FA Cup: Our full team could have drawn with Plymouth too! - Klopp

Jurgen Klopp has defended his decision to pick a young team in Liverpool's FA Cup draw against fourth-tier Plymouth Argyle.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says a 0-0 home draw with Plymouth Argyle could also have been the result had he picked his regular starting XI.

The Reds made 10 changes to their line-up against their League Two opponents on Sunday, with only Emre Can keeping his place from their Premier League draw at Sunderland for the FA Cup third-round tie.

FA Cup: Terry sees red as Chelsea beat Peterborough

 Britain Football Soccer - Chelsea v Peterborough United - FA Cup Third Round - Stamford Bridge - 8/1/17 Chelsea's Pedro celebrates scoring their fourth goal Action Images via Reuters / Tony O'Brien Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Pedro struck twice and Michy Batshuayi and Willian were also on target as Chelsea secured a routine 4-1 win over Peterborough United in the FA Cup third round, despite John Terry's second-half red card.

The FA Cup now provides a welcome chance for a rest, not excitement

The FA Cup is not what it once was. That’s been true for a long time, and obvious for almost as long. The older fans and players have a sense of nostalgia about the competition, about the best game it produced, and lament that it used to be the traditional bookend to the season. Winning the FA Cup was not as important as winning the league, but it meant something significant nonetheless. Now, it’s more of a consolation for a manager on his way out, or a way for a mid-table side to experience some fleeting success.

There have been some sensible suggestions made in order to improve it, but even these are admissions of defeat. If replays were abolished, then it would expunge one of the main traditions of the tournament, the FA Cup replay. The replay that allows a lower league side to take a top division team back to their intimidating ground, or to make a trip to a Premier League stadium, with the money that comes with it. Preserving the FA Cup by removing one of its rare qualities is, in some ways, not preserving it at all.

 

Premier League: Mourinho - Schweinsteiger will get chances to play in January

Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will be handed the chance to play his part in this month's busy run of fixtures.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is set to receive first-team opportunities for Manchester United during January, manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed.

The 32-year-old has only played four minutes of action since March - as a late substitute in November's EFL Cup win over West Ham – having previously been exiled by the manager at the start of the season.

But Mourinho has revealed Schweinsteiger's positive attitude, fitness and the United's busy stretch of fixtures this month make it likely he will see more regular action.

Alternative FA Cup third round preview: Get West Ham a player, any player, now.

Slaven Bilic to stand outside the Man City dressing room with a big bin bag

West Ham are desperate to make a signing this January. Any signing, they’re not fussy. Indeed, the Hammers have adopted the transfer strategy of a Football Manager player setting the search filter to ‘anyone’ over the past week. First they made a bid for Jermain Defoe. Then Scott Hogan. Then Moussa Dembele.