{"id":297354,"date":"2023-11-24T12:24:34","date_gmt":"2023-11-24T12:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=297354"},"modified":"2023-11-24T12:24:34","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T12:24:34","slug":"barnes-refreshed-liverpool-can-challenge-on-all-fronts-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/soccer\/barnes-refreshed-liverpool-can-challenge-on-all-fronts-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Barnes &#8211; &apos;Refreshed&apos; Liverpool CAN challenge on all fronts this year"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>EXCLUSIVE: John Barnes insists &#8216;refreshed&#8217; Liverpool CAN challenge on all fronts this year as the Reds legend names his dream five-a-side team of former team-mates<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Liverpool face Man City on Saturday in a crunch Premier League encounter<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>John Barnes believes Jurgen Klopp&#8217;s side can challenge on all fronts this year<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Inside Postecoglou&#8217;s Tottenham: IAKO looks at culture and philosophy changes<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>John Barnes is grinning like a Cheshire cat with the backdrop of three Christmas trees already up in his home on the Wirral. He is pondering a question over how Jurgen Klopp\u2019s team of superstars compares to the great Liverpool side he played in.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Well, I\u2019m 60 years old now and I feel it every time I bend over to tie my shoelaces or walk up the stairs\u2026 so I\u2019d be on the bench,\u2019 he laughs. \u2018When I was 59 I felt 50, then two days later I\u2019m 60. The psychological aspect of having a six before my age\u2026 I\u2019ve got to get my head around that!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Barnes is here to talk about Liverpool and England but it\u2019s hard to chat to the former forward without first talking about his other love\u2026 rapping. The star of Anfield Rap and World In Motion has a new track out, a rap &#8211; or wrap &#8211; about recycling Quality Street wrappers.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I get stopped in the street by kids but it\u2019s not because I was a footballer,\u2019 he says. \u2018They come up to me and say, \u201cYou\u2019re that man from the rap\u201d. Everyone bangs on about the England one but I reckon the Liverpool one for the 1988 FA Cup final was just as cool.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It got to No 3 in the charts. Craig Johnston at Liverpool was crazy and wanted us to rap for the Cup final. It wouldn\u2019t happen these days\u2026 imagine Mo Salah beat-boxing! This new one and the Anfield one were a bit of fun but the New Order one was a proper fantastic tune.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/24\/11\/78194391-12787047-image-a-6_1700824406717.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Liverpool legend John Barnes insisted his former club can challenge on all fronts this season<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/24\/11\/78194385-12787047-image-a-8_1700824447497.jpg\" height=\"501\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The &#8216;refreshed&#8217; Reds are taking on Manchester City in a crunch clash on Saturday lunchtime<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/24\/11\/78056509-12787047-Barnes_has_reignited_his_rap_career_and_teamed_up_with_Quality_S-a-7_1700824423749.jpg\" height=\"350\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Mail Sport&#8217;s interview comes after Barnes reignited his rap career and teamed up with Quality Street to encourage people to recycle their rappers (and wrappers) over the festive period<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Listen, there were a few alcoholic beverages going round one day and Keith Allen said to me, \u201cLet\u2019s write a rap\u201d. Gazza (Paul Gascoigne) was there, Peter Beardsley had a go, but I did it. You\u2019ve got to hold and give but do it at the right time!<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The song is iconic, young people don\u2019t know I\u2019m a footballer but know I did the rap. The only bad thing was we didn\u2019t foresee how big it was going to get so we didn\u2019t sign up for any royalties! We just split a small fee between 25 of us.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018This new one for Quality Street is a bit of fun for an important campaign. We were inspired by Biggie Smalls and P Diddy\u2019s Mo Money Mo Problems and did it in a psychedelic dome. Christmas is my favourite time of year, we always get in the same pyjamas.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>After talking about No 1 hits in the music charts, Mail Sport now asks if Barnes\u2019 former club Liverpool can finish No 1 in the Premier League this season, with the Reds one point behind leaders Manchester City going into Saturday\u2019s crunch clash at the Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Liverpool can challenge on all fronts. We\u2019re very close to the top in the league, FA Cup we\u2019re in the top two or few to win it. We are favourites to win the Europa League and still in the League Cup. I expect us to push Manchester City all the way this year in the Premier League, though.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Last season was a transitional period in terms of age and position. We couldn\u2019t get the right midfielders so we didn&#8217;t buy for the sake of it. We had a lot of forwards like (Cody) Gakpo, (Luis) Diaz and (Darwin) Nunez but the midfield was getting past their best.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We trusted Jurgen so much and knew he would get the midfield situation right. Now (Alexis) Mac Allister and (Dominik) Szoboszlai have improved us immensely. The age and balance of the team is much better, it\u2019s refreshed and we can push City again.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018But the game at the Etihad is huge. To be the best you\u2019ve got to beat the rest. We can push them all the way but they\u2019re a fantastic side. I remember when we finished second on 97 points. Was that a failure? Of course not.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/24\/11\/78056821-12787047-John_Barnes_60_is_perhaps_as_well_known_for_his_rap_in_New_Order-a-11_1700824471460.jpg\" height=\"814\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Barnes, 60, is perhaps as well-known for his rap in New Order&#8217;s 1990 smash hit World in Motion as his impressive playing career (pictured in the video)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/24\/11\/78194409-12787047-image-a-9_1700824458539.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The ex-England star hailed Mohamed Salah as one of the biggest legends in the club&#8217;s history<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/24\/11\/78194357-12787047-image-a-10_1700824460822.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>He also heaped praise on the way Jurgen Klopp reshaped his squad during the summer\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Mo (Salah) won\u2019t score as many as he used to but that\u2019s because Darwin is in the middle now, whereas it used to be Bobby (Firmino) who was more a creator than a finisher. But Mo has stepped up with more assists, he is super.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Mo is right up there with the best now in terms of Liverpool legends. Kenny (Dalglish) and Stevie (Gerrard) had longevity. But if Mo stays for a few more years, he will finish right up there with the legends.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of legends, Barnes played &#8211; and rapped &#8211; with a few in his time so when asked to name a five-a-side team of former team-mates, he politely asks if he can make it six-a-side to fit them all in!<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Bruce Grobelaar in goal. Steve Nicol and Alan Hansen at the back. Glenn Hoddle and Stevie G in midfield of course, have to include both of those. And again an easy one, Ian Rush up front. Kenny Dalglish as gaffer and I\u2019ll be on the bench!\u2019<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12787047\/John-Barnes-Liverpool-Reds-Mohamed-Salah.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EXCLUSIVE: John Barnes insists &#8216;refreshed&#8217; Liverpool CAN challenge on all fronts this year as the Reds legend names his dream five-a-side team of former team-mates Liverpool face Man City on Saturday in a crunch Premier League encounter John Barnes believes Jurgen Klopp&#8217;s side can challenge on all fronts this year Inside Postecoglou&#8217;s Tottenham: IAKO looks [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Barnes - &amp;apos;Refreshed&amp;apos; 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