A selection of Liverpool Football Club-related stories and titbits you may have missed over the past seven days…
Serbian midfielder Marko Grujić has backed his team mates to get revenge on victorious Carabao Cup opponents Leicester City when the two sides meet again this weekend. Speaking to the official website, Grujić said: “We have to not let our heads drop and focus on Saturday – the same pitch, the same opponent – we have to concentrate on the Premier League and the other cups. If we play again the same way as in the first half today and be more concentrated and score some chances, we will win on Saturday. It’s a good thing for us, we create a lot. But we need to concentrate and score.”
As part of the club’s 125th birthday celebrations and to mark the anniversary of the club’s first ever match – a 7-1 victory over Rotherham United that took place on September 1 1892 – a special animation of the events has been released. See it below.
Mohamed Salah has been voted the UEFA Champions League Player of the Week for his performance in the 2-2 draw against Sevilla at Anfield last Wednesday. The Egyptian wideman was named in the UCL Team of the Week and subsequently won a fan’s poll to determine the best individual from the first round of group stage games.
Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino have been included in a 24-man Brazil squad for the 2018 World Cup qualifying matches with Bolivia on Thursday October 5 and Chile on Tuesday October 10. The Samba Stars are already assured of their place in the finals in Russia.
Speaking of Coutinho, the Little Magician is one of 55 players nominated for FIFA’s FIFPro World 11 award. The nominees, who are selected and voted for by their fellow professionals, will be whittled down to a team of 11 in a 4-3-3 formation and announced on October 23 at the Best FIFA Football Awards.
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Liverpool youngsters Joe Gomez and Dominic Solanke have both been nominated for the 2017 European Golden Boy Award. The Reds pair are included on a 25-player shortlist for the accolade, which is decided by a panel of journalists and organised by Italian newspaper Tuttosport. Other players in the running include Kylian Mbappé, Gabriel Jesus and Ousmane Dembélé.
Harry Wilson scored both goals as Liverpool U23s maintained their 100% Premier League 2 record with a 2-1 away win over West Ham United on Monday. His double came in the opening 21 minutes as Neil Critchley’s side made it five wins from five in 2017/18. LFC U23s: Grabara, Whelan, Phillips, Masterson, Johnston (Juanma), Virtue, Brannagan (Dhanda), Kane, Ejaria, Wilson, Brewster (Adekanye).
Wilson, speaking to Liverpoolfc.com after the game, revealed his aspirations to make up for lost time and build on last season’s first-team debut. “I missed a large chunk of pre-season through injury,” commented the Wales international. “Which was disappointing for me, and tonight was only my second 90 minutes since May, so for me it’s about getting minutes and getting strong again, and scoring goals. Last season was a great one for me and I needed it after missing a large part of the previous year. This season is about improving myself as a player and trying to get into the first-team squad, because that’s what I want to do at the end of the day.”
Liverpool U18s edged a seven-goal thriller with their Middlesbrough counterparts 4-3 in the U18s Premier League Cup on Saturday morning, courtesy in no small part to a Liam Miller hat-trick. Rafael Camacho was also on the mark with a brilliant individual goal. LFC U18s: B Williams, Hunter, Lewis, R Williams, Glennon, Coyle, Longstaff, Tagseth, Millar, Jones (Sharif), Camacho (Dixon-Bonner).
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