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Jurgen Klopp’s seasons at Anfield have tended to end with everything riding on the last game: Champions League qualification or winning the Champions League. Even the one that didn’t, in 2020, could culminate in a celebration, with Liverpool already champions of England for the first time in 30 years. Now comes a rare meaningless match, with Southampton certain to come bottom and Liverpool guaranteed to end up fifth, and a chance to reflect on what might have been. Last season threatened to be Liverpool’s greatest, when they closed in on a quadruple. After the false dawn of an emphatic Community Shield win over Manchester City, things soon started to go awry. “It was clear from a specific point on it would not be a historically good season,” said Klopp. Perhaps that specific point was the opening league game, and a disjointed, disappointing first hour against promoted Fulham. Or maybe their first match at Anfield, when Darwin Nunez, the flagship summer signing, was sent off on his home debut for headbutting Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen. Or possibly their third outing: a defeat at Old Trafford that kickstarted Erik ten Hag’s reign at Manchester United and to a team who ultimately pipped them to a top-four finish. For three-quarters of a season, Liverpool only mustered three away wins and did not muster three victories in a row, except when those fixtures were separated by a World Cup. Klopp nevertheless felt, and the facts supported him, that the mid-season break brought an improvement. “After the training camp during the World Cup, it was not that everything was great but the amount of points we have won since then is pretty good,” he said. “If we could have done that over the whole season, we would be in a different place.” He is right: only the Manchester clubs have more points over the last six months. However, it still went wrong over the course of Liverpool’s first 29 matches, when they dropped 43 points and were left at the risk of their lowest league finish since promotion in 1962. “I think we said everything about it, we are absolutely not happy with it,” said Klopp. “We made mistakes, we couldn’t deliver often enough and were not consistent enough.” Three particularly damning results, symptoms of that inconsistency and which could cost them Champions League football, were the defeats to Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, all then in the relegation zone. That they lost to Forest six days after beating City and were beaten at Bournemouth six days after scoring seven against United make each missed opportunities to generate momentum. “I really think this was not a season we will talk about,” reflected Klopp. “Maybe about parts but we failed to give the people more to enjoy.” Perhaps he was doubly wrong: Liverpool’s shortcomings can always bring anguish and anxiety while, amid mediocrity, there have been genuine highs: at Anfield against both Manchester clubs, winning home and away against Newcastle, the contrasting double against Tottenham, thrashing Leeds 6-1 and Rangers 7-1 on the road, the 9-0 demolition of Bournemouth. Yet each illustrated what could have been, not what ultimately was. There were causes. A crippling injury list felt a constant, with midfield the most affected department but lengthy absences of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota feeling particularly telling in attack. There was the already infamous decision not to buy a midfielder last summer, which was compounded by Fabinho’s awful form, Naby Keita’s seemingly never-ending injuries, Thiago Alcantara’s perhaps predictable absences and signs of ageing from Jordan Henderson. There were mix-and-match combinations from Klopp all season, casting around in search of a solution before a late-season switch to bring Trent Alexander-Arnold infield alongside Fabinho and behind Curtis Jones and Henderson worked. It reflected two enduring issues: Alexander-Arnold’s defensive deficiencies at right-back had felt more pronounced when he was afforded less protection and the 4-3-3 formation that had served Klopp so well for years brought a rethink. There were flirtations with 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 before a spring switch towards 3-2-4-1. Klopp has started to argue that at most clubs, the manager changes inside seven-and-a-half years; at Liverpool, the manager is belatedly changing things. Maybe the most damaging change was not of his own volition. Sadio Mane’s move to Bayern Munich has worked out for neither club nor the player. Without him, with Roberto Firmino starting only 12 league games, there has been a different dynamic in the attack. In part the story of the season has lain in the erratic, compellingly watchable Nunez; thus far, he has been an imperfect fit in different combinations and, with decidedly mixed finishing, one of the great expected goals underachievers while Liverpool have struggled to press as rigorously. Maybe it is no coincidence their surge of 22 points from their last eight games came with Nunez largely a substitute. Transition was perhaps never going to be easy for Liverpool but has been jarringly awkward at times this season. And yet that recent run engenders optimism. Liverpool may have turned a corner; they never became as fractured as some of their rivals. “The dressing room is not in a bad mood,” Klopp said. “We have learned to deal with the situation. We didn’t get divided in one moment between manager and team, which is super helpful. We didn’t point fingers at each other.” They ended up seemingly pointed further forward than he had wanted, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Keita and Firmino all going, when Klopp had wanted to keep two of them. There will be Europa League football at Anfield next season, perhaps further sightings of Alexander-Arnold in midfield. But as the German’s worst year in England comes to an anticlimactic conclusion, it is with the last few weeks offering renewed hope it will be a one-off. Read More Jurgen Klopp: ‘If a player wants to leave Liverpool because of Champions League, I will drive them’ Mohamed Salah ‘devastated’ as Liverpool fail to qualify for Champions League Jurgen Klopp has ‘no worries’ over Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool Jurgen Klopp: ‘If a player wants to leave Liverpool, I will drive them’ Jurgen Klopp reacts to Mohammed Salah’s ‘no excuse’ tweet

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Valencia have had their partial stadium closure reduced to three matches and their fine cut to 27,000 euros following the racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior by fans. The Spanish Football Federation appeals committee said that it had decided to “partially uphold” Valencia’s appeal. It means the partial closure of the Mestalla Stadium has come down from five matches, with an initial 45,000 euros (£39,000) punishment reduced by 18,000 euros. Vinicius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half of Real Madrid’s LaLiga match against Valencia on Sunday after being subjected to alleged monkey chants from the crowd and Madrid, who said the abuse constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office. Valencia had 10 working days to file an appeal to the appeals committee. LaLiga players and officials called for racism to be tackled in Spain in the wake of Sunday’s match. Before Tuesday night’s games between Real Valladolid and Barcelona, and Celta Vigo and Girona, players from both sides, as well as the match officials, stood behind banners which read “Racism, out of football”. Vinicius was set to serve a two or three-match ban after being sent off at Valencia, but Spain’s competition committee – a body formed by one member from LaLiga, one from the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) and one from RFEF (Spanish FA) – has rescinded that red card. LaLiga, meanwhile, said it would request greater jurisdiction to punish clubs whose fans were guilty of racist abuse after feeling “powerless” at the lack of current sanctions in the wake of the latest Vinicius incident. According to the country’s law, LaLiga can currently only identify and report incidents, and punishment is rarely handed out. Four people were arrested in Spain on Tuesday under suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinicius off a bridge in January. An inflatable doll dressed in a Vinicius shirt was hung from the railings with a banner that read ‘Madrid hates Real Madrid’ ahead of Real’s Copa del Rey game with city rivals Atletico at the start of the year. And Spanish police confirmed on Tuesday that four suspects had been apprehended. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Kris Doolan vows free-scoring Partick will attack Premiership play-off final Jurgen Klopp has ‘no worries’ over Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool Granit Xhaka ‘crucial’ part of surprise Arsenal title challenge – Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta praised the influence of Granit Xhaka in helping Arsenal carve out their surprise title challenge this season but would not be drawn on whether the midfielder will still be at the club next season. Xhaka has been a key figure alongside Thomas Partey in Arteta’s midfield this campaign, becoming a respected leadership presence and redeeming himself in the eyes of supporters after a public spat in 2019 threatened his place in the squad. Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen have been heavily linked with a move for the 30-year-old, whose contract is due to expire at the end of next season. He spent four years in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach before Arsene Wenger brought him to Arsenal in 2016 for around £30million, but he endured a strained relationship with fans culminating in a confrontation as he was substituted during a game against Crystal Palace at the Emirates four years ago. Then manager Unai Emery subsequently stripped him of the captaincy and his time at the club looked to be over. But this season has seen a full rehabilitation for the Switzerland international as Arsenal ran Manchester City to the final weeks of the season for the title and returned to the Champions League after a six-year absence. “For me (he’s been) crucial – really, really important at every level, and I think for the team and the club as well,” said Arteta, who said he would not comment on the futures of any of his side until after Sunday’s Premier League finale against Wolves. “In the great moments like this season he has had, and in the difficult ones, because I think we have become a better club and better people and we have understood certain situations much better than just judging them. “I think the club and a lot of people have done really good to dig in there to understand what happened emotionally and why those reactions were happening. “Having the courage to say, ‘OK, turn around to the situation, face it’. There’s going to be a moment of doubt but if you believe in what you’re doing and you go face-to-face and you say what you feel, normally things work out pretty well. “When you look how he behaved. We have some others who are absolutely a joy for those boys, the way they treat them. And he has an honest and unique willingness to help them. It’s not an act, it’s genuine. “It makes the difference. We have four or five in that dressing room who have been critical for these players to grow, to have the right support, to inspire them and in the right moment to challenge them when it’s necessary to get them in the right direction when they are tempted to go somewhere else. You need that in that dressing room.” Arteta said he would take the time to recharge himself after a draining campaign in which Arsenal led the table for 248 days before slipping away, a record for any side that has failed to win the title. The team were eight points clear as recently as early April before a string of draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton weakened their advantage, allowing Manchester City to finally overtake them with a thumping 4-1 win at the Etihad. The manager predicted the challenge will be even tougher if Arsenal aim to prevent City from winning a record fourth-straight crown, but planned to switch off from football for a period over the close season. He has an honest and unique willingness to help them. It’s not an act, it’s genuine Mikel Arteta on Granit Xhaka “I have the necessary energy to go into the last game and really feel again that connection, play well, win the game and finish the season in the right way,” he said. “Then I have another kind of energy without that being so physical and so demanding and being there every single day but to have the time to think as well; to plan what we want to do, to try execute it, but to recharge my batteries as well next to my family, next to my friends, on a beautiful beach just not thinking about football. “It’s very important (to be able to switch off). Me personally I have to get better at that but I think I have some good help around.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jurgen Klopp has ‘no worries’ over Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool Michael O’Neill to put faith in youth as injuries pile up for Northern Ireland Tottenham is a big club – Ryan Mason sure Spurs job still attractive proposition

Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan declared they would attack the cinch Premiership play-off final with the same mentality that has seen them score 16 goals in four games. The Jags set up a two-legged final against Kilmarnock or Ross County with a 5-0 semi-final second-leg victory over 10-man Ayr at Somerset Park. Looking ahead to next Thursday’s first leg, Doolan said: “They are Premiership sides for a reason but we have a one-track mentality, we want to go up. “We haven’t limped into the play-offs, we have not sat back and absorbed pressure, we have been the team in the ascendancy. That won’t change in the final.” A double from Scott Tiffoney and goals from Jack McMillan, Steven Lawless and Kevin Holt completed an 8-0 aggregate victory. Doolan said: “It’s a statement of what we’re capable of. To score five goals in a play-off game under the pressure that comes was brilliant to watch. “We’ve got stronger as these games have gone on and we spoke about that. “I’ve been on the other side of it as a Premiership side when you’re used to losing games and you come up against a Championship side who are used to winning. We’ve built a winning environment here. “We will rest up and be ready for the next challenge ahead and come into it confident.” Ayr’s top goalscorer Dipo Akinyemi was sent off in the 25th minute after lashing out at Aaron Muirhead and appearing to catch the defender’s chin with his forearm. “I’ve not seen it so I am being careful not to comment on it but I felt there was a foul on him prior to that and he has reacted,” said Ayr manager Lee Bullen, who bemoaned defensive errors over the two legs. “But you can’t react and you can’t lift your hands. By the letter of the law he probably does go but if he gets the foul in the first place he maybe doesn’t raise his hands.” Meanwhile, Bullen was in the dark over rumours that Dundee had approached Ayr for permission to speak to him over their vacant managerial position. “I have not heard a dickie bird,” he said. “Nothing at all, absolutely nothing at all. I have got a job to do at Ayr, we are still in the early parts of that, building a story at Ayr United and I have genuinely not heard a thing from Dundee at all.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jurgen Klopp has ‘no worries’ over Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool Granit Xhaka ‘crucial’ part of surprise Arsenal title challenge – Mikel Arteta Michael O’Neill to put faith in youth as injuries pile up for Northern Ireland

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not believe Mohamed Salah will be looking for an escape route in search of Champions League football. Writing on social media after Manchester United’s win over Chelsea on Thursday consigned Liverpool to the Europa League next season, the Egypt forward said he was “devastated” and there was “absolutely no excuse” for not finishing in the Premier League’s top four. Last summer the 30-year-old signed a new contract, making him the highest-paid player in the club’s history, but even if next term goes to plan and they regain their place in the Champions League he will be close to entering the final 12 months of that deal. Asked whether he was concerned about Salah’s immediate future after his rare public statement, Klopp said: “No worries, no. I only heard what he said but I couldn’t read anything that could lead in that direction. “Obviously Mo loves being here and Mo was part of it. He said apologies for what ‘we’ did – not apologies for ‘what the other guys did, but I had to go with them’. It is all fine. “If ever a player would come to me and said, ‘oh, we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, I have to leave’, I would drive him to the other club myself. “I would take the key, (and say) ‘come in the car, where do you want to go, I drive you’. “That would be something I never could understand. It is, I would say, ‘oh, we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, I need to work in the Champions League so I go’.” Klopp said if that was a mentality he accepted he too would be looking to leave. “I am responsible for this mess, or whatever, so you cannot go in these moments,” he added. “It is not the case with Mo, not at all, and nobody else told me. They ask if they can have a longer holiday or whatever – but nobody asks me if after the holiday they have to come back. “So that was not in our conversation. “I saw him now in the canteen and he was smiling. I don’t know for which reason as I didn’t ask him, but he is not in a bad mood. That’s it. “We didn’t point fingers at each other. That’s all good. If you don’t qualify for the Champions League, the best place you can possibly end up is fifth, so that’s what we did. We didn't deliver what everybody wanted or expected but we are still really united, that's the good thing about it Jurgen Klopp “If you’d have asked me 10 games ago if that was possible, I’d have said no. That the boys did that is really good but it’s not perfect. “We didn’t end up fifth because of the last 10 games, we ended up there because of the lack of consistency before that. “We didn’t deliver what everybody wanted or expected but we are still really united, that’s the good thing about it.” Failure to qualify for the Champions League is set to cost Liverpool at least £50million next season but there may be implications in the shorter term as UEFA’s second-tier competition is likely to be less attractive to leading players. The club have already pulled out of the running for primary target Jude Bellingham after the asking price for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder became prohibitive, and reports this week suggested Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount’s preferred destination is Manchester United. Klopp is keen to get his business done early and is hopeful finishing fifth will not put a spanner in the works of their planning. “I don’t think so but we will see. That is obviously possible, it’s always possible things don’t go as quick as you want. It’s not only possible, it is probably likely,” he added ahead of Sunday’s final match of the season at Southampton. “The better the players you want the lesser is the desire of the other club to let him go and that’s exactly what we are prepared for. “But it’s a long window and a long pre-season and a long break in-between so we have time. If we get in players tomorrow or in six or seven weeks it is not a game-changer for me to be honest. “In an ideal world they all sign tomorrow and I can tell them when to be here and we can start giving them the plans for the summer break but that will not likely happen.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Granit Xhaka ‘crucial’ part of surprise Arsenal title challenge – Mikel Arteta Michael O’Neill to put faith in youth as injuries pile up for Northern Ireland Tottenham is a big club – Ryan Mason sure Spurs job still attractive proposition

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has been asked about speculation linking him to the vacant job at Tottenham.

Liam Kelly insists “sleeping giant” Coventry must avoid letting the occasion of a Wembley play-off final ruin their Premier League dream. Coventry, one of the Premier League’s founder members in 1992, will end a 22-year exile from the top flight if they overcome Luton in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final on Saturday. Victory would cap a remarkable journey for Coventry and Kelly as the veteran midfielder was part of the Sky Blues team which beat Exeter in the League Two play-off final at Wembley in 2018. “The attention surrounding this game is more (than 2018), but on a personal level it’s just the same for me,” said skipper Kelly. “We were expected to be promoted from League Two and League One, but at the start of the season I don’t think anyone expected us to be in this position. “When I came here I don’t think many people envisioned where the club would be now. It’s been a great journey. “It’s a big club and it’s been a sleeping giant for a while, but we’ve seen the support the last few years.” Coventry took 42,500 fans to Wembley when they beat Oxford to win the EFL Trophy in 2017. This time the Sky Blues have sold their allocation of 36,237 tickets for a game described as one for the romantics given Luton’s rise from non-league football over the past decade. Luton ended the campaign two places higher and with 10 points more than Mark Robins’ Coventry, but their two games in the regular season were both drawn. Kelly said: “Luton finished third and are one of the best teams in the Championship. “It’s going to be a fantastic day but at the same time you can’t let the occasion get the best of you. “You’ve got to realise what’s at stake and use that energy from the crowd to achieve what we want to. “I remember it (2018 play-off final) went really quickly, but you’ve got to go out and be on it rather than be overawed by it. “We just have to go with the momentum and not overthink it, realise where our form has taken us and give everything to try to win this game. “Sometimes the best way to get into the play-offs is to creep into it in the last couple of weeks, which we’ve managed to do, and we can take confidence from that.” Kelly has made 160 appearances for Coventry after being relegated out of the English Football League as a Leyton Orient player in 2017. But the 33-year-old could be playing his final game at Wembley as he is coming to the end of his contract and facing an uncertain future. He said: “I won’t pay too much attention to that. I just want to concentrate on this final and we can sort everything out at the end of the season. “I just want to get that winner’s medal round my neck.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Don’t be overawed by Wembley, says Liam Kelly as Coventry aim for Premier League Tyson Fury: I have sent Anthony Joshua a draft contract for Wembley fight Sean Abbott equals Blast record with stunning century for Surrey

The man, who has now been suspended, was taking a selfie when he dropped his phone into the water.

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The Mississippi boy was shot after calling police for help in a domestic disturbance, his family says.