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Klopp Stays Positive After Salah Vents About Liverpool Missing Champions League

Liverpool's manager Juergen Klopp waves supporters after the Premier League match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP)
Liverpool's manager Juergen Klopp waves supporters after the Premier League match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP)
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Klopp Stays Positive After Salah Vents About Liverpool Missing Champions League

Liverpool's manager Juergen Klopp waves supporters after the Premier League match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP)
Liverpool's manager Juergen Klopp waves supporters after the Premier League match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP)

Mohamed Salah said it’s “too soon” for optimism after Liverpool failed to reach the Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp isn’t as downcast as his star forward.

The Liverpool manager acknowledged that “we didn’t deliver” but rattled off reasons for optimism at Anfield the morning after Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea doomed his team to fifth place and a spot in the second-tier Europe League next season.

Missing out on Champions League money hurts, the German said Friday, The Associated Press reported.

“But besides that, we have European nights next year. Instead of Tuesday-Wednesday, it’s a Thursday, who cares,” Klopp said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League season finale at Southampton.

United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday ended top-four hopes for Liverpool, which had played in the Champions League six consecutive years, winning the title in 2019 and reaching the final two other times including last year.

“We didn’t deliver what everybody wanted and everybody expected, rightly so, but we are still really united and that’s the good thing about it,” Klopp said. “If you can go through difficult moments like we did in the last year, I think that’s a really good basis for a better future. So I find a lot of reasons for an optimistic view.”

Liverpool’s top scorer this season turned to social media Thursday night while United fans were still celebrating their Champions League qualification at Old Trafford.

“I’m totally devastated,” the Egypt international’s post said. “There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down.”

The Merseyside club took last year’s Premier League title race to the final day before finishing second to Manchester City. Liverpool struggled for much of this season but the current 10-game unbeaten streak, Klopp said, shows the “trust and faith that we have ... it’s a super basis.”

The manager said he had no issues with Salah’s message.

“In the world of social media, so many bad things happen constantly, I don’t think that was one of them,” he said. “In that moment right after the game, he’s right, that’s not immediately a moment to send any optimistic messages, but maybe an hour, a day later.

“I saw him now in the canteen and he was smiling. I don’t know for which reason, didn’t ask him, but he was not in a bad mood.”

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Novak Djokovic Breaks a Tie with Roger Federer for Most Grand Slam Matches in Tennis History

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria. (Reuters)
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Novak Djokovic Breaks a Tie with Roger Federer for Most Grand Slam Matches in Tennis History

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his second round match against Portugal's Jaime Faria. (Reuters)

Novak Djokovic added yet another record to his lengthy list, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam matches played in tennis history by reaching 430 on Wednesday at the Australian Open in what was a tougher-than-expected second-round victory.

Djokovic improved to 379-51 for his career at major tournaments, a .881 winning percentage, by defeating 21-year-old Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in a match briefly interrupted by light rain before Rod Laver Arena's retractable roof was shut.

“Grand Slams, of course, they are the pillars of our sport. They mean everything for the history of the sport. ... Definitely the most important tournaments,” Djokovic said. “I’m just blessed to be making another record, I guess, today.”

Oh, yes, Djokovic already holds so many marks, many of which used to belong to Federer — who went 369-60 during his 429 Slam matches, a .860 winning percentage — and there are more on the horizon.

As it is, Djokovic has won the most Grand Slam singles titles of any man, 24, ahead of Rafael Nadal's 22 and Federer's 20 (those other two members of the Big Three are now retired). The 37-year-old Serb has spent more weeks at No. 1 in the rankings than any other player. He's played in 37 Slam finals, six more than Federer's old record. And so on and so on.

Consider, too, what could possibly await for Djokovic.

A title at the end of the 15 days at Melbourne Park would be his 25th at a major, a number never reached by any man or woman. It would also be his 11th at the Australian Open, equaling Margaret Court for the most. It would make him the oldest man in the Open era — which began in 1968 — to collect a Grand Slam singles trophy (Ken Rosewall was about six months younger when he won the 1972 Australian Open).

And it would be Djokovic's 100th tour-level tournament title, a nice round number behind only Jimmy Connors' 109 and Federer's 103 in the Open era among men.

Not everything has gone perfectly this week in Australia for Djokovic in his first tournament working with former on-court rival Andy Murray as his coach.

Both of Djokovic's matches so far came against a young player making his Grand Slam debut. And both times, he was pushed to four sets.

In the first round, it was against Nishesh Basavareddy, a 19-year-old American who turned pro only last month and is ranked 107th. In the second, it was Faria, who is ranked 125th, giving him a bit of a hard time, especially during a four-game run in the second set.

“He was playing lights-out tennis. ... I had to weather the storm,” Djokovic said. “I think I responded very well in the third and, particularly fourth, (sets).”