LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot thanked Everton for the support they showed their Merseyside rivals after Diogo Jota’s tragic death in July.
Jota died at the age of 28 in a car accident in Spain, plunging Liverpool into mourning just weeks after they celebrated winning the Premier League title.
The Portuguese’s final goal came in the last Merseyside derby in a 1-0 Liverpool win in April.
Everton make the trip back to Anfield on Saturday and on Friday Slot took the opportunity to praise the respect between the clubs despite their intense rivalry.
“They are a good team and there is rivalry but what I also liked and what I want to emphasize is — what they did when Diogo passed away,” he told reporters on Friday.
“They showed their respect and in these moments of time, it is so nice to see that in tragedies that the rivalry is still there but the respect to both is still there.”
Despite cruising to the title last season, Liverpool transformed their squad with a record spend of nearly £450 million ($612 million) for an English club in one transfer window.
The scale of change has shown in some disjointed performances from Slot’s men, but they have still managed to win all five of their Premier League and Champions League games so far thanks to late winners in every match.
“I prefer the situation of winning the games and pointing out that we can still improve things, compared to losing games,” added Slot.
The Dutch coach is confident that his new signings will have no problem adjusting to the intensity of the Merseyside derby thanks to their previous experience of big games at club and international level.
“For the new ones it is not for the first time that they play in circumstances where there are a lot of rivalries and intensity in the game,” he said.
“The focus should be on the rivalry but it should also be on what we need to do to win the game and that is being intense, that is winning the duels and that is also playing good on the ball and when we don’t have the ball.”
Alexander Isak made his Liverpool debut in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid after his British transfer record £125 million move from Newcastle.
Slot said the Swede “felt his body more than ever” afterwards having missed most of pre-season attempting to force through his exit from St. James’ Park, with Hugo Ekitike expected to come back in for Isak on Saturday.
Slot thanks Everton for solidarity after Jota tragedy
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Slot thanks Everton for solidarity after Jota tragedy
- Everton make the trip back to Anfield on Saturday and on Friday Slot took the opportunity to praise the respect between the clubs
- “They showed their respect and in these moments of time, it is so nice to see that in tragedies that the rivalry is still there but the respect to both is still there“
Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen added another crown to his collection on Sunday by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion after a comeback win over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.
The chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his 33-year-old American opponent in Weissenhaus.
Sunday’s turning point came in the thrilling third game, in which Carlsen, 35, pulled off a stunning win from a seemingly lost position, swinging the entire contest in his favor.
The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game, and that’s exactly what he got in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a comeback.
Carlsen has now won 21 world titles in various formats.
The World Championship marked a breakthrough collaboration between FIDE and private organizer Freestyle Chess, staging the first officially recognized title in this format.
Carlsen had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.
In the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany’s Vincent Keymer, securing his spot by drawing from a winning position in the final game.
Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year’s championship.
The tournament’s lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India’s Arjun Erigaisi, while Armenia’s Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place.
In the women’s exhibition match, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw.
