This week, an anti-diversity purge throughout the United States government targeted one of MLB's most beloved figures in Hall of Fame infielder Jackie Robinson.

Robinson—the first Black man to play American or National League baseball in the 20th century—served in the army from 1942 to '44, attaining the rank of second lieutenant. On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Department of Defense had deleted an article covering Robinson's military service.

A day later, the department sent ESPN two highly contradictory statements regarding the removal. The first defended the decision—chalking it up to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's broader anti-diversity program.

"As Secretary Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the Defense Department," the statement read. "Discriminatory equity ideology is a form of woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military. It divides the force, erodes unit cohesion and interferes with the services' core warfighting mission. We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms. In the rare cases that content is removed—either deliberately or by mistake—that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content accordingly."

DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion, not “discriminatory equity ideology,” as the statement implies.

The second, clearer statement, expressed appreciation for Robinson's service while continuing to defend the Trump Administration's anti-diversity policies.

"Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others—we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop," the updated statement read. "We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity or sex. We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like ever [sic] other American who has worn the uniform.

"… We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms. In the rare cases that content is removed—either deliberately or by mistake—that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period.”

Initially, as Passan pointed out, the department did not repost the article; it was eventually reinstated without a URL that referenced diversity, equity and inclusion. Passan went on to outline the specifics of Robinson's military service.

Per Passan, MLB—which retired Robinson's number throughout the game in 1997—was looking into the matter before the article's reinstatement. Robinson, who championed several Republican causes in his life, died in 1972.

The Atlanta Braves have not started the 2025 season as they imagined.

After enduring an 0–4 start to the campaign, they were smacked with more bad news on Monday when left fielder Jurickson Profar was suspended 80 games after a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs. Following that gut punch, they lost again Monday night, running their record to an MLB-worst 0–5.

Profar was the team's big free-agent pickup this offseason, signing a three-year, $42 million deal in January. Now he's on the shelf until late June and will be ineligible for the postseason. He joins a long list of key players who are currently unavailable as Atlanta attempts to dig itself out of an early season hole.

Longtime key contributors wore out the departures gate at Hartsfield-Jackson airport this offseason. The Braves lost Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Travis d'Arnaud in free agency and traded Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels. Profar was expected to replace Soler's bat in the lineup after a breakout season with the San Diego Padres in 2024. The 32-year-old posted career highs in home runs (24), RBIs (85), OPS+ (135), and WAR (4.3) last season before hitting the market. Now, he's sidelined until at least July.

Atlanta is already dealing with a depleted roster. Star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is still recovering from a torn ACL and will be sidelined until at least May. Catcher Sean Murphy is dealing with a cracked rib, and young ace Spencer Strider is still on the mend from Tommy John surgery. Reynaldo López, a 2024 breakout, was placed on the injured list Monday with shoulder inflammation after making his first start of the season. And to add insult to injury, reliever Hector Neris was released Monday after allowing five runs in his two appearances with the team—including blowing a lead on Opening Day.

The Braves opened 2025 against the Padres, who swept them out of the playoffs in two games last October. The result was largely the same in the opening four-game series as in October. San Diego dominated in every facet, outscoring their opponents 17–7 in the series and shutting Atlanta out in the final two games.

Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers didn't go much better, as starter Grant Holmes was tagged for four runs in four innings, and Tyler Glasnow teamed up with the Dodgers' bullpen to allow one run and strike out 14 Braves in a 6–1 win. It continued the team's brutal hitting woes to open the campaign.

So far, Atlanta is hitting .144 as a team with an OPS of .478, including an MLB-worst .036 (1-for-28) with runners in scoring position. Only one Brave who has played in two or more games has a batting average of .200 or better. That player? Jurickson Profar.

Things will surely improve when Acuña and Murphy are healthy, but with Profar gone, there will still be a large hole in the lineup.

The offense hasn't been Atlanta's only issue early. The team's bullpen has been downright awful so far. Braves relievers rank 24th leaguewide with an ERA of 6.19, and opponents are hitting .267 against them. Neris played a big part in those ugly numbers—the bullpen’s ERA would drop nearly two runs without his two outings baked in—but Atlanta is still dangerously short on arms it can trust in high-leverage situations.

The Braves are too good to be this dreadful, but a string of bad luck has put them on the back foot to start the season. When Acuña is back, a core that includes him, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II and Murphy should be able to produce runs at a solid clip. If Strider recovers, he, Chris Sale, and a healthy López should be able to anchor a solid rotation. But that assumes no one else goes down.

Profar's suspension was the rancid cherry on top of a brutal opening week from the Braves. No Braves team to start 0–5 has ever made the postseason. The only positive spin is that Profar’s suspension frees up over $5 million in salary cap space, putting Atlanta roughly $14 million below the luxury tax threshold. The Braves may need to use that to space on some midseason acquisitions and hope their injured list gets less crowded soon, or it could be a long season in Atlanta.

Liverpool have now reportedly set their sights on hiring a Premier League manager, who Pep Guardiola called “incredible”, in a fresh concern for Arne Slot.

Carragher delivers "honest" Liverpool verdict after PSV defeat

Before the international break, Liverpool could at least fall back on the excuse that much of their bad form came on the road. Anfield, for the most part, remained a fortress. Just weeks later, however, and that fortress has been set ablaze by humiliating defeats at the hands of Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.

Not everyone is ready to call time on Slot’s time at the club, however, and Anfield legend Jamie Carragher sent a timely reminder on punditry duty that Liverpool aren’t a sacking club, historically speaking.

He said: “Liverpool is not a sacking club, Liverpool, I think, are different from almost every club in European football where the manager is the king, you know, the managers get time.

“Liverpool have never sacked a manager who’s won the league, never in the history. They’ve all, you know, after a few years they’ve gone, they’ve resigned.

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“I couldn’t believe over the weekend that people were talking about the manager’s job when I spoke to Liverpool supporters after losing at home to Nottingham Forest.

“It’s only going to amplify now and I’ve always been in the camp of you stick with the manager because I’m angry with the players if I’m being totally honest, I’m really angry with the players but it does get to a stage with any manager at any club where I always use this word untenable, where it almost feels like it can’t go on any longer.”

Whether Liverpool chiefs share that view is the big question. Recent reports linking them to the likes of Andoni Iraola certainly suggests that they’re at least preparing for life without Slot.

Liverpool eyeing Andoni Iraola move

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are now eyeing a move to hire Iraola from Bournemouth if they decide to sack Slot. The Cherries boss is someone that Richard Hughes knows well, given that the sporting director hired the Spaniard during his time on the South Coast, and could now turn to him for a second time.

Iraola is one of the most well-respected managers in the Premier League these days. He’s taken Bournemouth to new heights and transformed the likes of Antoine Semenyo, who’s attracting interest from Liverpool ahead of the January transfer window.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been one of the many figures around English football to hand the Bournemouth boss praise, telling reporters earlier this season: “Andoni is an incredible, well-respected manager in Spain and did an incredible job in Rayo Vallecano.”

It doesn’t get much better than praise from the Man City boss, and Iraola could yet get the chance to become one of his biggest rivals if Liverpool make their move.

Gravenberch upgrade: Liverpool ready record bid for "best CM in the world"

Under-fire Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is personally very keen on signing one marquee forward amid a major setback surrounding their chase for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

Thomas Frank under pressure amid woeful Spurs run

Frank finds himself navigating treacherous waters at Tottenham right now, with mounting pressure threatening his managerial position following a dismal run.

The Dane has overseen just one victory from Tottenham’s last seven fixtures across all competitions, culminating in Saturday’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham.

Spurs’ abject home form compounds their misery right now with just three wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2025, and only bottom-side Wolves have a worse record on their own patch this season.

16. Burnley

2

1

3

7

-1

17. Nottingham Forest

2

1

4

7

-5

18. West Ham

2

0

5

6

-9

19. Tottenham

1

2

4

5

-1

20. Wolves

0

1

5

1

10

Particularly alarming are whispers from within the Tottenham dressing room, where players have reportedly grown bewildered by Frank’s constant tactical tinkering.

Some media sources believe that strategies are frequently modified immediately before kickoff or abandoned entirely during matches, leaving squad members confused about their responsibilities (Jack Rosser).

Tottenham have also conceded eleven goals in their last three games, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s unbelievable error gifting Harry Wilson Fulham’s winning goal last weekend.

Frank’s relationship with supporters has also reached boiling point following his criticism of fans who booed Vicario’s mistake, and carried on jeering the Italian almost every time he touched the ball afterwards.

It wasn’t really the best move by Spurs’ boss to add fuel to the fire, considering his popularity was already waning among a lot of supporters, who are also extremely keen for co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange to hire a new manager.

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Even more worryingly for the north Londoners, credible reports suggest that players feel a ‘growing disconnect’ with the fanbase (The Telegraph), and this quite simply must cease if Tottenham stand any chance of building upon their Europa League triumph in May.

Spurs’ lack of attacking creativity has been subject to plenty of debate too, but the Lewis family are apparently looking to back Frank in January and provide him with major forward upgrades.

It is believed that both FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa, who’s been on fire for the last two seasons, and Premier League superstar Semenyo are both on Spurs’ radar heading into next month.

Frank 'intent' on signing Aghehowa as Spurs dealt Semenyo blow

The latter’s contract includes a tantalising £65 million release clause, including add-ons, which will be active in the early stages of January.

Of course, this has piqued real interest from Spurs, with the prospect of Mohammed Kudus on the right and Semenyo on the left coming as a very enticing thought.

However, as per TEAMtalk, Paratici and Lange have now been dealt a crushing blow in their pursuit of the 25-year-old.

The Lilywhites, Man City, Liverpool and Man United are all competing to sign Semenyo in January, but Pep Guardiola’s City side are now casting doubt over a potential move to N17.

This is because they are now the prime contenders with Semenyo ‘keen to engage’ in City talks, dealing Spurs a roadblock and making them outside contenders for his signature.

That being said, Frank personally remains ‘intent’ on signing Aghehowa for Spurs, and there is every reason to believe the Spaniard would be a serious improvement on their centre-forward options.

The 21-year-old has bagged 37 goals in all competitions since the start of 24/25, making him one of Europe’s most lethal strikers right now, but Tottenham will need to fork out around £70 million to make the deal happen.

This would be a club-record deal for Spurs, eclipsing the £65 million they paid for the injury-prone Dominic Solanke last year.

Solanke’s unavailability, concerns surrounding Richarlison and Mathys Tel’s rawness emphasise the need for a new number nine, especially considering Randal Kolo Muani is only at Tottenham on a straight loan.

In terms of pedigree and potential, you could hardly do better than Aghehowa, who’s already been compared to a prime Diego Costa.

Rahul anchored the chase, ending up unbeaten on 58; India still at No. 3 on WTC points table

Sidharth Monga14-Oct-2025It took India a little over an hour on the final day and a further loss of two wickets to knock off the 121-run target to seal the 2-0 series win against West Indies. The win took them to 61.9% points on the World Test Championship points table, still at No. 3.KL Rahul anchored the chase, ending up unbeaten on 58, taking his series tally to 192, only behind Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 219. Kuldeep Yadav was the leading wicket-taker with 12 strikes. This was also the first series win for captain Shubman Gill after drawing 2-2 in England.India began the day needing 58 runs to win after they had declared their first innings in only 4.5 sessions and then enforced the follow-on. They ended up bowling 200 overs on the trot and were set 121 to get.India lost B Sai Sudharsan and Gill on the final morning. Sudharsan, whose No. 3 position is not yet sealed, might leave the series with some doubt still. He scored 87 in the first innings, but got out playing a loose drive in the second, resulting in a stunning slip catch by Shai Hope.Gill looked in a hurry to end things, hit a six and a four in a Roston Chase over, and then ended up skying one.Rahul was more solid, and punctuated his effort with two sixes, one a straight loft against Khary Pierre and the other a slog-sweep off Jomel Warrican, who got him out in the first innings.This was India’s tenth straight win against West Indies. This was also India’s 122th Test win, going past South Africa to No. 3.

Can Arsenal continue their unbeaten streak at Stamford Bridge?

The Gunners will make the seven-mile trip across the capital on Sunday, currently unbeaten in six away games against Chelsea, winning three of them, despite having lost eight of their previous ten Premier League fixtures at the Bridge; how times have changed.

Well, already this week, Mikel Arteta’s team have comprehensively beaten both Tottenham and Bayern Munich at home, and a victory on Sunday would move them nine points clear of the Blues at the top of the Premier League table.

So, if the Gunners are to beat another fierce rival, Arteta should unleash his attacker labelled “better than Bukayo Saka”.

Leandro Trossard latest injury news

Just when Arsenal were starting to get some attacking players back from injury, another could be heading for the treatment room.

38 minutes into Wednesday’s win over Bayern Munich, Leandro Trossard suffered a knock and was forced to come off.

Speaking in his press conference on Friday, Arteta said that “we’ll have to see” if the Belgian will be available this weekend, noting that he has avoided serious injury, but has not trained since the match.

Losing Trossard would be a major blow, considering he has already scored five goals and registered five assists across all competitions this season, most recently breaking the deadlock in last weekend’s North London derby.

However, does Arteta have a ready-made replacement, one who will be particularly raring to face Chelsea?

The attacker Mikel Arteta must start vs Chelsea

Arsenal do remain without Viktor Gyökeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, but Arteta is now going to have some attacking options from which to choose once again.

Both Martin Ødegaard and Gabriel Martinelli made their returns off the bench in mid-week, while Noni Madueke has been introduced as a substitute in each of the last two matches, scoring his first goal for the club against Bayern Munich, connecting with Riccardo Calafiori’s cross at the back post.

Before being introduced for a late cameo against Spurs, Madueke hadn’t been seen since 21 September when Manchester City drew in North London, sustaining a knee injury that day, which was a real blow because he had been really bright up until that point.

Back in September, the winger also scored his first goal for England, on target as the Three Lions demolished Serbia 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier at the Marakana in Belgrade.

After the match, former Manchester United defender Paul Parker asserted that “I actually think he’s better than Bukayo Saka”, a bold take, but let’s compare the pair in the Premier League last season to test this hypothesis.

Madueke vs Saka 24/25 PL stats
Stats (per 90)	Madueke	Saka
Goals	0.4	0.4
Assists	0.2	0.6
Shots	2.6	2.2
Shots on target %	56%	56%
Chances created	1.4	3
Big chances created	0.26	1.1
Big chances missed	0.6	0.4
Completed take-ons	2	2.2
Take-on success %	49.45%	52.56%
Touches	47.4	56.8
% of touches in box	18.48%	16.54%
Average rating	7.03	7.60
Stats via Squawka and SofaScore

As the table documents, Saka does come out on top for the vast majority of metrics, but Madueke’s numbers are largely comparable across the board, superior in some key areas too.

The 23-year-old attempts more shots and registers a higher percentage of his touches in the opposition penalty area, underlining that he might just be more of a goal threat, with Saka excelling as the creator.

Also, Madueke’s direct running and fearlessness could be exactly what Arteta’s team need in this game, hoping to give Reece James, Malo Gusto or whoever else Enzo Maresca might deploy at right-back nightmares.

Having been cast aside by Chelsea in the summer, told he was surplus to requirements, Madueke will surely be ultra-motivated to show his former employers what they passed up on, so could he write his name into Arsenal folklore?

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Fluminense informou nesta terça-feira (23) que os atletas John Kennedy, Kauã Elias, Arthur e Aleksander foram afastados em razão de atos de indisciplina cometidos durante a concentração para o duelo diante do Vasco.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Fluminense

Formados nas categorias de base do clube, os quatros jogadores não viajarão com o restante do elenco para o Paraguai, onde a equipe comandada pro Fernando Diniz encara o Cerro Portenõ, pela terceira rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores. Além disso, eles também estão fora do jogo contra o Corinthians, em São Paulo, pela quarta rodada do Brasileirão.

O quarteto convidou mulheres e organizou uma festa dentro da concentração. A movimentação incomodou algumas lideranças do elenco, que solicitaram a concentração justamente para evitar problemas extracampo. A informação foi inicialmente divulgada pelo Ge e confirmanda pelo Lance!.

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Com quatro pontos em duas partidas disputadas, o Fluminense lidera o grupo A da Libertadores. Na próxima quinta-feira (25), o Tricolor encara o Cerro Porteño às 19h (de Brasília), no Estádio La Nueva Olla, pela terceira rodada da fase de grupos da competição continental.

CONFIRA A NOTA DO FLUMINENSE

Os atletas John Kennedy, Kauã Elias, Arthur e Alexsander foram afastados em razão de atos de indisciplina cometidos na concentração do jogo contra o Vasco, e não viajarão hoje para a disputa da partida contra o Cerro Porteño, no Paraguai, e contra o Corinthians, em São Paulo.

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Tudo sobre

FluminenseFutebol NacionalJohn Kennedy

لا يزال برشلونة يحاول التعافي من خسارته بثلاثية نظيفة أمام تشيلسي على ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج”، وقد أصبح الفريق يمر بأيام أكثر إحباطاً.

وقد قرر الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم اتخاذ إجراءات صارمة ضد برشلونة وأتلتيك بلباو بعد تأخرهما غير المسبوق في انطلاق مباراتهما نهاية الأسبوع الماضي.

ووفقاً لصحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” فإن الاتحاد قد وجه تحذيراً رسمياً لكل من برشلونة وأتلتيك بلباو بسبب تأخيرهما غير المبرر عن موعد انطلاق مباراتهما.

اقرأ أيضاً.. ماركا: أخطاء متكررة يدفع ثمنها برشلونة في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وكتب الحكم خوسيه ماريا سانشيز مارتينيز في تقريره أن المباراة بدأت متأخرة ست دقائق، ويعود هذا التأخير إلى بقاء لاعبي نادي أتلتيك بلباو في غرفة الملابس.

وقد تأخر أيضاً موعد استئناف المباراة بين الشوطين ثلاث دقائق، ويعود ذلك لتأخر عودة فريق هانز فليك لأرض الملعب، وقد اكتفت لجنة المسابقات في الاتحاد الاسباني بتوجيه إنذار دون معاقبة أي من الناديين.

وفي حالة قام برشلونة بتكرار نفس المخالفة فإن هذا الأمر قد يكون مكلفاً، وسيتم تغريم البارسا غرامة تصل إلى 3000 يورو.

وبالإضافة إلى ذلك، فإن تكرار المخالفة يعتبر تصرفاً غير لائق من جانب مدرب برشلونة هانز فليك، مما يؤدي تلقائياً لإيقافه من مباراة لثلاث مباريات.

Tottenham Hotspur are back in action in the Premier League this weekend as they prepare to welcome London rivals Fulham to North London on Saturday night.

Spurs are looking to bounce back from successive defeats to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in their last two games, losing 5-3 to the French giants in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

The Lilywhites have not won in the Premier League since they beat Everton 3-0 at the end of October, with one win in six in all competitions since, which is why it is so important for Thomas Frank’s team to win this weekend.

They will have to get one over Fulham in order to do so, though, and it is a club that they have many connections to through players who have played for both.

Ranking Fulham players who have played for Spurs since 2010

Counting all players who played for Spurs since 2010, there have been ten players who either played for Fulham before or after their time in North London.

Perhaps most notably, given that Dimitar Berbatov left Tottenham in 2008, is central midfielder Mousa Dembele, who played 240 matches for Spurs between 2012 and 2018, after signing directly from the Cottagers.

1

Mousa Dembele

2

Scott Parker

3

Clint Dempsey

4

Joao Palhinha

5

Carlos Vinicius

6

Lewis Holtby

7

Paulo Gazzaniga

8

Manor Solomon

9

Josh Onomah

10

Ryan Fredericks

As you can see in the table above, academy players like Ryan Fredericks and Josh Onomah rank at the bottom, with several less notable Spurs players before the top four.

It is hard to say anyone other than Dembele should be at the top, given that the Belgian star, renowned for his ability on the ball, is the only player on the list to play more than 100 games for the club, with 240, per FBref.

He was once ‘irreplaceable’ for Spurs, as shown in the post above from 2018, and Frank can unearth his own version of the midfielder by playing Lucas Bergvall on Saturday night.

Why Lucas Bergvall could be Tottenham's next Mousa Dembele

One of Dembele’s most notable attributes during his time with Spurs was his dribbling. Speaking about his former international teammate, Youri Tielemans once said: “His dribbling was amazing, you just couldn’t take the ball off him.”

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

He was brilliant at carrying the ball up the pitch from the middle of the park, and Bergvall is a central midfielder who can offer similar qualities for Spurs in the present day.

Per FBref, the Sweden international ranks within the top 9% of his positional peers in the Big 5 Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for progressive carries per 90 (2.30) and the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.55).

This shows that he is one of the most productive dribblers among central midfielders in Europe, which is why he could develop into being Frank’s own version of Dembele in the middle of the park.

Bergvall, like the Belgian, does not carry a huge goal threat, having scored once in the Premier League this season, but he can get the team up the pitch with his ability to drive forward with the ball at his feet.

The Swedish star, who was dubbed a “generational talent” by the club’s head of scouting Rob Mackenzie, started as part of a box midfield against PSG earlier this week, but playing further up the pitch ahead of Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur restricted how much he could drive from deep.

Therefore, unleashing him in a midfield three against Fulham on Saturday could allow him to provide supporters of both teams with a reminder of a player who once starred for them.

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Bergvall only attempted one dribble, which he completed, against PSG, and playing him further back on the pitch to use as a threat in transition could help Spurs to win their first Premier League game of the month this weekend.

Dietmar Hamann has said Liverpool boss Arne Slot has "lost control of his team", and that the Dutchman's "end" is near. The Champions League winning midfielder suggested Reds fans will be longing for the sensational return of Jurgen Klopp, after Slot's side fell to their ninth defeat in 12 games with a chastening 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

Hamann lambasts Slot over poor Liverpool run

Hamann, who played 280 games for Liverpool in a seven year stay on Merseyside, did not hold back in his assessment of Slot's performance in his column for

The ex-Bayern, Newcastle and Manchester City midfielder suggested the Reds will have major problems breaking into the Premier League's top four, and that the problems within Anfield cannot be resolved quickly. While he did caveat his criticism by acknowledging the difficulty in integrating the many marquee signings made by the club in the summer, and the ongoing psychological burden of grieving for their teammate Diogo Jota, Hamann said the remaining credit Slot enjoyed for winning the title in his debut season has now run out. That prompted the 2002 World Cup finalist to float the sensational return of his compatriot Klopp to the top job at Anfield. 

AdvertisementAFPHamann: "Slot's end is near"

Hamann wrote: "Liverpool's 1-4 defeat against Eindhoven was their ninth loss in the last twelve games  I believe Arne Slot has lost control of the team. It's falling apart, everyone is doing what they want, like Salah before PSV's second goal.

"Liverpool will have major problems finishing in the Premier League top four. I don't believe these problems can be solved quickly or easily. The situation is so complex that the club will certainly be discussing the manager's position.

"Slots' end is near. I never thought it would come to this after the brilliant season he had lasted, but I believe his credit has now run out.

"They've spent a fortune on players, but none of them have made an impact. After Diogo Jota's death, it wasn't easy to break into a team that had just lost a teammate. The question is, how long can you keep using that as an argument?

"Many are already longing for Jürgen Klopp's return. If you ask the fans, many will surely say: 'That would be something!'

"How likely is it that he'll return to Liverpool? I have no idea. But it would be the story of the decade. The club will already have considered alternative managers. I assume they've spoken with Klopp."

Pressure on Slot ramps up after PSV debacle

While criticism of Slot was rife before the calamitous defeat to PSV on Tuesday, shipping four goals at home to the Dutch outfit has intensified the scrutiny even further. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Slot "has a week to save his job" after his latest loss. 

One German reporter has warned Slot to "watch out" as Klopp is eyeing a return to Merseyside, with speculation mounting the club has approached their former coach about a spectacular return.  

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Getty Images SportCrucial week ahead for Slot

If Hamann is correct, and the remaining credit for last season's title win has run out, then his ex-teammate Carragher could well be spot on too. This really is a crucial week for Slot's tenure as Liverpool coach. 

First, the Reds travel to east London to take on West Ham on Sunday. The Irons are unbeaten in their last three league games, scoring eight goals in that run. Given Liverpool's defensive woes, that again could present a major problem to Slot's side. 

Following that, Liverpool host this season's surprise package Sunderland on December 3. Regis Le Bris' side are tough to break down, conceding less than a goal per game upon their return to the top flight. 

It's testament to the lose of confidence by Liverpool's players that these look to be tricky assignments for the Reds. These are two sides that Liverpool would have expected to blow off the park just a few months ago. Can Slot regain control of his team in time to save the Reds' season, and possibly, his job?