Jürgen Klopp carried out an experiment from the Reds’ first game against Greuther Fürth as Liverpool continued its preseason preparations. We noticed this.
MS TECHNOLOGIE-ARENA, FÜRTH // Liverpool played Greuther Fürth in its second preseason friendly of the summer to wrap up its training camp in Germany. As they drew 4-4, Jürgen Klopp once more took advantage of the chance to put many of his players to the test.
After being denied just moments earlier, Luis Daz scored the game’s first goal with a well-placed finish midway through the first half. Shortly after the break, the hosts tied the score thanks to an error by James McConnell and Adrián, but a brilliant double from Darwin Nez appeared to have given the Reds another victory while on the road.
But Fürth came back, scoring twice through Armindo Sieb and Lukas Petkov to take an unexpected lead. But late in the game, Mohamed Salah was there to make sure the Reds didn’t lose.
While Jordan Henderson and Fabinho were still missing from the squad despite being close to moving to Saudi Arabia, there was another notable omission.
Alisson Becker returned to goal for Liverpool after missing the first game of the summer against Karlsruher. Dominik Szoboszlai missed the game after suffering an injury in practice, but there was a return for Alisson Becker.
The starting lineup adopted a much more recognizable composition, though Conor Bradley continued at right-back and Trent Alexander-Arnold started in midfield once more. Ben Doak replaced Mohamed Salah in the starting lineup, and Diogo Jota was chosen ahead of Nunez because of his two goals last week.
Here are the six key developments that Liverpool . com noticed throughout the match.
Tip for transfer?
Trent Alexander-Arnold, a graduate of the academy, started in the six-position midfield role against Karlsruher as part of Klopp’s ongoing Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment. Conor Bradley played the hybrid right-back position.
Alexander-Arnold’s suitability for a permanent midfield position has been much discussed over the years, and it does appear that Klopp has been warming up to the idea more recently. We now have the ideal opportunity to examine Liverpool’s number 66 in a more advanced starting role with Fabinho and Henderson now seemingly out of the picture.
And his new position, however temporary it may end up being, comes at an especially good time given recent rumors that the Reds are preparing a bid for Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich (per Fichajes).
The German international would be perfect for the hybrid role moving forward and would provide an alternative option as Liverpool searches for Fabinho’s replacement. However, whether or not anything in the report is true remains to be seen. Maybe Klopp just demonstrated what his current transfer priorities are.
yet another midfield choice.
Of course, the preseason is the ideal time for experimentation, and Klopp is making the most of his chance.
Cody Gakpo started as the number eight in the second preseason game, with Dominik Szoboszlai being rested.
The Netherlands international has experience playing this role; he did so against Brentford in the closing weeks of last season, and he undoubtedly fit the part.
And he once more displayed his adaptability by guarding the ball in his own half to make room further forward and launch Liverpool’s attack.
It’s understandable why many people view Gakpo as the ideal successor to Roberto Firmino, and he demonstrated this season why, regardless of position, he should be included in the starting lineup.
Long-term replacement for Salah.
Mohamed Salah may not have to leave Liverpool anytime soon, but Liverpool fans would undoubtedly feel more secure if the Egyptian king had some backup.
It’s becoming less likely that Liverpool will pursue another forward in the transfer market given the need for improvement in midfield and defense this summer. As a result, Klopp may need to look closer to home to support Salah, and he may already have his long-term replacement in place.
At Anfield, there is a lot of anticipation surrounding Ben Doak, and you can see why in Germany. Despite the fact that his final product may not have been quite on point, the former Celtic youngster looked like a real livewire on the right, and at 17, he has plenty of time to improve.
With Liverpool participating in the Europa League in the upcoming campaign, chances may arise for some of the team’s younger players to stake their claims, and in Doak, Reds fans will have something very exciting to look forward to.
Fully functional pressing machine.
Klopp lamented his team’s pressing efforts in particular as he summed up last season’s myriad issues and problems in that regard.
He stated over the ECHO, “It’s a general issue, not a midfield issue. “Defending starts up front; if you don’t defend there, the midfield won’t be able to succeed. ”.
Diogo Jota, whom Pep Lijnders refers to as a “pressing machine,” was absent for a significant portion of the season, which undoubtedly contributed to some of the issue.
And we witnessed firsthand the kind of impact the duo can have when they play together, forcing the German defense to make errors and generating chances from typically unimportant circumstances.
They will undoubtedly face tougher competition, especially once the season really gets going, but the early signs are promising.
Kelleher’s reiteration.
Given that Caoimhn Kelleher’s future has been the subject of some rumors, there were a few raised eyebrows among Liverpool supporters when he wasn’t named in the squad.
After Alisson and Adrián missed the match against Karlsruher, Ian Doyle of The ECHO calmed some nerves by claiming Kelleher’s absence was “simply a matter of playing time being shared around” on social media.
However, those nerves would have been jangling once more when Fürth equalized the score shortly after the start of the second half as a result of Adrián’s poor pass to James McConnell.
There is no doubt that Liverpool will need to find a new number two for Alisson if Kelleher leaves, but the Spaniard did make amends later by initiating the move that led to Darwin Nez giving Liverpool the lead again.
A second half madness
When Darwin Nez’s double gave Liverpool a 3-1 lead just before the hour, it seemed like the outcome was already set.
Fürth, however, had other plans as it shocked Liverpool with three goals in as many minutes to put the Reds behind and give Klopp some additional time to consider his transfer priorities.
Even though Joe Gomez was lining up at right-back in this situation, the chaos of the second half demonstrated that Liverpool cannot afford to neglect improving its defensive options for too long.
The Reds once again showed why a new center-back is required to provide backup to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, even though the priority may be back in midfield.
