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Cody Gakpo has revealed what it was like to work with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and the valuable lesson he learned from the German.

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Klopp signed Gakpo from PSVDutchman hails manager's influenceLearned vital lesson from Liverpool bossWHAT HAPPENED?

Gakpo has paid tribute to Klopp after waving an emotional farewell to the German at the end of the season. Klopp brought Gakpo to Liverpool in January 2023 from PSV and the Dutchman has already picked up his first trophy with the Reds, winning the League Cup back in February. The trophy was also Klopp's last as Liverpool manager and one the German described as the "most special" of his time at the club.

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Klopp's impact at Liverpool will be felt for a long time to come after also winning the Premier League and the Champions League during his nine years at Anfield. Gakpo has revealed just how important Klopp was to the players and the one "gift" the German gave him that has helped him enormously in his career.

WHAT GAKPO SAID

He told : "If you look at the impact he has had on the club, the fans, the players, many of whom have experienced him for much longer than I have these one and a half years: that has been very valuable to everyone,” he said.

“The most important thing I learned from him? That you don’t have to prove anything to anyone but yourself. When that really hit me? That is not a specific moment, but it is a gift that he was able to trigger us as players in a different way every time, to give just an extra percentage or one and a half. That was special.”

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Arne Slot has replaced Klopp at the helm and has big shoes to fill at Anfield. Gakpo says he's yet to speak to his new manager but added that when he came up against the Dutchman previously with Feyenoord "he always made it very difficult for us at PSV."

Chelsea defender Tiago Silva has a blunt message for his Blues team-mates ahead of his Stamford Bridge farewell.

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Silva will leave Chelsea following clash against BournemouthBlues again missed out on the top four39-year-old told team-mates they must 'do more' WHAT HAPPENED?

Silva has pulled no punches in a farewell message to his Blues team-mates, telling them that their performance this season 'is not worthy of Chelsea'. The 39-year-old is preparing for a Stamford Bridge swansong on Sunday afternoon and paid tribute to the club's fans.

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He said: "Thiago knows what it means to wear a Chelsea shirt, you know. And if I have a message to send to the boys that are here today, I hope they understand that everything they did to get to Chelsea has to be worth it. Because the season we're having is not worthy of Chelsea. It's not. And I think they have to do more next year, they need to do more."

SILVA'S TRIBUTE TO CHELSEA FANS

Silva also paid tribute to the Chelsea fans, adding: "If you look at the games, the fans never left the team, never. We were in ninth place, eighth, right? And the fans were always there.

"They booed us off a little at the end of the match, but they're always there in the stands, always with 40,000, 45,000. If we were somewhere else, they could throw rocks at us – we know that happens in our country.

"So these boys need to be aware that Chelsea has to fight for the top positions. If we take a little of our ego and put it in favour of the team, I think it will work. If we don't do that, the situation will hardly change unfortunately."

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Chelsea host Bournemouth on Sunday with an outside chance of a top-five finish. The Blues would need to beat the Cherries and see Tottenham lose at Sheffield United. However, Newcastle United can overtake them in sixth place, should Chelsea lose and the Magpies win at Brentford.

They were lighting up stadiums in India as opening partners three months ago. All that will be forgotten on Tuesday when England meet Australia at Lord’s

Melinda Farrell at Lord's24-Jun-2019Three months ago, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were lighting up the IPL with a record-breaking partnership for Sunrisers Hyderabad. On Tuesday their bromance will be forgotten as they plot each other’s downfall when England and Australia meet at Lord’s. Such is the nature of the modern game where players regularly swap T20 franchise jerseys for national colours.Bairstow has used his column to question the fairness of Australians asking fans to cease booing Warner and Steven Smith in light of previous calls by the then Australia coach Darren Lehmann for fans to show less charity towards England players, Stuart Broad in particular. While that may seem incongruous after their feats as team-mates in India, Aaron Finch says it’s a natural part of the T20 era.”I think that’s the great thing about domestic tournaments around the world is that you get an opportunity to play with guys you might have had perception on, just from playing against them, about how they play, what kind of bloke they are, or something like that,” Finch said.”I think that’s opened up everyone’s eyes to [the idea that] 99 per cent of people that you play with are good blokes, regardless of what tournament it is or who you’re playing for. But that’s pretty easy to flick back into international mode, no doubt. It’s a game representing your country. There’s a lot of pride on the line. There’s a couple of points in a World Cup, which is so tightly contested.”David Warner and Aaron Finch walk out to bat•Associated PressFinch has in some ways had a similar, albeit reversed, relationship with Warner; they have been opponents when playing for their states in domestic competitions in Australia and T20 tournaments abroad, while also combining forces to form a dynamic and aggressive opening partnership for Australia.”Yeah, I think a bit like anyone who plays with Davey,” Finch said. “They see a side of him and they play against him and they see one when they play with him, and he’s a great man. He’s someone that obviously Jonny and him have had some run-ins on the ground, too. It’s good to see that when you do get an opportunity to get to know somebody, that you take that advantage.”The other facet of the T20 era is that players come back from tournaments into the national side with far more knowledge about franchise teammates’ strengths and weaknesses, something Finch actively aims to exploit.”Absolutely,” Finch said. “Everyone is involved in sort of planning meetings and things like that. You get an opportunity to talk, whether it’s in a structured meeting or over coffee or dinner or a beer or whatever it might be. I think as cricketers, we’re all nuffies at the end of the day for the game; so you’re always talking about the game and coming up with different strategies and things that you’ve seen over time.”A lot of times, that changes. When a guy has come in as a youngster into international cricket, their game changes dramatically over a period of time, so you always have to be adapting, and that’s what’s a great thing about these domestic T20 comps, is that you get to play with so many players that you wouldn’t have had the access to in the past, that you do get to see more of them.”

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes paid a heartfelt tribute to Toni Kroos as Germany legend announced retirement.

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Kroos announced retirement from footballEuro 2024 will be his last dance Bruno Fernandes paid tribute WHAT HAPPENED?

On Tuesday, the Real Madrid midfielder announced that he has decided to hang up his boots after Germany's Euro 2024 campaign. As Kroos brings the curtain down on an illustrious career, United and Portugal star Fernandes paid a heartwarming tribute to the iconic player.

AdvertisementWHAT BRUNO FERNANDES SAID

The Red Devils midfielder reposted Kroos' Instagram post as a story and wrote, "One of the best in this generation! What a pleasure it was seeing you playing all these years."

Bruno Fernandes Instagram(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Earlier in the season, some reports suggested that the German international would extend his stay at Santiago Bernabeu by at least one more year, however, the 34-year-old ended all speculations by announcing he would be calling time on his professional career. Kroos has won a total of 21 trophies with Los Blancos and has an opportunity to add one more Champions League title to his cabinet as they face Borussia Dortmund in the final on June 1.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR TONI KROOS?

The player will be next seen in action on Saturday as Carlo Ancelotti's side play their final La Liga game against Real Betis at home.

Ballance is the first Yorkshire batsman to have scored hundreds in five successive Yorkshire matches

David Hopps at Headingley06-Jun-2019Gary Ballance’s chances of a century in six successive Yorkshire matches came to grief just before tea on the final day at Emerald Headingley with an unexpected cloudburst that prematurely ended a stalemate that had long since lost all other significance.That at least consigned one of Yorkshire’s more confusing statistics to history. Ballance is the first Yorkshire batsman to have scored hundreds in five successive Yorkshire matches, although Len Hutton did it on seven successive occasions in Yorkshire matches in 1947 and 1948.Such distinctions will not remotely concern Ballance, who was 51 not out when the deluge brought an early tea. His only ambition will be to extend a prolific Championship season, which has brought 668 runs at 83.5, to force his way into consideration for the Ashes series. If happenstance means James Vince gets an opportunity with England in the World Cup, and he makes runs, Ballance’s chances of adding to his 23 Tests, the last of them against South Africa in Nottingham, will further recede.One senses in any case that Ballance is out of vogue, to be ranked alongside avocado bathroom suites, lava lamps and hipster beards. He will have to play doubly well to get noticed.(Incidentally, the suggestion that hipster beards are out of fashion was a cruel misrepresentation and if any hipsters happened to have been drawn to a piece about an ultimately pointless county cricket match, one can assume they have already left in search of reassurance).From the moment on the third evening that Peter Siddle rose, half asleep, from a bench in the Essex dressing room, where he had been vaguely watching India’s World Cup match against South Africa, and roused himself to save the follow-on, this contest needed enterprise from both captains to salvage a worthwhile finish.But Siddle and Sam Cook blithely extended their last-wicket stand for a further 70 minutes, and those who had hoped for better began to stare staunchly into mid-distance. Championship spectators no longer religiously turn to the newspaper crossword to help them through the game’s longeurs (a shame because it was always an interesting clue to their political affiliations) and many remain allergic to mobile phones, especially during hours of play.In all, Siddle and Cook put on 86 in 25 overs, every run making the slim chance of a positive declaration increasingly starved of possibility. Siddle finished with 60 off 119 balls, his best score in his second season as Essex’s overseas player, at which point he fell leg-before to Steve Patterson, while Cook’s career-best unbeaten 37 off 74 included a pulled six off Ben Coad.When Yorkshire started their second innings, they led by 81 with 76 overs remaining in the day. Many sides have contrived finishes from such positions, but not often on such a sound surface, and not often Yorkshire.Andrew Gale, the coach, said with justification that the pitch had flattened out. Yorkshire remain unbeaten, and stable, but have yet to pull off the sort of thrilling result that identifies them as definite title contenders. Now 25 points behind leaders Somerset, they face Surrey at Guildford on Monday; the defending champions are yet to win in five matches.Yorkshire lost their debutant opener, Will Fraine, for a duck, but were on 107 for 1 from 42.5 overs when the rain tumbled from the sky. Essex’s main concern will surround the fitness of their seam bowler Jamie Porter, who is the catalyst for so many of their better moments, and who limped off during his 10th over.

Ricardo Vasconcelos made 86 but fell in wasteful fashion to leave Sussex on top

Jon Culley at Wantage Road21-May-2019A day that began with the Northamptonshire captain sidelined by a freakish concussion injury suffered nowhere near the field of play ended with another of their number possibly ruled out of the game after a more conventional blow to the head.Luke Wood, the left-arm pace bowler on loan from Nottinghamshire, ducked into a short, quick ball from Chris Jordan at the start of the final scheduled over and reeled away from the impact, which looked to be on the side of the the helmet.He stayed on his feet and seemed prepared to continue with new headgear but after an examination by the Northamptonshire physio it was deemed sensible not to expose him to anything else with close of play so near and he was led from the field.”He is a bit groggy and we are hoping he will be okay but it was a pretty hard blow and he will be assessed for concussion in the morning,” the county’s assistant coach, Phil Rowe, said.Alex Wakely’s absence was in altogether more freakish circumstances, the captain having left the ground in fine fettle on Monday evening only to walk into a low beam in his house. He drove to the ground to prepare for the second day as normal, but began throwing up in the dressing room, a classic symptom of delayed concussion.He went to hospital for assessment later but doctors are confident he has done no serious damage to himself and he was allowed home, although he will take no further part in this match. Josh Cobb has replaced him as a concussion substitute under ECB rules, even though his injury was not incurred during play.Cobb, who had made way for Adam Rossington in the original XI, took his unexpected chance well enough, sharing a stand of 137 for the second wicket with Ricardo Vasconcelos, but might have made more of it, which could also be said of his partner.Vasconcelos, a South African with a handy Portuguese passport among his possessions, is a decent young player, well organised and with some shots in his armoury, and already with a couple of centuries to his name this season.He might well have had another here had the excitement not gone to his head with the last ball before tea when, for reasons he could not explain even himself given the way he threw his head back at his foolishness, other than perhaps the couple of lovely cover drives for four that had taken him to 86 in the same over, he went for an ambitious sweep against Danny Briggs and was leg before.”I felt like I was playing well and I know I should have blocked it really,” he said afterwards. “It was a shame because the session had gone well for us up to that point.”Sussex would argue that he was lucky to be there are all, having survived a fairly routine chance to second slip off David Wiese on 7 just before lunch, but a hundred looked his for the taking nonetheless.Cobb had some way further to go before he could start thinking along similar lines but will feel he could have made more than 63. Facing the first delivery of a new spell from Abidine Sakande after tea, the right-hander was tempted into a hook, the ball going a long way up but finding the safe hands of Mir Hamza at long leg when it came down.Hamza, the Pakistan left-arm seamer, was tidy and testing every time he bowled, claiming the wickets of Ben Curran and South Africa Test batsman Temba Bavuma, both caught at slip. Wickets for Jordan and the legspin of Luke Wells late on left Northants 180 adrift at the close.It was the Vasconcelos dismissal that created an opportunity for Sussex, who took maximum batting points despite Jordan and Ben Brown being unable to add substantially to their 302-run partnership and will believe they can press on from here to claim a second win of the season.

Christian Pulisic is “thankful” to be in the same category as World Cup winner Kaka, with the USMNT ace enjoying a “fantastic” first year at AC Milan.

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Moved to Italy in 2023Posting personal bestsEmulating club legendsWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international took a brave step into the unknown when leaving Premier League giants Chelsea for San Siro in the summer of 2023. He has had to adapt to life in a new squad, country and culture, but has impressed many with his work rate and technical ability.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT PULISIC SAID

Pulisic has posted a personal-best return of 15 goals across all competitions, becoming the first midfielder to reach double figures in Serie A for the Rossoneri since ex-Brazil international Kaka. The 25-year-old has said at the Premio Gentleman awards of emulating a Ballon d’Or winner: “I saw the statistics. It’s nice to be associated with a player like that, a legend of the club, I really have to be thankful for being a part of it.”

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Pulisic has found the regular game time in Italy that was often denied in England and added on embracing a fresh start in Milan: “It was fantastic, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play for Milan. I love the city, the team, it was a great first year for me. The food isn’t that bad either!”

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC?

Milan have missed out on major silverware in 2023-24, leading to serious questions being asked of head coach Stefano Pioli, but the expectation is that Pulisic will be back for more next season – with there still a Copa America tournament on U.S. soil for him to take in this summer.

A big number of Australians are playing in overseas competitions in the lead up to the World Cup and Ashes tours. Here is how they are faring

Alex Malcolm09-Apr-2019Who’s in form and who’s notDavid Warner and Steven Smith are rounding into form ahead of likely World Cup call-ups. Warner’s return to the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad has been exceptional. He is the leading scorer in the IPL this season including a masterful century against Royal Challengers Bangalore and added 70 not out against Kings XI Punjab.He looks in outstanding physical condition and primed for a big World Cup. Smith hasn’t looked as fluent for Rajasthan Royals but he found some touch with 73 not out from 59 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders even though it came in a slow-scoring, losing effort.ALSO READ: Bairstow-Warner bromance like Ronaldo-Rooney – Eoin MorganJason Behrendorff has bowled very well in his first two IPL games for Mumbai Indians to keep himself in the World Cup mix. Marcus Stoinis has made a couple of starts for Royal Challengers but hasn’t really been able to recapture the form he showed at the end of the BBL season and he has been very expensive when he’s bowled.Andrew Tye hasn’t found his mojo for Kings XI either, playing only three of the six games so far. He hasn’t been able to restrict the opposition with his normal array of tricks and he hasn’t taken his usual handful of death-overs wickets.#AsheswatchGlenn Maxwell has skipped the IPL and started a stint with Lancashire in English county cricket in order to put a case forward to play in the Ashes. He started with a match against Loughborough MCCU and was still in World Cup mode, making 82 off 45 balls in the second innings to set up a declaration. He also bowled 16 overs of offspin and picked up a wicket.Matt Renshaw is now a long shot for full honours and had a double failure on debut for Kent against his former county Somerset. He surprisingly didn’t open in either innings. Marnus Labuschagne is hoping to have a big start to the county season for Glamorgan after a lean finish to the Sheffield Shield season with Queensland. He didn’t spend much time in the middle against Cardiff MCCU but made 24 not out in the second innings.It was a lean start for Matt Renshaw with Kent•Getty ImagesDid you see?Chris Lynn is not in consideration for Australia’s World Cup campaign and his start to the IPL for Knight Riders hasn’t hit the heights of previous seasons. But he was involved in a bizarre incident against Royals where he appeared to be bowled but the bail lifted from the groove and dropped back in place. He went on to make 50 off 32 balls and help his team to an easy win.ALSO READ: ‘At least it can be a dead ball’ – Ajinkya Rahane’s plea after Chris Lynn’s reprieveInjury listSmith’s elbow hasn’t inhibited his ability to play for Royals, but he has been restricted in the field as he still manages his recovery from surgery.Performance of weekYou could make a case for Smith or Warner with their most recent performances but both came in losses. Lynn’s blistering, albeit fortunate, half-century against Royals was invaluable for Knight Riders as it vaulted them to the top of the IPL table and gave them a huge net run-rate boost by mowing down the target of 140 with eight wickets in hand and 37 balls to spare.

Mauricio Pochettino says he expects to find out whether he will continue as Chelsea boss at the end of the Premier League season in a week's time.

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Pochettino's Chelsea future is uncertainBlues still have three Premier League games leftDecision to be made on Pochettino imminentlyWHAT HAPPENED?

Pochettino has endured a turbulent first season in charge of Chelsea which has led to speculation he could be fired. However, the Argentine has insisted he does not fear the sack if he is moved on after just 12 months in charge at Stamford Bridge. A decision is expected soon, with Pochettino admitting he expects to know what his future holds within the next week.

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Chelsea have enjoyed an upturn in results in recent weeks to move into seventh place and have the chance of securing European football for next season. Co-owner Todd Boehly has praised the team's recent "beautiful football" in comments that suggest Pochettino could stay on after all. Pochettino signed a two-year deal at the club when he arrived in 2023.

WHAT POCHETTINO SAID

He told reporters: "We are so comfortable. In the way we are not comfortable is to put in doubt — like are you are talking — are going to be here or not here? First, it is not my decision because if the owners are thinking to change — yes, for sure in one week [at the end of the season] we will know.

“That’s an instability with which we are comfortable working. We are going to be very strong in our efforts to help. It’s true that in the last few months, like we were talking, that question has always come up. You need to kill the rumours; if that’s not true, if not, the rumour is there for a different strategy.

"If you ask, is it affecting me? It is not affecting me. Is it affecting the people working with us? I think yes because, in the end, you can kill the rumour and sack me, and that’s not a problem. It happens in a lot of clubs.”

Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA

Chelsea travel to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest next and then head to Brighton on Wednesday. The Blues' final game of the season is at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, May 19. Pochettino is then expected to learn if he has earned himself another season in west London.

Giuseppe Rossi says he leans towards Lionel Messi over former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest player of all-time.

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Rossi plumps for Messi over Ronaldo in eternal debateItalian played with Ronaldo at Old TraffordWitnessed Messi up close during time in SpainGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Italy international, who arrived at Old Trafford in 2004 just as Ronaldo was becoming a first-team regular, gave a detailed assessment of both players' attributes but said it ultimately comes down to personal preference as he plumped for Messi. Rossi faced the Barcelona legend on several occasions while playing for La Liga clubs Villarreal and Levante.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT GIUSEPPE ROSSI SAID

"They both bring different things to the game, that’s why it’s so hard to compare them," Rossi told DAZN. "The positioning is different, the style of play is different. The interpretation of the game is different.

"Ronaldo went from a winger to being the best number nine on the planet, scoring goals is all he cares about. Messi is a goalscorer but he facilitates and I appreciate that as a player who likes to come deep and get the ball. He's a more cerebral player, Messi and therefore some people don't understand that part of the game, right? Those who do appreciate it more.

"So that's why I lean more towards watching Messi play. It's all about preference, it's all about preference. I was lucky enough to have had the privilege of playing against them during that era in Spain."

DID YOU KNOW?

Rossi was capped 30 times for Italy during his career but was actually born and raised in New Jersey before moving to Europe at the age of 13. In 2006, the then-USMNT manager Bruce Arena, tried to tempt Rossi into representing the country of his birth but the forward opted to continue with Italy, who he had represented at youth level.

Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI & RONALDO?

Messi is currently plying his trade in MLS with Inter Miami, and will be back in action on Saturday in a crucial fixture against the New England Revolution. Ronaldo has also left Europe, with Al-Nassr tying him to a record-breaking contract after his exit from Manchester United in November 2002, and will be looking to add to his haul of 29 Saudi Pro League goals in 2023-24 when they take on Al-Khaleej on the same day.