Liverpool don collect serious beating for Etihad Stadium as Manchester City hammer dem 4-0 for FA Cup quarterfinal match. The Reds dey look like shadow of demselves wey win Champions League last season, and dis bad news come just days before dem face Paris Saint-Germain for Champions League quarterfinal first leg.
PSG opponents fall like pack of cards for City hand. Virgil van Dijk give penalty wey Haaland convert for 39th minute, and Haaland score again before half-time. Second half no better at all – Semenyo score third goal just after restart, and Haaland complete hat-trick for 57th minute. Salah get chance to reduce deficit from penalty spot, but Stafford save am.
Liverpool defense dey shaky throughout. Van Dijk lose ground duels, Konate no shine either, and whole team look tired. Arne Slot rest some players like Ekitike, Gravenberch, and Wirtz wey play plenty during international break, but damage don already done.
Meanwhile for Nottingham Forest side, four key players miss open training session wey hold for City Ground on Saturday. Matz Sels and Elliot Anderson dey rest after international duties, while Ola Aina and Omari Hutchinson dey follow individual training programmes.
Forest statement confirm say all four players go likely return for action over next week. Dis one important because Forest get tight schedule – dem face Porto for Europa League quarterfinal first leg next Thursday, then get three home matches against Aston Villa, Burnley, and second leg against Porto.
Vitor Pereira talk to supporters after training, say: “My message to the supporters is: you are our family, and as a family, in the hard times we need to fight together and we need to be together. You are the essence of football and this club, and we will do everything to put a smile on your faces.”
For Tottenham side, new head coach Roberto De Zerbi take first training session on Friday. Mathys Tel dey present despite injury wey make am miss France under-21 duty, but Pape Sarr get new problem. De Zerbi session dey intense, with cameras capture am tell players during rondo drill: “One or two touch. With two touch it is impossible to lose the ball because we are five to pass against two.”
Tottenham focus dey on trip to Sunderland next weekend, while Forest relegation rivals West Ham get busy schedule with FA Cup quarterfinal against Leeds United before Premier League match against Wolves.
De Zerbi get seven matches wey go shape im tenure at Tottenham despite signing five-year contract. After Sunderland, Spurs face Wolves, Aston Villa, Chelsea away, and welcome Brighton, Leeds United and Everton to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Liverpool poor performance against City raise plenty questions about dem chances against PSG. Luis Enrique team dey come off 3-1 Ligue 1 victory over Toulouse, even though dem no play brilliant match. PSG dey produce good results with few chances, and Liverpool shaky defense fit be serious problem.
Forest careful management of player workloads show how important Europa League quarterfinal against Porto be for dem. With four matches for 10 days, every player fit be crucial as dem fight for European success and Premier League survival.
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