After seven substitute appearances in the league amounting to the equivalent of under two full matches, Jurgen Klopp has declared Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain “is like dynamite” every time he’s introduced for Liverpool.
The Reds parted with up to £40 million to sign the versatile Englishman from Arsenal in the summer, despite his contract in north London expiring at the end of the 2017-18 term. He inked what was believed to be a five-year deal on Merseyside, but is yet to play regular minutes in the central midfield role he apparently craved.
Still, following no assists, goals, and just one completed dribble in Premier League play for Liverpool, Klopp is impressed after Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cameo in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town.
“He has shown his class each and every time he has had the opportunity on the pitch and the weekend was another example of this,” Klopp wrote in This is Anfield. “He is like dynamite when he comes on. Aggressive in the most positive way. Front foot always. Looking to attack and create. These performances come because of how good his attitude is in training at Melwood. He has the highest quality in everything he does; sometimes I think he is the last to realise this.”
At Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain was more regularly deployed as a speedy winger, but Arsene Wenger’s change to a 3-4-3 shape saw the Southampton product crop up in a greater variety of positions. He appeared a natural fit as a wing-back, but is believed to have been most fond of playing in the middle of the park. He also played as a right-back in the Gunners’ opening day defeat of Leicester City.
With next summer’s World Cup in Russia looming, Oxlade-Chamberlain will be desperate for more game time soon. He’s squabbling for minutes in a midfield three with Jordan Henderson, Emre Can, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, and Marko Grujic. Competition will be increased further when Adam Lallana, England’s Player of the Year for 2016, returns from injury sometime after November’s international break.
“I am sure he is greedy for more starting selections and of course that opportunity will come,” Klopp continued. “He is very much in the infancy of his Liverpool life, but the ‘world’ in 2017 doesn’t always allow for patience. He is doing everything right in this moment and because of this I know he will be a big success for us.”
Liverpool faces Maribor at Anfield on Wednesday. The Reds were rampant in the reverse fixture two weeks ago, running out 7-0 winners in Slovenia to claim a slender advantage atop Champions League Group E.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Martellus Bennett is playing for the New England Patriots now, and Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews found some humor in it.
The Packers cut Bennett last week with the designation that he failed to disclose a physical condition, and then Bennett fired back by saying he needed surgery but claimed that team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie tried to make him play, which is exactly what Bennett did after the Patriots claimed him off waivers.
“We all got a good laugh from it,” Matthews said. “It is what it is. Martellus is in their locker room now and not here anymore. So now we’re just focused on the guys we have in here.”
Although Matthews wouldn’t say outright that Bennett was willing to play hurt for Tom Brady but not Packers backup Brett Hundley, the Packers Pro Bowl linebacker said: “He seemed to suit up and looked good on Sunday night.”
“You know what, I think everybody knows the story there — we don’t need to talk about it much more,” Matthews added. “Like I said, we’re focused on the guys in the locker room, but it’s an interesting story that will probably be talked about for a while.”
Martellus Bennett said while with the Packers that he was going to undergo shoulder surgery, but he wound up playing for the Patriots on Sunday. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
“Like I said, we all know the story,” Matthews said. “We’ve got more than capable tight ends on the team who’ve been around here for a while. They’re more than up for the challenge, whatever it is, each and every week.”
Matthews joined current Packers players Jordy Nelson and Aaron Rodgers, who, among others, defended McKenzie. Former players also have spoken out on his behalf.
“My experience has been fantastic with Pat,” Matthews said. “I think he’s an awesome doc. I think he puts our health in front of the team first and foremost. In fact, I think a lot of people have gotten on his case because he’s too conservative. So I wouldn’t put much merit into those comments made. I think it really speaks volumes to hear everybody’s rebuttal and come to his aid in that regard as opposed to the other person.”
Karim Benzema accused former players in the media of “spreading hatred” in his rebuttal to Gary Lineker’s suggestion that the Real Madrid forward is overrated.
Lineker, a former Leicester City and Barcelona striker, caused a stir when examining Benzema’s form in front of goal and concluding the Frenchman is only a “decent” forward considering the cast of superstars in the Spanish capital.
Is it me or is Benzema a tad overrated? A goal every other game in a team as strong as Real Madrid is nada especial. Decent not great.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 17, 2017
Ahead of Real Madrid’s match against Tottenham at Wembley Stadium, Benzema responded by pointing out that players such as Lineker faced similar critiques during their playing days and suggested that the BBC Sport presenter was out of order.
“I find it harder to accept the criticism of former players who have gone on to become journalists and who spread their hatred around,” Benzema said, according to the Independent’s Jack Austin.
“They had the same difficulties, but have no solidarity. I feel embarrassed for him, frankly.”
The war of words didn’t end there, as Lineker defended his profession and accused Benzema of overreacting.
Asking questions about football is my job and it’s certainly not ‘spreading hatred’. Is it me or is @Benzema a tad over-sensitive? ? https://t.co/hIusB0LphU
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Only hours after his baby boy’s death, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin arrived at the team hotel to check in before Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
After his wife, Morgan, encouraged him to play, the usually dapper Goodwin arrived in sweats, having come directly from the hospital after their son was delivered stillborn in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Goodwin hadn’t slept after spending the night by his wife’s side and he was about to play in a professional football game wholly unprepared, save for the two most important influences in his life: his faith and his wife.
San Francisco wide receiver Marquise Goodwin has a quiet moment in the end zone following his touchdown against the Giants on Sunday. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“Honest to God truth, the only reason I made it through the game is because of my faith in God,” Goodwin said Tuesday. “I mentally and physically was not prepared to play in the game. At all. I really didn’t even practice that week, I was just going through a lot. Just trying to get my body rested from the week before and the week before that. Coming into the game, I wasn’t really in it because I had just lost my baby. My wife, we prayed about it and I guess she felt that God moved her to allow me to go play and she encouraged me. She raised my spirits up and helped me get ready for the game.
“So that’s what’s so cool about the situation is, my wife, how supportive she is and how encouraging she is, all these great things that she does for me to help me go out there and play the way that I did. I think it speaks more about her character than mine because here she is, she could be holding me back, she could make me feel guilty about having to go and play football, which is just a game in the grand scheme of things and what we dealt with was a real-life situation, a death. Not only a death but a death to our infant child. So, situations like that, you only make it through that with your faith in God.”
On his long touchdown catch, Goodwin blew a kiss to the sky before crossing the goal line and then knelt in the end zone to pray as the emotion poured out of him.
“All the pain that I was feeling at the time, it just came over me at once,” Goodwin said. “It wasn’t something that was planned. If you had lost something that you wanted more than anything, something that you expected because you could see it without seeing it, you would know how I felt in that situation. So just to be able to score a touchdown and ultimately help my team get a win was just a great moment in my life and it’s a moment that I’ll remember forever because I could have easily not been at the game and that never would have happened. Nobody would have ever known about this story and we wouldn’t be able to help ourselves and then be able to help other people along the way (in) healing. I’m grateful that I was able to play in the game and get a touchdown.”
In the midst of the highlight-reel touchdown catch and crushing block, Goodwin could also be seen kneeling over an injured Giant in prayer. It’s part of a faith-based approach Goodwin said he adopted when he got old enough to understand it and has been a regular part of his life since.
“I pray for everybody throughout the game, even my opponents,” Goodwin said. “Outside of the game we still have to live life, still have to lead normal lives and we still need our bodies. Praying for him is pretty simple because if I was down, I would want people to pray for me. I just believe in helping other people.”
After the game, Goodwin quickly exited the locker room to be by his family’s side. He and his wife soon made the decision to share their story on social media. For Goodwin, that choice to share something so personal was made in an effort to tell their story without others making assumptions or spreading false rumors.
As it turned out, sharing his family’s story in such a public way has resulted in what Goodwin calls a “tremendous amount of support” from people all over.
“Morgan and I appreciate all the love that we’ve gotten,” Goodwin said. “We didn’t realize that sharing our journey with this baby would gain so many people (supporting). We do have a lot of people that followed us through our journey so maybe we can help people who have dealt with similar things that we have gone through and learn things from people who have been through our situation.”
With the 49ers off this week for the bye, Goodwin and his wife have returned home to Texas to be around family as they attempt to move forward.
Speaking about such a tragic loss only a couple of days after it happened, Goodwin already has a message for others who might be dealing with something similar.
“Never stop believing,” Goodwin said. “The reward will last longer than the pain. Just because something that you wanted your whole life didn’t quite work out as you planned it to — a lot of the times it’s not supposed to work out how you want it to — it will grow you as a person and make you better. I know my wife and I will be better after this situation and we’ll know how to handle it next time even better.
“And faith, faith (is) No. 1, believe that God has a plan for everything. No matter what the outcome is, as long as you pray to him and be genuine because he knows when you’re genuine and when you’re not and maintain the faith, I think things will turn around for you. I know things will turn around for you. And ultimately, you will always be victorious when it’s all said and done.”
