Bucsa of Spain during day three of the Brisbane International tennis tournament at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia, 06 January 2026. EPA/DARREN ENGLAND
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Sabalenka Eases Through Brisbane Opener, Kyrgios Falls at First Hurdle

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning with fans after her match against Cristina Bucsa of Spain during day three of the Brisbane International tennis tournament at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia, 06 January 2026.  EPA/DARREN ENGLAND
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning with fans after her match against Cristina Bucsa of Spain during day three of the Brisbane International tennis tournament at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia, 06 January 2026. EPA/DARREN ENGLAND

World number one Aryna Sabalenka began her 2026 campaign with a thumping victory at the Brisbane International on Tuesday while her "Battle of the Sexes" opponent Nick Kyrgios fell short on his return to singles action after nearly a year out.

Sabalenka, who was beaten in straight sets by Kyrgios a week ago in a Dubai exhibition, resumed her preparations for the Australian Open by turning on the style to beat Cristina Bucsa 6-0 6-1 ⁠in 47 minutes to reach the third round.

"Definitely my serve worked really well," she said after the quickest victory of her career.

"I did a couple of serve-and-volleys, which is like, 'wow,' so yeah, I'm super happy with the level. I'm happy to be ⁠back. I always enjoy playing in front of all you guys. That was a great performance from me."

The defending Brisbane champion faces either Sorana Cirstea or Jelena Ostapenko next as she looks to build momentum for the January 18 to February 1 Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, where she will be hunting a third title, Reuters reported.

The injury-plagued Kyrgios also had a short spell on court in ⁠his first singles match since March, the Australian losing 6-3 6-4 to American Aleksandar Kovacevic in 65 minutes.

The 30-year-old is hoping for a wildcard at Melbourne Park and will try to build his match fitness when he teams up with Thanasi Kokkinakis for a doubles round of 16 match on Wednesday.

The duo won their match against Matthew Ebden and Rajeev Ram on Sunday and will take on Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul next.