In 2018, Liverpool reached their first Champions League final in 11 years.
The Reds are showcasing explosive attacking play, with Salah at the heart of it, having netted. In his debut season with Liverpool, he scored 44 goals. He’s unstoppable.
Expectations are high as the final begins, and Klopp’s team starts strong. However, the atmosphere shifts after 26 minutes when Salah collapses, clutching his shoulder, having been pulled to the ground by Ramos.
Although he battles to carry on, just five minutes later, the No. 11 is in tears as he exits the pitch for good, with Adam Lallana coming on to replace him.
Liverpool ended up losing the match 3-1, primarily due to Loris Karius’ notorious mistakes in the second half.
Although the ghosts of 2018 were partly laid to rest when Liverpool claimed the European Cup a year later, with Salah scoring a penalty in their 2-0 victory over Tottenham in Madrid, Klopp still appears to hold a grudge against Ramos.
Jurgen Klopp Still Remembers Sergio Ramos’ “Brutal” Actions
Having secured every major trophy with Liverpool since that incident, Klopp could easily have put Ramos’ challenge in Kyiv behind him.
However, it remains an event that clearly still frustrates the former manager. On Toni Kroos’ German Einfach mal Lupen podcast, Klopp asked, “Is Mr Sergio Ramos really a good guy?”
The 47-year-old went on: “He’s not my favorite player. The action was brutal. Of course, he can’t know that it’s bothering his shoulder, but we all know that he accepted it very happily.
“I could never understand that mentality; I never had players like that, and when I did, I made sure they left.”
Klopp recognized Kroos’ perspective before adding: “He may not be my favorite player, but it doesn’t matter.
“I always thought that my center-backs were good enough not to be involved in actions like that.”
Salah has never faced Ramos again in his career, but he has played against Madrid five times since, scoring two goals in those matches, yet never securing a victory.
He will have the chance to make it right on November 27 when Liverpool take on Los Blancos in the Champions League group stage at Anfield.
When Italy’s Calafiori is Set to Return for Arsenal
Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori’s injury scare turned out to be less severe than first feared, but he is still expected to be sidelined for several weeks. He will miss both Arsenal’s Champions League match against Inter and the Azzurri fixtures during the upcoming international break.
The 22-year-old had to leave his team’s 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk after twisting his knee. However, subsequent medical tests revealed no major issue, with reports indicating he sustained “minor damage” to his medial collateral ligament (MCL).
When Calafiori is Expected to Return to Action for Arsenal After Injury
According to Football London, Calafiori will be out for several weeks, a situation that was also confirmed by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during an interview with the media prior to the team’s EFL Cup game at Preston. “He will be out for a few weeks, I would say,” Arteta stated.
If the recovery time is confirmed, Calafiori will definitely miss the Gunners’ upcoming Champions League match against Inter at the San Siro next Wednesday, when the two teams are set to face off in a highly anticipated clash.
Additionally, the former Bologna defender is likely to be excluded from Luciano Spalletti’s squad for Italy’s Nations League matches against Belgium and France during the mid-November international break.
Calafiori will also miss the London derby against Chelsea on November 10. However, he may be able to return for Arsenal’s matches against Sporting Lisbon, West Ham, and Manchester United, which are scheduled for late November and early December.
The Italy international started three straight Premier League matches before missing his team’s clash with Liverpool due to injury, as he was steadily becoming a key player in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
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