Pre-season can be a strange old business. One minute you are talking about shape, sharpness and minutes in the legs, the next you are dealing with frayed tempers and a squad that suddenly looks thinner than anyone would like. That is where Liverpool find themselves heading into their meeting with Leeds United at Soldier Field in Chicago.
There is a serious look to this summer for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have all moved on after their contracts expired, with Robertson joining Tottenham and Konate heading to Real Madrid. Salah is still without a new club. Those are not minor departures, they are the sort that strip experience, authority and quality from a dressing room in one hit.
Andoni Iraola has only just walked through the door, and already he has plenty to weigh up. Liverpool edged past Wrexham 1-0 in New York, a result that mattered less than the signs around it. The win offered some encouragement, but the disagreement involving Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai at full time brought another layer of intrigue. In pre-season, these things can flare up quickly. What matters is how swiftly they are put to bed.
Photo: IMAGO
That is the task now. Iraola will want a cleaner night in Chicago, one with more rhythm and less noise around the edges. Friendly or not, a manager learns plenty from these matches, especially when a squad is in transition.
#Liverpool #robertson #heading
There is a serious look to this summer for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have all moved on after their contracts expired, with Robertson joining Tottenham and Konate heading to Real Madrid. Salah is still without a new club. Those are not minor departures, they are the sort that strip experience, authority and quality from a dressing room in one hit.
Andoni Iraola has only just walked through the door, and already he has plenty to weigh up. Liverpool edged past Wrexham 1-0 in New York, a result that mattered less than the signs around it. The win offered some encouragement, but the disagreement involving Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai at full time brought another layer of intrigue. In pre-season, these things can flare up quickly. What matters is how swiftly they are put to bed.
Photo: IMAGO
That is the task now. Iraola will want a cleaner night in Chicago, one with more rhythm and less noise around the edges. Friendly or not, a manager learns plenty from these matches, especially when a squad is in transition.
#Liverpool #robertson #heading
2 months ago
