Liverpool continued their pre-season vs Mainz 05 on Friday. We pick out three standout performers from the friendly.
Jurgen Klopp went particularly strong with his Liverpool XI vs Mainz. He swapped things at half-time to put out a younger team but that first half was undoubtedly the standout.
Here are three players who looked great in their 45.
Kostas Tsimikas
Kostas Tsimikas barely featured last season, playing just six Premier League minutes over the entire campaign. Not exactly what you pay £11m for.
But we’ve been really impressed with his pre-season outings thus far. Tsimikas looks full of energy, willing to bomb up and down the line, while his confidence on the ball is great to see, too.
Tsimikas will always struggle to get in the team ahead of Andy Robertson, of course. If he continues on this trajectory, though, Liverpool will certainly have a wonderful alternative to the Scot.
Ibrahima Konate
Ibrahima Konate wasn’t perfect in his first friendly but that’s easy to forgive. He looked much better here and we got a real look at what he could bring to Liverpool this season.
He’s a fantastic physical presence at the back, while Konate is also comfortable moving out with the ball. It’s all very Virgil van Dijk-esque.
What really caught the eye was his pace, though. Konate looked absolutely rapid with his recovery speed and that could be a huge asset for Liverpool this season.
Grow the rest of his game even further and Konate will be a star.
Naby Keita
It’s that time of year again – Naby Keita excitement! The Guinean was excellent on the ball for Liverpool and ran the game for a spell.
One moment in the first half saw him take on three defenders and his ball control was simply immense. Keita looked like a fantastic player.
But we’ve been here before. Every year since his arrival, in fact. Keita needs to do this consistently before we’re truly confident in him.
This was another reminder that he’s got all the talent in the world, though.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
