Mix reactions among Liverpool fans after star player is left out of World Cup squad

Liverpool star Thiago Alcantara has been left out of Spain’s World Cup squad for Qatar – and the decision has received a mixed reaction amongst Reds fans.

Luis Enrique released a final 26-man squad on Friday morning, with Thiago being one of the high-profile names missing out on the tournament.

Also missing is PSG center-back Sergio Ramos, who may well have played in his last major tournament for his country.

Spain kicks off their World Cup on November 23, when they take on Costa Rica. Germany and Japan are the other teams in Group E.

Thiago has suffered a stop-start season amid injury but, when fit, is still one of Liverpool’s most influential players.

The decision to leave Thiago out of the Spain squad isn’t necessarily a major shock, given that he wasn’t included in the most recent squad in September either. However, he had only recently returned from a hamstring problem at the time.

Enrique insisted that the door was ‘not closed’ on any player not involved in that squad – but Thiago has not done enough to be selected this time around.

Thiago Alcantara has been left ont of Spain’s World Cup squad (Getty Images)

Many Liverpool fans are understandably disappointed that one of their key players will not be representing his country in the world cup.

It is a big blow for the player personally, given that he was forced to pull out of the 2014 World Cup after being named in the provisional squad.

One fan wrote: “Mental how he can be this special but he’s never going to play for Spain again.”

Another simply added: “Devastated for him.”

And a third fan said: “At this point, Thiago should retire from the national team without even thinking twice…”

However, other Reds fans have taken more of a medium-term view. With Thiago not playing in Qatar, the likelihood of him getting injured will reduce ahead of a busy post-World Cup period of fixtures for the Reds.

Liverpool already have Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Andrew Robertson, and more at home during the tournament – with Thiago now also set to stay on Merseyside.

One fan looked ahead to Liverpool’s clash against Man City in the Carabao Cup on December 22: “Fresh Salah, Diaz, Jota, Thiago, Firmino against City’s C team.”

And another said: “Excellent news for us, but baffling, to say the least.”

A third fan wrote: “I can’t pretend I’m sad to be honest, at least he will get rest.”

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Revealed: AI rates Liverpool’s chances to win the Champions League after Round of 16 draw

Liverpool will tackle La Liga giants Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16.

Because Liverpool finished second behind Napoli in Group A, they will have to play the second leg at the Bernabeu in Madrid.

Jurgen Klopp’s side suffered a 1-0 loss to the current champions Real Madrid in the finals of last season in Paris.

The Reds are not among the favorites to win the competition, according to the forecasters at FiveThirtyEight.

According to oddsmakers, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are the two teams most likely to win the 2022–23 Champions League.

2022/23 Champions League winner odds

1. Manchester City: 25%

2. Bayern Munich: 22%

3. Liverpool: 8%

4. Paris Saint-Germain: 7%

5. Real Madrid: 6%

6. Napoli8%

7. Chelsea7%

8. Tottenham Hotspur6%

Liverpool’s 2022/23 Champions League odds

To make the quarter-finals: 52%

To make the semi-finals: 30%

To make the final: 16%

To win the Champions League: 8%

In other news, Highlight; Watch Manchester United 4-2 Aston Villa as the reds reach the 4th round of the Carabao Cup

(VIDEO): Watch What Jurgen Klopp told Darwin Nunez after he was subbed off against Rangers

Darwin Nunez was replaced during Liverpool’s victory over Rangers last night, and Jurgen Klopp gave him a big “bear cuddle” after the game.

With 10 minutes remaining in the Reds’ easy 2-0 victory, Nunez was replaced. And according to The Daily Mail, Klopp was pleased with the effort put forward by his attacker.

The Liverpool manager reportedly ‘engulfed’ the 23-year-old in one of his trademark hugs as he made his way to the bench.

A definite sign that Klopp is starting to see what he’s been looking for in Darwin.

After yet another goalless performance, some people may laugh at the praise for Nunez. He might indeed have expected scoring in a game in which he had six shots on goal.

However, it was only his third start for Liverpool. The Liverpool fans and the Uruguayan’s manager both noted how much better his movement and link-up play were.

Another goalkeeper could have allowed one or two of those dozen shots to get past him on another day. But not Allan McGregor, who played all night in superb form for the Rangers.

However, it was encouraging to see that Nunez wasn’t letting his inability to score get to him. When the game was over, he and Thiago Alcantara celebrated on the field and he appeared as happy as anyone.

It had been over a month and three matches since Liverpool’s No.27 had begun a game for the Reds.

The Uruguayan will now look to make that back-to-back starts for the first time in his Liverpool career.

Although, Arsenal will present a different challenge compared to Rangers, before yesterday’s game, Jurgen Klopp revealed that Liverpool had only practised their new formation once.

Darwin’s performance in the remaining practices this week will most certainly determine if he starts at the Emirates on Sunday.

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“He is a Joke” -Carragher blast Liverpool Centre back following dismal display against Napoli

Liverpool Legend Jamie Carragher has claimed that Joe Gomez produced ‘one of the worst performances of his career following Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat to Napoli in the Champions League

The 25-year-old started at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk in Naples, but at the break, he was replaced by Joel Matip with Carragher labelling Liverpool’s defending ‘a joke’, as he told CBS Sports.

Things have gone from bad to worse for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season.

Within minutes into the start of the game, Victor Osimhen began hitting the outside of the post, sending a clear warning of what to expect from the Italian team on the night.

The Reds fell behind by a penalty five minutes after that warning, and before Klopp could address his players, Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone made it 3-0.

Whatever was said at halftime didn’t work because just minutes after play resumed, sloppy defending once more occurred, with Joel Matip this time in the firing line. It’s safe to say that Carragher wasn’t impressed.

“I mean the defending is shocking,” said Carragher. “Gomez just had one of the worst halves of football he is possibly ever going to have. That’s why he had to come off at half-time.

Joe Gomez had a dreadful night at the back for Liverpool(Getty Images)

“It should have been four or five at half-time, not just three. To concede the goals Liverpool did in the first half, then two minutes into the second half, to concede a goal like that.

“I mean, we are talking about players that have won the Champions League and the Premier League. It’s embarrassing. It’s a bit of a joke really to see players defending at this level like that.”

Liverpool’s problem is that they appear outdated and worn out, and significant changes are needed.

Given the work this team has done over the years, you would back them to succeed sooner rather than later, but if the current trend continues, important questions must be raised.

In other news, Highlights: Watch Full Highlights Napoli 4-1 Liverpool as the reds Kick off from an awful start in the UEFA champions league

Jurgen Klopp blasts Journalist as he storms out of press conference after annoying question

The Liverpool boss did not take kindly to a question that appeared to suggest Naples was an unsafe area for travelling Reds fans and left his press conference as a result

During his pre-match press conference before the Reds’ Champions League meeting against Napoli, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was angered by a question from a reporter.

To start their Champions League group stage campaign, Klopp’s team travelled to Naples to turn around their poor recent performance.

One reporter asked the Liverpool manager to address concerns about supporter safety in the city during the press conference.

Klopp did not take it kindly, firing back: “You want headlines! Do you think it’s a dangerous city? You know exactly what they are talking about. I am not here for your headlines.” The Reds manager then proceeded to walk out.

Although it was clear that the query had angered Klopp, his responses did not exactly correspond with those of the official Liverpool fan service account.

Representatives from it took to social media earlier the same day to write: “Information for supporters in Naples for tomorrow’s match: Supporters arriving in Naples before matchday should remain in their respective hotel to drink and eat. You are strongly advised not to wear team colours when travelling.”

Liverpool will begin their UCL season opener against Napoli in Italy. (Getty Images)

The account then doubled down on their advice, adding: “Fans should not congregate in public areas and should avoid becoming isolated in areas away from the port area of the city.

“We strongly recommend you avoid the city centre. If you chose to visit, please beware that you may be targeted for theft, robbery, or assault.”

When talking about the match proper, Klopp acknowledged that Liverpool would be facing a team that frequently gave them a tough test whenever they faced each other.

We never won here but we quite frequently qualified for CL final after Napoli was with us in groups,” said the German.

“Maybe twice, once with Dortmund. I am a late bloomer, I need longer to achieve. We have to play better than 3 previous games.”

In other news, Diaz, Nunez and Robertson expected to start in Predicted Liverpool XI vs Napoli in the UEFA Champions Leaguek