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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Greg Lea

Liverpool morning headlines as Kylian Mbappe transfer chances rated with Real Madrid leading chase

Here are your Liverpool morning headlines for Tuesday, April 28.

Mourinho’s instructions to beat Reds

Mark Schwarzer has opened up on the tactics Jose Mourinho employed in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Liverpool in 2014.

The surprise defeat in Liverpool’s 36th match of the season handed the advantage to Manchester City in the title race.

Chelsea sat deep and wasted time from the very first whistle at Anfield, with Brendan Rodgers’ side unable to break them down.

“It's been quite well reported about what happened on that particular day and how Jose Mourinho approached it," Schwarzer, who started in goal for Chelsea that afternoon, told BBC Radio 5Live. 

"It was all about frustrating the opposition. Jose was in the meeting for about seven or eight minutes because he was ill. He was very matter of fact, 'you've got to frustrate them, you've got to get the whole crowd worked up, you've got to get every single player on that pitch worked up and you'll see this is going to work and we're going to play it like this the whole way'.

"'They'll open up, there will be opportunities and we will get chances. He said to myself, 'listen, when the ball goes out, whatever it is, goal-kick, free-kick, walk. Don't run. From the very first minute.'”

Hamann picks out Keita mistake

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann believes Naby Keita shouldn’t have chosen to wear the number eight shirt at Anfield.

Keita has struggled to replicate his RB Leipzig form on Merseyside since joining the Reds in 2018.

The Guinea international became the first player since Steven Gerrard to wear the No.8 shirt for Liverpool.

And Hamann thinks his choice of shirt number was a mistake, telling The Athletic : “You can’t do anything about the transfer fee. In fact, when a club pays that much for you it should give you a lot of confidence.

“But, looking back, I don’t think picking that shirt number was the best idea.

"That probably put more pressure on Keita. People maybe didn’t compare him to Steven but that No.8 shirt – similar to the No.7 one – weighs a bit heavier than the other shirts at Liverpool.”

Mbappe chances rated

Kylian Mbappe has repeatedly been linked with a move to Liverpool, with the PSG forward even praising Jurgen Klopp’s side in January.

Mbappe is already a superstar at 21 and his presence would improve any squad in world football.

Real Madrid looks the most likely destination if Mbappe does decide to leave PSG, but Ligue 1 writer Tom Williams believes Liverpool could have an outside chance of landing him if the circumstances are right.

"Liverpool fans have started to entertain the idea but the difficulty is that Mbappe wants to go to Real Madrid and he will at some point,” Williams said on a Blood Red podcast.

"He, PSG, his advisers, his family and Real Madrid are waiting for the tectonic plates to shift until the move feels inevitable.

"The only way Liverpool enter the situation is if for some reason a move to Madrid became impossible. 

"If he was ready to leave PSG and Madrid couldn’t afford it - or there was some other circumstance - then he might have to look at an alternative."

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