James Milner returned to midfield for the Reds’ 3-1 victory over Athletic Club Bilbao on Saturday but reiterated he’ll play wherever the team needs him to.
Liverpool ended their pre-season preparations with another convincing victory on Saturday afternoon, thumping Athletic Club Bilbao 3-1 courtesy of goals from Roberto Firmino, Ben Woodburn and Dominic Solanke.
James Milner was named captain on the day – for the first half – and returned to central midfield in the absence of regular captain Jordan Henderson.
The former Man City player reflected upon the win – and his return to his favoured position – to the club’s official website.
“”It was a good game and a good workout against a good opponent,” he told Liverpoolfc.com. “I think they’ve had some (European) qualifying games, so they’re up to speed and it was always going to be a tough test. It was a great atmosphere, too.
“The boys played a half each and I thought everyone did well, especially on the back of an intense week in Germany with some tough fixtures. All in all, it was a good way to round off pre-season.”
“The boys will have a well-earned rest in the next couple of days and then the build-up to the real games. The first game is always important and you want to get off to a good start. Then we have Europe following up behind that pretty quickly.”
Milner was also quick to praise Liverpool’s trio of new signings Dominic Solanke, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson for how quickly they’ve settled into the squad and the notable difference they’ve already made over the summer.
“It’s about fitness, getting up to match speed and getting used to the tactics,” continued Milner.
“It’s about getting the new players used to playing our system and them feeling at home. That’s certainly happened with the boys banging the goals in up at the top and Robbo has come in and done well as well. It’s great for them.”
“We’re all very competitive and at the highest level you always want to win, even if it’s a friendly, so to have that result is pleasing.”
On a personal level, there were two points that caught the eye as Milner returned to his preferred central midfield position and relinquished penalty duties to Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino.
“It’s not that easy (moving back into midfield), but obviously I’ve played there for most of my career. It felt nice to be back in there to be honest and I enjoyed it a lot. But it was more about getting 45 minutes; I’ve obviously had an injury as well, so it was nice to get out there and I felt alright.”
When asked about the penalty, the vice-captain explained there had been no discussions over changing who takes them and that Firmino had simply looked confident dispatching two against Madrid in the mid-week.
“He won it and had scored a couple in midweek. I asked him if he was feeling confident and he said yes. We all practice them and I am very confident when he steps up. As long as the ball ends up in the back of the net, that’s the most important thing.”
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
