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Liverpool have confirmed their place in the round of 16 Europa League and Jurgen Klopp has emphasised the importance of the competition.

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Liverpool win 4-0 vs LASKQualify for the knockout stagesKlopp does not deprioritize Europa LeagueGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool defeated Austrian team LASK 4-0 at Anfield to guarantee their place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16. With this victory, they qualified for the knockout stages and sealed the title of Group E victors. The game was a display of Liverpool's offensive capabilities, with goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz within the first fifteen minutes followed by a second-half strike by Mohamed Salah. After the match, Klopp revealed his relief after having qualified for the knockouts with one game in hand as they now face a packed fixture list till the start of the year. Klopp also maintained that the club would not be treating the Europa League as a secondary objective this season.

AdvertisementWHAT KLOPP SAID

Speaking in the press conference, Klopp said: "What do you mean how much of a priority? In comparison to other competitions or whatever? Unfortunately, my career is not like this where I can choose, to be honest. I have to take what I get. When we play the competition it's the most important competition on the planet. Easy as that. But now we play the Premier League on Sunday and so that is then the most important competition, definitely. We want to go as far as somehow possible [in the Europa League]."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Liverpool are favourites for the Europa League but having put themselves firmly in the Premier League title race, the demands on Klopp’s side are likely to be significant when the competition resumes. They are involved in a multi-club title fight with Manchester CIty, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Arsenal as Klopp's men sit third, two points behind leaders Arsenal but also only four points ahead of Manchester United in sixth.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Liverpool's last Europa League group-stage game will be played on December 14 against Union Saint-Gilloise and are expected to field a lighter squad for the clash as it is one of their eight matches in the next three days. They next play against Fulham at Anfield on Sunday, December 3.

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The new home kit will debut January 18 in the Under 18s friendly between Italy and Spain

Almost a year after announcing the new partnership, adidas has unveiled its first Italy kits since the 1970s. The Three Stripes have replaced PUMA, who had produced the Azzurri’s kits for almost two decades, with a wide-ranging deal that covers the men’s, women’s, youth, futsal, beach soccer and e-sports teams.

For the first home and away shirts of this new era – as well as the launch campaign – adidas has gone on a symbolic journey to the heart of Italian identity.

adidas

Both of the new shirts are inspired by marble, a motif chosen as “a natural, geographical and cultural element that represents Italy.” For the home kit, the marble design covers the blue shirt in a tonal pattern. Other detailing across the shirt – including Tricolore details on the shoulders, a thin stripe in the colours of the Italian flag down each side and the word ‘Italia’ on the neck – is also inspired by Italian culture.

adidas

The marbled design is even more overt on the away shirt, which blends an “off-white” base with navy blue and gold veining across the shirt. It also features the same Italian detailing, and the same adidas technical features, as the home shirt. The font used for the ‘Italia’ badge is the same as that used for players’ names and numbers on both jerseys and is drawn from Roman engravings, continuing the marble theme.

To launch the designs, adidas and the Italian Football Federation have released “The Search – La Ricerca.” Featuring Italian legends such as Alessandro Del Piero, Martina Rosucci and Gianluigi Donnarumma alongside artist Blanco, the campaign tells the story of the search for what it means to be Italian and the role of the Azzurri jersey in Italy’s national identity.

adidas

Announcing the home and away shirts – and the start of the new partnership – adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden described the kits as “quintessentially Italian and elegant while staying true to the iconic heritage of the Azzurri.” Italian Football Federation President Gabriele Gravina echoed this sentiment, adding, “For 113 years, the Italian national football team has represented a symbol of values and style around the world, our football kit is a national heritage that goes beyond sport, because it transmits feelings that unite people of different ages, sexes and social backgrounds.”

adidas

The adidas-designed home shirt will make its debut during Italy Under 18s fixture against Spain on January 18, the first time that a youth team has launched a new jersey before the main national squad.

Italy 23 kits price & how to buy

The adidas and Italy 23 kit collection is available to buy now from the adidas web store. Here's a closer look at some of the items available:

Italy 23 Home kit

Available in XS, S, M, L, XL and 2XL.

Personalise your Italy jersey with a player's name and number, or choose your own.

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Available in XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL and 3XL.

Personalise your Italy jersey with a player's name and number, or choose your own.

Available in 2XS, XS, S, M, L, XL and 2XL.

Personalise your Italy jersey with a player's name and number, or choose your own.

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Available in 7-8Y, 9-10Y, 11-12Y, 13-14Y and 15-16Y.

Personalise your Italy jersey with a player's name and number, or choose your own.

The Brazilian starboy mostly drives cars gifted to him by Real Madrid.

Vini Jr.'s rise to the top of world football has been a meteoric one. The Real Madrid superstar overcame his struggles in the Spanish capital during his first three years to become the most important part of Los Blancos' offensive machine over the last two seasons.

In the past two seasons, Vini has had 86 goal contributions (45 goals and 41 assists), helping Real Madrid win all six possible trophies, scoring the only goal in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool.

As a result of his consistent performances, the 23-year-old is set to be awarded a bumper contract with a pay rise that will see him become one of the highest-earning players in the Real Madrid squad.

Although he is currently one of the five lowest-paid players on the roster, it hasn't stopped the blistering Brazilian from having an awesome car collection.

GOAL takes a look at which vehicles Real Madrid's new #7 owns.

BMW i4 M50 | €80,000 / $87,782 / £69,010

The BMW i4 M50 is the first fully-electric top-of-the-range car that the company presents. Real Madrid have partnered with BMW to provide cars of their choice to all the first-team players, the staff, and the coach, with Vini opting for the M50. With a maximum horsepower of 536, the BMW i4 M50 can reach from 0-60 mph (100 kmph) in just 3.7 seconds and offers a top speed of 210 kmph (130 mph).

AdvertisementAudi A7 Sportback 50 TDI quattro | €81,000 / $88,910 / £69,907

Thanks to Real Madrid's former association with Audi, who were the team's car sponsors for 18 years before they switched to BMW, Vini owns a couple of high-end Audis, one of them being the Audi A7 Sportback 50 TDI quattro. Valued at €81,000 ($88,910 / £69,907), this particular sedan type blends a sporty Audi's outstanding performance with a distinctive look. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph (62 mph) in less than six seconds and features a 335 horsepower V6 engine. Additionally, the inside is quite dazzling and includes some of Audi's renowned opulent features.

Audi Q8 50 TDI quattro | €88,000 / $97,100 / £75,966

The Audi Q8 50 TDI Quattro, yet again, is a car that Vni Jr. owns due to Real Madrid's former association with Audi. More of an SUV, Vini's Q8 is more of an SUV. It takes just 7.1 seconds for the car to reach speeds of 100 kmph (62 mph), a testament to its stunning 3.0 TDI engine which has 286 hp. Its top speed is 233 kmph (145 mph).

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Audi e-tron Sportback 55 quattro | €99,000 / $109,103 / £85,462

The final car in Vini Jr's collection is the Audi e-tron Sportback 55 Quattro, which is the fastest car in Vini's garage. Many would argue that because it has a 402 horsepower engine, an SUV-like appearance, a conventional grille, and LED headlights, it is superior to the Audi A7. One of the newest electric vehicles actually makes the concept seem desirable because it is strong, quick, and can charge to 80% in 30 minutes. With a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph), the car accelerates from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in approximately 4 seconds. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that this ride is perhaps Vini Jr.'s favourite due to its ability to clock 100 kmph in just 4 seconds, resembling the player's sheer pace and acceleration.

Lionel Messi will not be rejoining Barcelona in a stunning loan transfer, with Barcelona reportedly having other priorities for the January window.

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Argentine will not be involved in playoffsReturn to European football speculated onLa Liga giants have not explored dealWHAT HAPPENED?

There has been talk of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner retracing steps to Camp Nou as current employers Inter Miami will not be involved in the MLS playoffs. With it now impossible for the Florida-based outfit to reach the postseason, Messi will see his debut campaign in the United States come to a close on October 21.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

He will have World Cup qualifiers with Argentina to come in November, but a lengthy break will then be hit through to the 2024 season getting underway in America. Messi could have found more competitive action by returning to Europe on a short-term loan.

DID YOU KNOW?

reports that no deal will be done with Barcelona as La Liga's champions continue to work on a tight budget. Even if Messi agreed to a low salary, La Liga would calculate his wage to be much higher – as they did with summer signing Joao Felix.

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Barca are also eager to get Vitor Roque registered in January, with there already a deal in place with Athletico Paranaense for the 18-year-old Brazilian forward. No consideration has been given to signing Messi, meaning that he will return to pre-season training with Inter Miami in January – while the David Beckham co-owned outfit could also look to line up a series of friendlies over the winter.

A calmly compiled 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to a heart-rate-steadying six-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20, but not before Afghanistan reminded them and the rest of Group 1 that they belonged in the Super 10s

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kolkata17-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:01

Chappell: Afghanistan made SL fight all the way

A calmly compiled 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to a heart-rate-steadying six-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20, but not before Afghanistan reminded them and the rest of Group 1 that they belonged in the Super 10s.With the bat, Afghanistan recovered brilliantly from a poor start, scoring 106 runs in their last ten overs to set a challenging target of 154. They bowled with skill and intelligence to claw back into the match after Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal had given Sri Lanka a bright start: 41 for 0 in five overs.In the end, it was only Afghanistan’s fielding that proved to be of less-than-elite standard, with three basic errors in the deep giving a jittery Sri Lankan batting unit valuable breathing room.First, in the 14th over, Karim Sadiq failed to get his body behind a regulation stop at deep midwicket. Then, in the 16th, Dawlat Zadran made the same mistake at deep backward square leg. The third misfield came from the substitute fielder Gulbadin Naib, who dived to his left at third man, got a meaty hand to the ball, and only ended up pushing it past the rope. Sri Lanka should have only got three runs from those three balls; they ended up getting 12.Sri Lanka would have appreciated the help, for barring Dilshan, their top order showed itself to be decidedly wobbly.Mohammad Nabi’s introduction in the sixth over exposed the wobbliness. Sri Lanka were going along comfortably when Chandimal stepped out and aimed a heave over the leg side. The ball turned a little further than expected and popped off the inside half of his bat straight to midwicket. Lahiru Thirimanne, back in Sri Lanka’s T20 side for the first time since May 2014, showed why he may have been out of the side for so long, playing only three scoring shots in 12 balls before inside-edging an attempted cover drive off the legspinner Rashid Khan onto his stumps.At the other end, like Mahela Jayawardene did during the two sides’ 50-over World Cup meeting last year, Dilshan provided the experienced head that guided Sri Lanka through this troubled period. He had started in his usual manner, hitting consecutive sixes off Dawlat Zadran – the second with a trademark scoop over his own head – and swatting Hamid Hassan for successive fours over midwicket, but did not take too many chances against the spinners. But he still scored freely against them, taking the singles on offer, putting away the bad ball, and running faster than every other 39-year-old on the planet to pick up a couple of twos to the leg-side gaps.There were a couple more nervy moments, courtesy the run-outs of Thisara Perera and Chamara Kapugedera, but the cool heads of Dilshan and Angelo Mathews, helped along by Afghanistan’s sloppy fielding, took Sri Lanka home with seven balls remaining.Having only faced Scotland, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe so far, it took Afghanistan a while to come to terms with the quality of Sri Lanka’s attack. Mohammad Shahzad, unusually subdued early on, tried to break free of the shackles in the third over and clouted Angelo Mathews to the straight boundary before top-edging a pull to mid-on the next ball. Apart from a couple of sweetly-timed leg-side flicks, Noor Ali Zadran struggled for tempo, and was bowled around his legs by Rangana Herath after adding 32 off 32 balls with Asghar Stanikzai.Herath settled into a beautiful rhythm, mixing his pace and trajectory cleverly, and the run rate plummeted as Sadiq and Nabi soon followed Noor to the pavilion.Stanikzai had moved to 18 off 23 balls when he made an abrupt change of gear against Milinda Siriwardana’s left-arm spin, launching him for successive sixes in the 13th over, before slog-sweeping Herath for another six in the 15th over, with a helping hand from a butter-fingered Thirimanne in the deep. At the other end, Samiullah Shenwari hit two fours and a six – including a reverse-swat off Perera that left the batsman on his backside – in successive overs before holing out to long-off.Stanikzai and Shenwari, the heroes of Afghanistan’s ODI win over Bangladesh in 2014, had put on 61 in 33 balls. It clearly rattled Sri Lanka, and Mathews dropped Stanikzai at cover immediately after Shenwari’s dismissal. It was a sitter, and Stanikzai, at 44 at that point, struck two more fours and a six to move to his highest T20I score before falling at the end of the 19th over.Afghanistan were by no means done. Najibullah Zadran, a specialist batsman, had only batted once in the tournament so far, and was slotted to come in at No, 8, but found his namesake Dawlat promoted above him instead. When Najibullah finally did come out, there were only three balls left in Afghanistan’s innings. No problem. Swinging freely through the line like a young Yuvraj Singh, Najibullah lofted Nuwan Kulasekara for a six over extra cover first ball, and then flat-batted him in the same direction for a four next ball.

The midfielder scored the only goal of the game at the Vitality Stadium as the Norway international once again spurned multiple chances

Manchester City moved back to within a point of Premier League leaders Liverpool as they secured their second successive 1-0 win of the week, this time on the road at Bournemouth thanks to yet another goal from in-form midfielder Phil Foden.

City scored the only goal of the game just after the 20 minute mark, as Foden finished coolly after Erling Haaland saw his shot saved. The Norway international had a game to forget, in truth, as he again missed a number of chances to give City some breathing space on the south coast.

Bournemouth were bold and brave in the second half as they attempted to snatch a point, but the defending champions held firm and subsequently avoided a potential banana skin.

GOAL rates City's players from the Vitality Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Ederson (7/10):

Made a superb early save to deny Kerkez and saved well from Solanke's close-range header in the second half. Never wilted under the home side's aggressive positioning in attack, and kept his sheet clean.

Manuel Akanji (5/10)

Beaten a couple of times down the right and could be more adventurous when he has the ball, to give City another option in attack.

John Stones (6/10):

Pushed forward repeatedly, even winning a free-kick on the edge of the box in the first half. Bournemouth did seem to wise up to those runs in the second half, but a strong showing.

Ruben Dias (6/10):

Made a vital clearance to deny Tavernier and kept his defence well-organised against Bournemouth's second-half pressure.

Nathan Ake (7/10):

So composed on the ball. Slipped before Tavernier saw his effort cleared, but some really strong one-on-one defending otherwise. City's best defender on the day.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Rodri (6/10):

Constantly scanning and keeps City ticking. Had to do more defensive work than he would have expected in the second half, but did so with a minimum of fuss.

Mateo Kovacic (6/10):

Very good at relieving pressure by shielding and winning free-kicks, but his positioning often left something to be desired, as he consistently pushed up, leaving Rodri as the sole anchor in midfield. Subbed late.

Matheus Nunes (5/10):

Deployed, unusually, on the left flank. Mostly peripheral prior to his substitution after the hour, as he was replaced by Doku.

Getty ImagesAttack

Bernardo Silva (6/10):

Some beautiful touches and a curling effort that flew just wide, while he repeatedly tried to free Haaland of Bournemouth's marking, to varying degrees of success.

Erling Haaland (4/10):

Sent clean through by Foden early on but blazed wide, before his next shot was saved and converted by his England team-mate. Guardiola will surely be concerned that he had more than one opportunity when one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but simply couldn't find the back of the net. A poor showing by his standards and his substitution only confirms as much.

Phil Foden (8/10):

Opened the scoring as he followed in and finished after Haaland saw a shot saved. A poacher's effort. Constantly linked with Bernardo and Haaland, and looked City's most dangerous player every time they attacked.

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GettySubs & Manager

Jeremy Doku (6/10):

On for the ineffective Nunes. Mucked in defensively, even if he didn't really affect the game in the final third.

Julian Alvarez (6/10):

On for Haaland. Barely touched the ball.

Kevin De Bruyne (5/10):

On for Kovacic to help see the game out. Did not have enough time to weave his usual magic, but was booked for kicking the ball away.

Pep Guardiola (6/10):

A bizarre choice to play Nunes on the left didn't work, but City got over the line despite inviting plenty of pressure in the second half. He will know they are capable of so much more.

Not everybody believes that a side with such abundance of batting talent as Nottinghamshire are actually in a relegation scrap

David Hopps at Trent Bridge29-Jun-2015
ScorecardAlex Hales was left wishing he had played the delivery which took his off stump•Getty ImagesNot everybody believes that a side with such abundance of batting talent as Nottinghamshire are actually in a relegation scrap. Perhaps they are right. To be in a relegation scrap, it is incumbent upon you to do a bit of scrapping. Dismissed disturbingly easily for 240 by Worcestershire at Trent Bridge, it is not immediately apparent that they are doing just that.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s coach, preferred to contend that their batsmen are merely out of nick and suggested that their first-innings score was just “a little under par”. “There is no point getting cross after day one,” he said.But Nottinghamshire face an ordeal. They must brace themselves for contesting the rest of the match with a three-strong bowling unit after Andy Carter and Luke Fletcher, both recently back from loan spells, withdrew from the attack in quick succession because of injury.”How do you manage a three-man bowling attack?” said Newell, lugubriously. “Good luck with that captain. Especially when one of them is a spinner on a pitch where he probably shouldn’t really be bowling. In an ideal world you want to go for it in the first hour, but if things don’t happen for you where do you go after 12 o’clock?”Carter, who famously insisted in pre-season that he is not prone to injury, but has just had a lot of them, has a side strain that could mean another prolonged lay-off and Fletcher went to hospital to check on the extent of a damaged hamstring.As for Worcestershire, who lie third bottom, every time they are promoted to Division One, they harden themselves for another struggle. They hang in matches for all they are worth – an admirable young seam attack did just that when Nottinghamshire were 98 for 1, at which point Alex Hales left a ball from Joe Leach that removed his off stump – and then redouble their efforts whenever they get on a bit of a roll.To make matters worse for Newell, their place alongside Hampshire at the foot of Division One coincided with a members’ meeting at Trent Bridge. The Nottingham recorded how Newell was pilloried for being an England selector. It could be worse after a season like this: he could have been pilloried for being a Nottinghamshire selector.You had to admire Newell’s originality when he defended his England selectorial role (an honour surely, not an imposition) on the grounds that he was “very boring”. In his defence, it should be pointed out that this was an exaggeration just in case people start avoiding him in the Post Office.”This time last year I was an England selector and we were flying high in the Championship and playing good T20 cricket. I’d like to think I’m capable of combining two jobs. The selector’s role takes up very little of my time with Notts. In a year and a half I’ve missed two days of cricket to attend meetings. I don’t go to other matches. I do it all watching Notts or watching a video analysis system of other games. I’m a very boring man. I do that at home.”Two years ago, the Dull Men’s Club – it really does exist – produced a 2014 calendar. January was the president of the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society; April’s charms concerned a man who had a museum of milk bottles. Not everybody finds county cricket interesting, so if Newell’s video analysis ever gets entirely out of control it might be wise in future years to keep an eye out for September.When Newell walked into the lunchtime members’ forum, Nottinghamshire were quite healthily placed at 102 for 2. Michael Lumb had clipped Jack Shantry weakly to midwicket and then there had been Hales’ aberration – enough to goad one member into terming the world No. 3 ranked T20 batsman “useless” and demand he was dropped for younger talent. Newell flourished the averages in retort, which predictably fell in Hales’ favour.But if he skipped back up the steps to the dressing room, that vigour soon deserted him. Nottinghamshire’s innings began to unravel – two Taylors gone within five overs in early afternoon, James lbw to Leach as he tried to manufacture a work through midwicket, not for the first time; Brendon, after a robust top score of 69, failing to strike Shantry down the ground.The rush of wickets fell to Charlie Morris with Samit Patel, Chris Read and Ben Hutton – the last two within the space of three balls – all caught in the wicketkeeper/slip cordon. Worcestershire bowled consistently after lunch as Nottinghamshire lost eight wickets for 92 in 33 overs. An unbeaten half-century by Richard Oliver then left them in reasonable order by the close.Leach, Shantry and Morris now have 103 Championship wickets between them and they were ably supported on this occasion by Ed Barnard, a former England U-19 in only his second first-class match, who gained rewards for some tight overs with the wicket of Ben Hilfenhaus. The praise of his coach Steve Rhodes was fitting. “I thought Ed was outstanding,” he said. “That lad is only 19 and to bowl with such control and movement is great.”A last-wicket retort of 50 in seven overs between Riki Wessels and Carter allowed Nottinghamshire some release until Saeed Ajmal had Wessels caught in the deep for 65.Ajmal’s involvement lasted only nine balls so it was hard to draw conclusions on the judgment of Worcestershire’s captain Daryl Mitchell that the remodelled version will “go from strength to strength”. It will be intriguing to see how Nottinghamshire deal with him second time around.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed midway during the campaign to turn things around, but couldn't stop the rot during a historically poor campaign

GettyMourinho records club's worst Premier League start

Manchester United have picked up 26 points after their first 17 league games this season under Jose Mourinho; their worst points haul in the top-flight at this stage since 1990-91 (also 26 points).

United also only won 176 Premier League points under the Portuguese; fewer than Manchester City (222), Tottenham Hotspur (202), Chelsea (200) and Liverpool (196) since August 2016.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesHumiliated by old rivals Liverpool

Opta only began recording shot data for the 2003-04 season, but in those 15 years, United have never faced as many shots (36) as they did against Liverpool in the 3-1 drubbing at Anfield in December.

The win for their long-term rivals put Liverpool 19 points clear of United, a record advantage for the Reds after the first 17 games of an English top-flight season.

Worst non-clean sheet run in over 45 years

David de Gea has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League in recent seasons, but his surprisingly poor form, as well as inconsistent defending in front of him, saw United go 13 consecutive games without a clean sheet in all competitions, their worst run since August 1971.

Furthermore, during this period from February to April 2019, they were kept scoreless on five occasions.

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Five consecutive away defeats

United's away form in spring 2019 was their worst since March 1981, when Dave Sexton's Red Devils also lost five away games in a row in all competitions.

Solskjaer's away run included a 2-0 loss to Arsenal, two 2-1 defeats to Wolves in both league and FA Cup, as well as a 3-0 loss to Barcelona and then a 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Everton.

Mikel Arteta has a few fitness doubts ahead of the Gunners' clash against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday

Arsenal take on Bournemouth on Saturday looking to maintain their advantage at the top of the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s side go into the game on the back of three successive wins, the latest coming on Wednesday night when they cruised to a 4-0 success against Everton at Emirates Stadium.

So how are things shaping up at Arsenal ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash? Below, GOAL takes a look.

Getty ImagesArsenal team news

The Gunners will make late checks on Eddie Nketiah, who limped off the pitch following his second-half substitute appearance against Everton in midweek.

Jorginho is also a slight doubt having been suffering with illness, but should be fine to make the squad, although Thomas Partey is expected to return to the starting XI.

Gabriel Jesuscontinues to step up his recovery ahead of his long-awaited return to action.

He has been working outside and should soon be able to start full contract training with the rest of the squad, providing he does not suffer a setback.

Saturday’s game will come too early for the Brazilian, however. 

Mohamed Elneny is out for the remainder of the season having undergone knee surgery in January.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesKey man: Bukayo Saka

It has to be Saka. Arsenal’s star man stepped up when his team needed him yet again on Wednesday night, producing the moment of class that ended Everton’s stubborn resistance.

Saka now has 10 league goals to his name this season and every one has either been an equaliser, or a goal to put Arsenal in front.

Time and time again he is delivering at key moments and it would be no surprise to see him do the same once again on Saturday.

Saka's goal and assist against Everton takes his direct goal involvement tally in the Premier League to 19 this season, only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have more.

GettyTalking point

There is always a lot of debate ahead of games over the need for Mikel Arteta to rotate his squad.

Saturday will be the third game in a week for Arsenal, and Arteta named an unchanged starting XI for both of the previous two against Leicester and Everton.

Despite that hectic schedule, the likelihood is that he will once again resist the urge to make changes this weekend – especially with Thursday night’s Europa League game in Lisbon on the horizon.

Arsenal's manager will certainly make changes for that game, with the likes of Kieran Tierney, Fabio Vieira and Jakub Kiwior all expected to come in, so it’s likely that he will keep things as they were for Bournemouth.

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(C)Getty ImagesWhat has Arteta said?

Despite scoring four goals against Everton, Arteta wants to see his side add even more creativity to their game, knowing that they will continue to come up against defensive low blocks between now and the end of the season.

“That’s something we’re going to need,” he said. “To create a lot of opportunities against this block is really difficult because when we find openings, we have to be clinical and ruthless. 

“I think the way Bukayo scored the first goal [against Everton] was top.”

So many Liverpool players are underperforming right now, from their big summer signing to their star centre-back.

A temporary blip or something altogether more concerning? That is the question being asked of Liverpool right now, after what could best be described as a ‘mixed’ start to the new campaign.

Eight games in, Jurgen Klopp’s side have won only three, two of them courtesy of late goals, and the manner of their two defeats – a meek surrender at Old Trafford and a Champions League thrashing in Naples – mean that the optimism which followed July’s rousing Community Shield win over Manchester City has swiftly evaporated.

Indeed, there is a school of thought that the postponement of games against Wolves and Chelsea prior to the international break may actually have helped the Reds’ cause, sparing them further disappointment and enabling them, they hope, to nudge key players back towards fitness.

Klopp certainly hasn’t been amused by what he’s seen so far, speaking after the 4-1 loss at Napoli of the need for “reinvention” at Anfield. Victory over Ajax a week later, at least, represented a step in the right direction in that regard.

So how do you assess the opening weeks of the season? Who are the standout performers, the ones who need to lift it, and what does the rest of the campaign hold for the men from Merseyside?

GOAL takes a look below…

gettyBest player

It has to be Luis Diaz. The Colombian has been an all-too-rare shining light in a struggling side, providing four goals and tons of endeavour from the left of Liverpool’s attack.

It was Diaz who stepped up to rescue a point against Crystal Palace in August after Darwin Nunez’s red card, and it was he who set the Reds on their way to their first win of the campaign with an early goal in the rout of Bournemouth. Amid the Naples debacle, he was the one who kept plugging away, albeit too late to impact the result.

AdvertisementGettyBest performance

Only one winner here, the record-equalling 9-0 battering of Bournemouth at the end of August.

It was Liverpool’s biggest-ever Premier League win, and the first time they had scored nine in a competitive game since 1989.

The Cherries may have been willing opposition – they sacked their manager, Scott Parker, soon after – but they were taken apart, with Diaz scoring twice, Roberto Firmino sparkling and Fabio Carvalho emerging from the bench to score his first Reds goal.

And hey, it must have been a good display if Mohamed Salah didn’t manage to score or assist!

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Diaz again, for this one. His solo strike against Crystal Palace had the Kop on its feet and dragged 10-man Liverpool back into the game.

He does have a tendency to cut inside from the left flank, but when he gets it right the results can be spectacular. Vicente Guaita had no chance.

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Getty ImagesBest new signing

Not much to go on here, but Fabio Carvalho’s early-season cameos suggest he will have a lot to offer in the coming months and years.

The former Fulham man emerged from the bench to open his Anfield account in the Bournemouth riot, and then four days later he blew the roof off the place with a late, late winner over Newcastle.

With Darwin Nunez’s start disrupted by that red card against Palace, and with Calvin Ramsay yet to feature at all due to injury, Carvalho is the only newboy in credit, for now.