Darwin Nunez is ready to make Everton regret it if they try to draw red mist from the Liverpool striker in Saturday's Merseyside derby.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp threw his support behind the striker on the eve of the Goodison Park match, backing the player who was sent off on his Anfield debut to come back stronger from his ban.
Former Benfica frontman Nunez was red-carded in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on August 15 when he headbutted Joachim Andersen, after a running battle with the defender.
Throwing Nunez into derby duty on his return from suspension may represent a gamble, and it remains to be seen whether Klopp starts with the 23-year-old in the battle for local bragging rights.
Klopp said Liverpool have instructed Nunez he must "calm down", insisting the message has not needed to be constantly repeated for it to hit home.
"We told him that. Of course we told him not only now, but now especially," Klopp said.
The Reds manager was pleased to hear former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez also warned Nunez, his fellow Uruguayan, to be wary of wind-up merchants in English football.
There will inevitably be cases where Nunez is targeted by opponents, whether or not he continues to show a volatile streak.
"That will happen, but it happens to others as well. We just have to ignore it," said Klopp. "Our ideas on how we want to think in these situations is that we pay back, but with football."
Looking at Everton's centre-backs, Klopp said: "I don't think James Tarkowski and Conor Coady are famous for too much of this kind of talking through the game."
Liverpool followed a 9-0 trouncing of Bournemouth with a 2-1 victory against Newcastle United, secured by Fabio Carvalho's stoppage-time goal, and Klopp must decide whether Nunez has to wait for a return to the starting line-up.
Klopp believes Nunez is good enough to exploit any chirping from defenders looking to get a rise out of the £64million man.
"If he plays, then he has to be ready for these kind of things, definitely, that's clear," Klopp said. "But when a player's talking to you a lot, or is really physical, then he's not in his own game, and he has to use these moments as well, if the other one is too busy with wanting to distract him.
"The two weeks [of suspension] helped for sure, you can see it. Will it never happen again? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure nothing will happen in the next game."
Chelsea blame Abramovich sanctions for £121m losses
Chelsea put losses of £121million in their latest financial records down to sanctions on former owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government.
The Blues posted their annual accounts, covering the 2021-22 season, showing significant losses in a period that included having to work under a special licence.
Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, believing he had close ties with president Vladimir Putin and freezing the assets of several individuals as a result.
That saw Chelsea forced to operate under a special licence, which restricted the club from selling tickets, accept event bookings and signing contracts with players until Todd Boehly's takeover was completed on May 30, 2022.
In a statement on Monday, Chelsea added that these sanctions would be felt again "in the following years".
"The results for the year have been impacted by the sanctions placed on the club's previous owner on 10 March 2022," the statement read.
"As a result of the sanctions, the club was required to operate within the limitations of a special licence issued by the UK government. These restrictions were in place until the completion of the Club's sale on 30 May 2022.
"During this period, the Club was restricted in a number of areas including, but not limited to, its ability to sell matchday and season tickets, sell merchandise, accept event bookings, as well as sign contracts with players and commercial sponsorship partners, which collectively resulted in extraordinary expenses and loss of revenue.
"Furthermore, some of these limitations are also expected to have an impact on the financials in the following years due to the long-term impact from restrictions on entering into new contractual arrangements.
"Towards the end of the sanctioned period, the club was permitted to sell certain matchday tickets, with the Premier League committing to donate all revenue from these sales to charity. The restrictions were lifted following the change in ownership, and all operations have now resumed."
The Blues announced an overall net loss of £121.3m, though they confirmed they continue to meet the Premier League and UEFA's financial regulations.
'I've been there' – Gerrard considers Kane's 'big decision' on Spurs future
Steven Gerrard can understand what Harry Kane might be thinking as he weighs up whether to leave Tottenham in pursuit of silverware.
Aside from a series of loan spells as a teenager, Kane has spent his entire club career at Spurs.
He is now Tottenham's record goalscorer, also becoming England's leading marksman during this international break.
But Kane remains without a major honour to his name, losing three finals with Spurs and one with England.
That wait for glory will not end this season, with Tottenham eliminated from the FA Cup and Champions League before Antonio Conte departed on Sunday.
With Manchester City dominant, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United rejuvenated and Liverpool and Chelsea likely to improve next season, the window in which Spurs can succeed may be closing.
That has prompted plenty of debate around Kane's future, but Gerrard is in a good position to consider the England captain's options.
Gerrard spent all but the final 18 months of his career at Liverpool.
Although he did win silverware – most notably the Champions League in 2005 – the Reds favourite never lifted the Premier League trophy and surely would have enjoyed greater success elsewhere.
Gerrard, appearing on Channel 4, said of Kane: "He's got a big decision to make career-wise.
"I've been there myself, where you're thinking: 'Is my team good enough to get me the medals? Am I going to get out of my career what I want to get?'"
Gerrard's emotional ties to Liverpool meant he stuck by them in pursuit of a long-awaited league triumph, but he believes a potential move will be playing on Kane's mind.
"It's different for me," Gerrard added. "I knew winning one trophy more with Liverpool would have meant a lot more to me than being anywhere else.
"He's got a big decision to make. I can't give him any advice on that, but I bet you every single day of his life now moving forward, it's going to be on his mind."
Kane pushed for a move to Man City in 2021, but Tottenham stood firm. City went on to sign Erling Haaland last year.
Man United appear more likely suitors for the 29-year-old this time, looking for a big-name striker to pair with Marcus Rashford following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure.
Gerrard lauds Bellingham development as Liverpool speculation grows
Steven Gerrard added further fuel to speculation over Liverpool's move for Jude Bellingham after telling the midfielder his development is well ahead of his own progress at the same age.
Bellingham impressed once again as England cruised past Ukraine with a 2-0 victory in Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifying clash and joined Gerrard on the Wembley Stadium touchline at full-time.
The former Reds captain, speaking as a pundit on Channel 4, lavished high praise on the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, who is reportedly a target of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
"You're a lot further ahead than when I was your age, so you're going in the right direction that's for sure," Gerrard told Bellingham.
When pressed on how Bellingham is further developed than ex-Liverpool and England star Gerrard, he added: "I never had that power and strength until I was probably 22, 23.
"So he is definitely more physically developed than me. He's more confident than me on the ball in terms of what he will try. And I'm not saying that just being modest, it's the truth, I think he's further on than what I was at 19.
"I got to where I wanted to get to and he'll get to where he wants to get to if he carries on doing what he's doing.
"He's in a fantastic place. Everything else around him he just needs to park it up and keep playing well and everything else will take care of itself."
It was not the first time Gerrard has lauded the teenage star, offering in January to take Bellingham out for dinner and talk about his future, suggesting a move to England and Liverpool would benefit his career.
Bellingham was quick to return the favour, praising the impact Gerrard had as Liverpool captain during his playing career.
He said: "The things that Stevie could do, the way he could carry a team and single-handedly win a game. He could do everything as a midfielder.
"I've said it multiple times that I look up to you and your game."
While a transfer-window battle awaits for the signature of one of Europe's hottest prospects, Bellingham continues to enjoy the learning experience of playing with England.
The former Birmingham City midfielder has already captained Dortmund this season and, while appreciating patience will be required, said leading his country out would be the greatest honour in football.
"That would be the biggest dream, and the biggest honour in football I think is to captain your country," he continued.
"There's a long pecking order that I highly respect and I'll wait my turn. In the meantime it's picking up what I can learn from them. This is the best place to do it.
"We should be looking to win every game. You set yourself a standard and an expectation and it's important you match that. We have to carry that on for the rest of the qualification campaign."
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