Football

Liverpool's once-promising season has spiraled into a nightmare, with the club now facing a bleak future. After winning the League Cup in February, talk of a historic quadruple quickly evaporated as Liverpool imploded on the field.The FA Cup and Europa League exits were followed by a string of poor Premier League results, leaving the Reds third in the table and out of contention for the title. The team's struggles have been compounded by internal strife, with star striker Mohamed Salah and manager Jurgen Klopp engaging in a public spat during the 2-2 draw against West Ham.Klopp's impending departure at the end of next season has cast a shadow over the club, with speculation about his replacement running rampant. However, the reported agreement with Feyenoord manager Arne Slot has left fans underwhelmed, given Liverpool's recent success under Klopp.The German manager has transformed Liverpool into a European powerhouse, winning the Premier League, Champions League, and other major trophies. His departure will leave a significant void, and the club's failure to attract a high-profile replacement has raised concerns about their future prospects.Liverpool's current struggles are a stark reminder of their pre-Klopp era, when they were a mid-table team with limited success. The club's recent downward spiral has shattered the utopian bubble that had surrounded them during their period of dominance.With just a few matches remaining in the season, Liverpool's hopes of salvaging anything from this campaign are dwindling. The club's once-bright future now hangs in the balance, and the task of rebuilding under a new manager will be a daunting one.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is cautiously optimistic about Mohamed Salah's return to action against Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday. The Egyptian star has been sidelined for the past four games due to muscle fatigue.Salah joined his Liverpool teammates on Wednesday's flight to Prague after missing the previous four games due to muscle fatigue. The 31-year-old has played just 46 minutes for Liverpool since leaving the Africa Cup of Nations early when he sustained a hamstring injury in a group-stage game against Ghana in January.Salah's substitute appearance came against Brentford on February 17, the forward scoring at the Gtech Community Stadium before subsequently being sidelined with the muscle issue. He trained with the rest of the Liverpool squad on Wednesday and could feature in the last 16 first-leg meeting with Sparta.Salah's availability is significant for Klopp ahead of Sunday's seismic showdown with Manchester City in the Premier League. Second-placed City will arrive at Anfield one point behind leaders Liverpool in a tense title race."It is so good that he (Salah) is back," Klopp told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. "Two days in team training: in a different situation players are not in the squad in this moment but now the situation makes sense."The German added: "We want to be careful, we have to be careful but we're in the middle of a super-intense period of the season and we need everyone. So let's see how long we can use him and these kinds of things."Quadruple-chasing Liverpool won the League Cup final against Chelsea without Salah, and also beat Luton, Southampton, and Nottingham Forest in his absence. But having Salah back is a huge boost for Liverpool heading into the decisive final weeks of Klopp's last season in charge.The Egyptian has scored 19 goals in all competitions this season, including 15 in 21 league games. Klopp has taken his strongest available squad to Prague, with Darwin Nunez and Wataru Endo in contention to start after coming on as substitutes in last weekend's win at Forest.