Skip to main content

New Centre-Back Options for Liverpool: Schlotterbeck in the Frame as Guehi Stalls.

Liverpool are aggressively seeking new centre-back options for the 2025/26 season as they face growing depth concerns, spearheaded by injury issues and failed transfer moves. The club’s serious interest in Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck is intensifying, while their pursuit of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi has stalled amid soaring competition and contract complexities. This blog analyzes Liverpool’s strategic need, evaluates player profiles, and forecasts broader market implications for their defensive rebuild, with deep insights into Schlotterbeck’s suitability and Guehi’s uncertain transfer status.​ Liverpool’s Centre-Back Crisis Liverpool’s centre-back situation has reached a critical juncture ahead of the January 2026 transfer window. Veteran leader Virgil van Dijk, now 34, requires careful management to stay fit, while Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez—their primary rotation options—have long-standing injury histories that make them unreliable for a full campaign. Summer signing ...

Man City is on the verge of losing the Champions League after PSG's comeback, according to four devastating statistics.


This was a huge game in the penultimate week of the 2024-25 Champions League league phase. Both Manchester City and PSG were in danger of being eliminated from the league phase, since they were at the bottom of the standings.

Man City earned eight points from six games, while PSG had seven and stood outside the knockout stages. There was a real possibility that one of these teams would be eliminated if they lost. And that may be Manchester City.

The 2022-23 European champions have underperformed in all tournaments this season, including the Champions League. That trend continued in the first half, with Erling Haaland getting only ten touches and completing three passes.

Man City appeared to be back on track inside 10 minutes of the restart, with Jack Grealish and Haaland putting Pep Guardiola's side ahead 0-2. Then the wheels fell off. And we should not be surprised.

Following halftime, there was a lack of concentration.


Manchester City may have gone two goals ahead in the first ten minutes of the second half, but they ran into a familiar dilemma. First, a word about Grealish, who scored his second goal of the season, following his FA Cup goal against Salford City. Could 2025 be a fresh start for the Englishman?

That question was promptly dismissed by Manchester City's defence. Within seven minutes of Man City's two-goal lead, PSG equalized. Substitute Ousmane Dembele put PSG back in the game in the 56th minute, and Bradley Barcola equalized on the hour.

In the Champions League this season, Manchester City has surrendered five goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half. The Citizens have conceded more than any other team throughout that time span.

Inability to see the matches.

Once PSG equalized, it appeared that there could only be one winner. PSG were in control, and Manchester City were stunned. PSG was bound to make an impact eventually.

Finally, it took until the 78th minute for Joao Neves to score the game-winning goal. There was also time for a fourth goal for PSG, as Goncalo Ramos completed his comeback, albeit with VAR drama after being initially ruled out for offside.

Ramos' goal was Manchester City's seventh in the Champions League this season in the final 15 minutes of the second half. Only Dinamo Zagreb (six) has conceded more in the last 15 minutes.

Lost leads.


To reuse the lyrics of Three Lions and apply them to Manchester City, "Everyone appears to know the score; they have seen it all before. They are confident that Manchester City will lose.

Man City's 0-2 advantage after 53 minutes may have indicated that it would not endure. They were smash-and-grab goals, after being dominated for the first 45 minutes.

And, while Man City of old would have likely maintained its lead, this is a new-look, wobbly Man City. Man City have now failed to win from a two-goal lead in two of their past three games across all competitions. Just over a week ago, Manchester City led 0-2 late on against Brentford before drawing 2-2.

It is also the first time Manchester City has failed to win from a two-goal lead since May 2021, when they were defeated 3-2 by Brighton in the Premier League. But this was after the title had already been secured.

That is not all. This was Manchester City's eighth failure to win a game in which they were leading in all competitions this season, the most by any Premier League team since 2024-25.

Winless run.

With one game remaining, Manchester City is 25th in the Champions League table. Currently, that is insufficient to advance to the knockout stages. They must win against Club Brugge to avoid elimination. Anything else means they're out.

And they are winless in their previous four Champions League games, having lost three and drawn one. It is their joint-longest winless streak in the competition, dating back to March 7, 2018, and ending on September 19, 2018.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bompastor expressed excitement for Chelsea's next game against Manchester City, stating that it will be a wonderful match.

Chelsea's head coach, Sonia Bompastor, says her team is excited to play Barclays Women's Super League title rivals Manchester City this weekend. On Saturday evening, the Blues will host The Citizens at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea manager Bompastor stressed the importance of the game during the pre-match news conference, adding that her team is excited to put themselves to the test against Manchester City. "It's obviously an important game against a very good team," Bompastor explained. "There will be two fantastic teams with a nice dynamic and good outcomes, so we are looking forward to it and are really excited. "My role as a manager is to ensure that the players have the appropriate game plan for tomorrow. We practiced this morning, and I believe everything is crystal clear in each player's head. We feel prepared, even if we anticipate a difficult game. Manchester City is doing well and has excellent players, but it will be a wonderful game for eve...

Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove collapsed during a Serie A match.

Edoardo Bove, a Fiorentina midfielder, slumped on the pitch during his team's Serie A match against Inter Milan on Sunday. Bove's teammates hastily shouted for medical assistance and surrounded the 22-year-old before doctors treated him and quickly transferred him to a nearby ambulance on the side of the pitch. The event occurred in the 16th minute of the match, which was momentarily suspended at 0-0 and then abandoned with plans to reschedule later in the season. According to Sky Sport Italia, Bove was rushed to the Careggi Hospital near Fiorentina's Stadio Artemio Franchi. The Italian broadcaster later stated that Bove was breathing and beating on his own. In the minutes following Bove's fall, his teammates and opponents were visibly stunned and sad, with some in tears. In April, Roma defender Evan Ndicka collapsed with a hand on his chest, and Piermario Morosini died after heart arrest during a Serie B match 12 years ago. Inter and Fiorentina are both near the ...

Barcelona dealt enormous injury blow ahead of Inter and Real Madrid clashes.

In a heartbreaking evening, Barcelona came back from two goals down against Inter in the Champions League semi-final first leg. The Blaugrana will believe they should have won the game after losing twice from set pieces. Now they're calculating the expense. After only 42 minutes, French defender Jules Kounde collapsed on the pitch, clutching the back of his calf. He had to be replaced by Eric Garcia, who performed admirably as a right-back out of position. Kounde's injury has raised concerns ahead of a number of critical games. Kounde will be tested on Thursday, but it appears that he has a muscle problem, most likely more serious than a grade tear. According to Sport, Kounde will miss their La Liga match against Real Valladolid, their Champions League return leg in Milan against Inter, and their decisive Clasico against Real Madrid the following weekend. Kounde was seen limping as he exited the stadium, telling the cameras, 'We'll see tomorrow'.