MS TECHNOLOGIE-ARENA, FÜRTH // Liverpool closed out its German training camp with its second pre-season friendly of the summer against Greuther Fürth. Jürgen Klopp once again used the opportunity to test out a large number of his players as they drew 4-4.
Luis Díaz opened the scoring midway through the first half with a well-taken finish, having been denied moments earlier. A mix-up between Adrián and James McConnell led to the hosts equalizing shortly after the restart before a superb Darwin Núñez double looked to have secured another win for the Reds on their travels.
Fürth though hit back, with a goal from Lukas Petkov and a brace from Armindo Sieb giving the hosts an unexpected lead. Mohamed Salah was on hand late on though to ensure the Reds avoided defeat.
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There was still no sign of either Jordan Henderson or Fabinho as the pair close in on moves to Saudi Arabia, while there was another notable absentee from the squad.
Dominik Szoboszlai sat out the game after picking up a knock in training, but there was a return for Alisson Becker as the Liverpool number one was back in goal after missing the opening game of the summer against Karlsruher.
The starting XI took on a much more familiar role, although Conor Bradley continued at right-back with Trent Alexander-Arnold once again starting in midfield, while Ben Doak took Mohamed Salah’s usual spot in the side as Diogo Jota was selected ahead of Núñez after his two goals last week.
Here are the six things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Transfer hint?
Klopp continued with his Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment from the first game against Karlsruher as the academy graduate started in the number six role in midfield, with Conor Bradley taking on the hybrid role at right-back.
Much has been made over the years about Alexander-Arnold’s suitability for a permanent midfield role, and it does seem as though Klopp has been warming to the idea more in recent months. With Fabinho and Henderson now seemingly out of the picture, it’s been the perfect opportunity to take a look at Liverpool’s number 66 in a more advanced starting position.
And his new role, however temporary it may turn out to be, is particularly timely, with recent reports suggesting the Reds are preparing an offer for Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich (as per Fichajes).
Whether or not there is anything in the report remains to be seen, but the German international would be ideal for the hybrid role going forward, and would offer an alternative option as Liverpool looks for a successor to Fabinho. Perhaps Klopp has just shown where his transfer priorities lie now.
Another midfield option
Pre-season is of course the time to experiment, and Klopp is certainly using his opportunity.
The second pre-season game saw yet another tweak in midfield with Dominik Szoboszlai not risked as Cody Gakpo started as a number eight.
It’s a role that isn’t new to the Netherlands international, having played it against Brentford during the final run-in last season, and he certainly looked to be a good fit then.
And he once again showed his versatility, protecting the ball in his own half in order to free up space further forward and get Liverpool on the attack.
It’s no wonder Gakpo is seen by many as the perfect heir to Roberto Firmino, and he showed why, regardless of position, he should have a place in the side in the new season.
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Salah’s long-term successor
Liverpool hopefully won’t have to think about a departure for Mohamed Salah anytime soon, but fans would certainly feel a little more comfortable with some backup for the Egyptian king.
Considering the work needed in midfield and defense this summer, it’s looking increasingly unlikely we’ll see Liverpool go after another forward in the transfer market, meaning Klopp might have to look closer to home to support Salah, and he might already have his long-term successor in place.
There is a lot of excitement around Ben Doak at Anfield, and you could see why in Germany. The former Celtic youngster looked a real livewire on the right, and while his final product might not have been quite on point, at 17, he’s certainly got plenty of time to work on that.
With Liverpool playing in the Europa League in the new season, opportunities may arise for some of the club’s younger players to stake their claims, and in Doak, Reds fans will have something very exciting to look forward to.
Pressing machine in full effect
Among the multitude of problems last season, Klopp bemoaned his side’s pressing efforts in particular as he summed up why his side had been struggling.
"It's a general problem, not a midfield problem,” he said via the ECHO. “Defending starts up front, if you don't defend there then the midfield has no chance.”
Part of that problem no doubt lay in the absences of Luis Díaz and Diogo Jota for much of the season — Pep Lijnders doesn’t call the latter a ‘pressing machine’ for nothing.
And we saw exactly the sort of impact the pair can make when they’re in the side, forcing their German opponents into mistakes at the back and creating chances from usually innocuous situations.
Granted, they will come up against sterner opposition, especially when the season gets underway for real, but the early signs are encouraging.
Kelleher reminder
There were one or two raised eyebrows among Liverpool fans when Caoimhín Kelleher wasn’t named in the squad, given there has been some speculation over his future.
The ECHO’s Ian Doyle settled a few nerves as he explained Kelleher’s absence on social media, reporting it was ‘simply a matter of playing time being shared around’ after Alisson and Adrián missed the game against Karlsruher.
Those nerves would have been jangling again though when, shortly after the start of the second half, Adrián’s poor pass to James McConnell led to Fürth equalizing.
The Spaniard did make amends later by starting the move that led to Darwin Núñez putting Liverpool back in front, but there can be no doubt that, if Kelleher is to move on, Liverpool will need to find a new number two for Alisson.
Second half madness
It looked to be a foregone conclusion when Darwin Núñez’s double put Liverpool 3-1 ahead just before the hour mark.
Fürth though had other ideas as it stunned Liverpool with three quick goals to put the Reds behind, and leave Klopp with a bit more thinking to do on his transfer priorities.
Admittedly, Joe Gomez was playing at right-back here, but the second-half madness showed that Liverpool can’t afford to neglect strengthening its options at the back for too long.
The priority might be back in midfield, but the Reds demonstrated once again why a new center-back is needed to offer backup to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté.