Jack Hallows details the major talking points from Liverpool’s pre-season fixtures against Dortmund and the two Manchester sides in the United States.
Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the States saw Klopp step up the intensity for a number of his first-team players, with wins over both Manchester clubs making up for a lacklustre performance against Dortmund in Charlotte.
There were opportunities aplenty for some of the club’s young stars vying for a place in the first-team squad, while other players who are expected to feature heavily in the coming campaign begun to rack up the minutes in their legs.
Salah & Mané back with a bang
Probably the most exciting sight for many a Liverpool fan was seeing Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané return to the field during the Reds’ 2-1 victory over Manchester City in mid-week.
Both players looked sharp on their initial return, with Salah in particular picking up from where he’d left off last season during his 30 minute cameo and scoring within 60 seconds of being introduced.
Mané also got on the scoresheet in that fixture with a well-taken penalty in the dying minutes, coolly slotting the ball into the bottom left corner.
Both players were given starts for the next fixture against Mourinho’s Manchester United and once again, how sharp they looked will be a hugely encouraging sign for Klopp.
Mané got himself on the scoresheet again from the spot, putting the ball even further into the bottom left corner than on the previous occasion and giving goalkeeper Lee Grant no chance. With all of Mo Salah, James Milner and Fabinho on the field at the time, this could be an indication that the Senegalese international will be on spot kick duty this season.
Salah had a rare occasion whereby he didn’t manage to get himself on the scoresheet against United but it was the Egyptian who won the penalty for the Reds’ opening goal and he looked a threat throughout the entire first half.
One looped header almost got the better of Grant and it’s evident that his pace and movement strike fear into the hearts of practically every defender on the planet.
Overall these pre-season games are just a glorified training session for the Reds big stars but the intensity and sharpness with which both of Liverpool’s African superstars approached the fixtures was great to see.
Also, how bloody good does Mané look in the 10?!
New boys impress
We’re going to have to wait a little while to get our first glimpse of Alisson Becker in a Liverpool shirt but the new boys we have seen were all brilliant over in the States.
Our glimpses of Keïta were unfortunately very brief, with the former Leipzig man suffering some stiffness to his neck on the plane ride between the first and second fixtures but the Guinean was arguably the Reds’ best player against Dortmund.
The way he carries the ball like it’s glued to his foot and exhibits the rare trait of moving just as quickly when on the ball as he does without it will bring real drive and penetration to the midfield this season. He also absolutely loves a tackle, just as much as he loves an incisive through ball.
I’m hopeful his neck problem clears up nice and soon so we can get a real good look at him in the Reds’ final few pre-season games.
Fabinho was the most ever-present of the three new signings who participated in the competition and while some fans have gotten on his back already, I can’t understand why.
The Brazilian simply oozes class and his positional awareness and willingness to simply sit, tackle and spray the ball are all attributes that are going to help take the Reds’ to a new level once he fully settles in to his new side’s style of play.
Personally, I don’t think we’ll see the best of Fabinho until around October/November time this season, simply due to Klopp’s need to iron out the Monaco in him and really engrain the Liverpool way.
We saw with Oxlade-Chamberlain last season just how important it is for players to learn their position under Klopp, especially when operating in midfield and while a full pre-season is obviously going to be of huge benefit to the Brazilian, we as fans need to be patient.
We’ve got a real classy player on our hands here, we just need to let him settle in.
Finally, Shaqiri – or as he’s now known on Twitter, ‘Power Cube’ – what a way to announce yourself as a Liverpool player!
The Swiss international was given 45 minutes against Manchester United and not only did he show his impressive strength to bully Eric Bailly and set up a Daniel Sturridge goal, he scored the club’s goal of pre-season so far with a stunning bicycle kick effort.
Eyebrows were raised when the club opted to bring the former Basel and Bayern Munich man to the club but in just 45 minutes, he’s shown exactly what he’s capable of and why he’s going to be a fantastic option for Klopp this season.
Outside of their front three, it was that ability to produce a moment of magic to pull a winner literally out of thin air that Liverpool were missing last season and it looks as if in Shaqiri, they’ve identified a player who is truly capable of providing that.
Youngsters stake their claim
Not all of Liverpool’s youngsters have impressed in pre-season so far but I want to use this section as a chance to highlight two who I’ve thought have been simply excellent.
First off is 17-year old Curtis Jones.
When you watch Jones play, it’s incredible to think that he’s only 17. There’s a real calmness about the young midfielder that belies his years and the way he seems to back himself and play with such confidence and swagger could set him up beautifully in the years ahead.
Aside from his composure on the ball, the youngster also has a real turn of pace and looks more than happy to take the ball on the half-turn – a really important skill in the modern game.
His 60 minute appearance against Manchester City was probably his best run out of pre-season so far.
The second player I want to highlight is Rafa Camacho.
Wow. What a player this lad looks.
Like Jones, it seems almost impossible to think that at 18 years old, this lad is still pretty much a kid but every time I’ve seen him play he looks as if he could truly push to be an option when rotation is required this season.
A winger by trade, Klopp has used the 18-year old primarily as a wing back this summer and it’s no real surprise, given the German’s love for quick, attacking full backs who can help stretch a game.
The Portuguese youngster is two footed, possesses searing pace and his ability to get his head up and find a team mate with a cut back or well placed cross makes him a real threat in the opposition penalty box.
It was his lovely left footed ball that Salah got on the end of for his goal against Manchester City and it really wouldn’t surprise me if he ends the summer with a number of assists such is the quality of the balls he puts in at times.
He’s also got the added bonus that Klopp evidently loves him, claiming he’s “full of footballing joy!”
Differing fortunes for Lallana and Sturridge
This summer has widely been regarded as last chance saloon for both Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana at Liverpool.
Daniel Sturridge has never really been a great fit for a Jürgen Klopp Liverpool side and other than a brief spell back in 2016 where he was fit and scoring for fun, he’s failed consistently to break into this side.
He’s a fantastic talent when fit, nobody is doubting that and Klopp himself has commented time and time again on just how good a player he knows a fully-fit Daniel Sturridge can be but as has sadly been the case for much of the last four years, he’s just not been fit enough of the time.
The US tour however, provided a glimpse at what could be to come from Sturridge this season if he does remain on Merseyside, with the Englishman looking the fittest, leanest and sharpest I’ve seen him over the last two years and it’s evident he’s hungry to have one final crack of the whip at Liverpool.
He got himself on the scoresheet against United with a well taken finish and his work off the ball has been far more impressive and notable than in previous years. If he can remain fit – and it’s a big if – then this new, changed Sturridge could just be a real key asset to Klopp this season.
Especially if they manage his minutes well and save him for when he’s needed.
How many times have I said that before though?
Lallana on the other hand, has been a Klopp favourite during the German’s tenure as manager.
However, the Englishman’s injury record has been called into question over the last 12 months and a horror show of a campaign last time around has fans questioning whether he still has a place in this current side.
While I personally think a lot of criticism of the 30-year old is harsh and unwarranted, he has in truth looked slightly off the pace during the Reds’ games Stateside.
He looked as if he was running in treacle during much of his time on the field in America and while that could simply be down to a lack of match sharpness, it wasn’t the most encouraging of signs from the former Southampton man.
Where previously Lallana was a shoe-in to start when fit and the nominated ‘leader of the press’ from midfield, it seems as if a number of fans would rather see the club shift him on to make room for the arrival of a Fekir or a Pulisic and the eventual return of Oxlade-Chamberlain.
If he can get himself back to the player we saw in 2016/17 who presses like a bat out of hell, uses Cruyff turns intelligently rather than frequently and contributes goals and assists from the middle of the park then I’m all for him staying.
However, that Lallana admittedly feels a long way away at present and no matter how confident he is in his ability, he’s just not going to be like a “new signing.”
More to come but will more be needed still?
The three fixtures over in America certainly gave us a good look at three of our new signings, while also affording us the option to see just who’s looking sharp and ready for the new season and who still looks to be lagging behind.
The best part though is that there is still a lot more to come, with Roberto Firmino, Alisson Becker, Jordan Henderson, Dejan Lovren and Trent Alexander-Arnold all due to join up with their team mates over the next 7-10 days, bringing Klopp’s final squad for the season ever closer to completion.
The returns of Alisson, Firmino and Lovren in particular all can’t come soon enough, with the likes of Origi and Ings set to move on, the centre back situation looking a little dire due to Matip’s latest injury and Klopp being forced to use youngsters in goal after Ward’s £12m move to Leicester and Karius’ recent knee injury.
The one question that still begs to be asked however, is do we still need more?
Initially, Klopp evidently felt this was the case with the club’s well documented pursuit of Nabil Fekir in June highlighting the potential need for a creative midfield option. With Oxlade-Chamberlain set to miss the entire season and Adam Lallana not exactly impressing so far this summer, the club could very still be on the market for a player of the Frenchman’s ilk.
Aside from Fekir himself, Christian Pulisic of Dortmund has also been a name heavily mentioned of late, while Matip’s recent injury has seen tentative links to centre backs such as James Tarkowski of Burnley start to re-emerge.
It’s certainly going to be an interesting end to the window on Merseyside and I just hope that with the club currently in what Klopp would call a “really good moment,” ahead of the new season, they don’t shy away from strengthening further if the opportunity presents itself.
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