Liverpool Fc @ Anfield - Reds Supporters Gatherings

[Anfield2017]

Originally Posted by naemlo

Tough draw... Hoffenheim was 2nd in least games lost and drew the most in German league last season. Liverpool will have to win big at home and a min. draw away.

“Probably the best unseeded team in the pot” – Liverpool fans react to drawing Hoffenheim in Champions League

4 August 2017

Liverpool have drawn Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in their Champions League play-off clash later this month, with supporters remaining confident.

IMHO, Klopp knew German game well and should be advantage. Also dun have to travel too far. With Liverpool attack the front 3 will prised open any defence. Our opponent have more to worry.

[Firmino]

Liverpool is a business and selling club. Klopp lied when he said we are not a selling club.

Coutinho will leave by next summer if we receive good bid or fail to win titles. Klopp days will be numbered just like Rodgers if we have a dry spell this season.

[masterwanker]

Originally Posted by naemlo

I will sell if I am a businessman... I will sell if more than 100 mil offered.

FSG is a business entity with the sole purpose of making profits for the owners .

Originally Posted by naemlo

Tough draw... Hoffenheim was 2nd in least games lost and drew the most in German league last season. Liverpool will have to win big at home and a min. draw away.

Sorry have to disagree with you on this . Liverpool need to have to win both games in order to progress t the group stage. Hopefully Klopp's knowledge on the German League will help Liverpool to prepare for the playoffs.

[LeeHsienLoong]

Lallana out for more than 2 months.
Do we need to play pre season games without proper resting period?
Next week the season starts and our squad does not look to have the depth.

[Anfield2017]

Cannot wait to see the Reds back at Anfield again🔴

It's been far too long.

[snakehead]

Originally Posted by masterwanker

Liverpool need to have to win both games in order to progress t the group stage. Hopefully Klopp's knowledge on the German League will help Liverpool to prepare for the playoffs.

Hoffenheim is not an easy team to beat. They have an up and coming manager dubbed as "Jurgen Klopp Jnr" for his similar mentality and tactical nous to JK.

Hoffenheim plays in a 3-1-4-2 formation defending with 2 rows of parked buses and using fast players down the wings to attack the opponents. All their midfielders and attackers are interchangeable and often switch roles with each other with many of their goals coming from the midfielders..... similar to Dortmund and Liverpool. Would be interesting to see how Klopp cope with an opponent playing his own style.

It will be a tough challenge for Liverpool to cross if they want to play CL next stage.

[countryman]

Season not even started... Clyn n lallana already gone be out for 2 to 3mths..Cout n Studge also having some injury though not so serious!
Pool really need a large squad cos the players get injured easily..Klopp's training is too tough on the players I reckon.

[escobar43535]

These injuries are getting ridiculous!!

[Anfield2017]

Reds name 23-man squad for Dublin friendly

Liverpool take a 23-man squad to Dublin today for the pre-season friendly with Athletic Club.

The meeting with the La Liga outfit is the final warm-up game before the new Premier League campaign gets under way at Watford next weekend.

Jordan Henderson does not travel due to illness, Daniel Sturridge remains sidelined with a thigh injury, and Philippe Coutinho has a sore back.

The clash with the Spanish side at Aviva Stadium kicks off at 5.15pm BST, with live coverage available on LFCTV and LFCTV GO.

Liverpool squad: Mignolet, Karius, Ward, Alexander-Arnold, Flanagan, Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Klavan, Moreno, Milner, Robertson, Can, Grujic, Ejaria, Wijnaldum, Woodburn, Salah, Kent, Firmino, Origi, Solanke, Mane.

[masterwanker]

I wonder if Klopp's triple training session is too tough for the players ?

[Ninja_Assassin]

Alamak..... during NS time we train whole day from early morning till night and seldom our guys get any injuries. These highly paid footballers are really like guniang

[Ninja_Assassin]

The young boy Solanke looks like a bargain buy.... if he carry on to play like he has done during the preseason games..... he could be our next £100m superstar

If he can maintain his form..... Liverpool should sell both the MC King and the Headless Chicken and play Solanke as the main striker.

[Anfield2017]

Originally Posted by Ninja_Assassin

The young boy Solanke looks like a bargain buy.... if he carry on to play like he has done during the preseason games..... he could be our next £100m superstar

If he can maintain his form..... Liverpool should sell both the MC King and the Headless Chicken and play Solanke as the main striker.

He looks like a big boy now. He can score goals using his head and unlike headless chicken.

Love the way Woodburn strike the ball and score. Firmino can take good penalty too.

[Anfield2017]

5 talking points from Liverpool 3-1 Athletic Bilbao

James Nalton
5 August 2017

Liverpool ended their pre-season on a positive with a win against Athletic Bilbao in Dublin. There were some familiar faults, but some refreshingly unfamiliar strengths.

Liverpool 3-1 Athletic Bilbao

Pre-Season Friendly, Aviva Stadium
August 5, 2017

Goals: Firmino 21′, Woodburn 59′, Solanke 80′; Williams 30′


Firmino on Penalties



James Milner was Liverpool’s first choice penalty taker last season, but when Roberto Firmino was felled in the area by Inigo Lekue the Brazilian ambled across to take the spot kick himself.

Firmino had taken the penalty against Atletico Madrid in the Audi Cup and also converted his kick in the shootout, but on that occasion Milner wasn’t on the pitch.

There could be a number of reasons why they vice captain didn’t step up.

One is that he didn’t want to aggravate a thigh injury he’d picked up earlier in pre-season, but another could be that Jurgen Klopp now sees Firmino as his main man from the spot which could also suggest that Milner might not be a regular starter this season.

Whatever the pecking order or penalty politics, the important thing is that the spot kick is converted, and Firmino did so convincingly despite the goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, diving the right way.

Perhaps Firmino will become a 20-goal striker if he’s taking penalties this season.


A Defence of 2 Halves

It’s the old, worn talking point which fans don’t want to hear about, but it’s one which repeatedly raises its head throughout Liverpool’s recent existence.

Just as the side looked to be in control of the game, an Inaki Williams counter-attack which had been threatening to happen throughout the first half led to an unfortunately typical error from Dejan Lovren.

The Croatian centre-back decided to go to ground instead of staying on his feet to deal with the threat more assuredly, and the ball inevitably rebounded into Williams’ path for him to finish past Simon Mignolet with ease.

From that moment onward Athletic dominated the half and had more chances to score as the Liverpool defence lost any composure it had had at the start of the game.

Joel Matip also had his moments, but the 28-year-old Lovren doesn’t appear to be learning from past mistakes. He looks to have replaced Martin Skrtel as the centre-back who hangs around as first choice despite numerous abject displays.

Joe Gomez was also guilty of a careless error in the second half, which allowed Athletic a shot on goal, but luckily the opposition were unable to punish the reds on this occasion.

However, the defensive unit of Gomez and Ragnar Klavan looked a lot more comfortable than the first half duo, the experienced Estonian also managed to get an assist when he crossed perfectly for Dominic Solanke.


Milner Midfield and the Liverpool Left

Milner started the game on the left side of a midfield three while Alberto Moreno put in another impressive 45-minutes at left-back.

With Firmino ahead of them, they formed an interesting trio down the left flank in which each player complimented the other well.

Milner filled in behind Moreno when the attacking left-back bombed forward, and when he did so Firmino would cut inside, moving into a more attacking position in the half space just left of centre.

The Englishman’s outings at left-back last season mean he understands Moreno’s role so knows when to cover, and it may be something which is regularly asked of the left sided midfielder, regardless of who it is, throughout the season.

New signing Andy Robertson also likes to get into attacking positions, and in the second half he was covered down that flank by Ovie Ejaria and the deeper lying Georginio Wijnaldum. The Scotsman played his part in the second goal, sending Solanke in behind the Athletic defence.


Woodburn’s Winner

Despite being one of the youngest of the Liverpool youth players breaking into the first team picture under Klopp, Ben Woodburn looks the most comfortable at the highest level.

Along with Ryan Kent, the 17-year-old has shown that he deserves to be around the side for the upcoming season, rather than shipped out on loan for unnecessary first team experience at a much lower level.

He took his goal with the coolness and ability of an older and more experienced player, taking a touch with his right foot before powering the ball in from outside the area with his supposedly weaker left foot.

One of the more notable things about Woodburn and Kent is their two-footedness and ability to play in numerous positions, which should serve them well in their quest for first team minutes this season.

The assist for the goal came from the equally impressive Solanke, who rounded off his own display with a well-taken header from Klavan’s cross.


One Week to Go

This was the last chance for Klopp to assess his troops ahead of their opening Premier League battle against Watford.

It might be too late for this game to have been called an audition for first team spots, so it could be feasible that the side which started the first half could be the side which starts the first game of the season.

But with players such as Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, and Daniel Sturridge returning from injury, there are still a few places in the team which aren’t settled just yet.

There’s also the issue of a transfer window which remains open, and only three new signings arriving so far—none of which are in the problem position of centre-back.

Any new signings will either be forced to hit the ground running, or spend time on the bench as they settle into their new team.

[Baigonggong]

Originally Posted by Ninja_Assassin

The young boy Solanke looks like a bargain buy.... if he carry on to play like he has done during the preseason games..... he could be our next £100m superstar

If he can maintain his form..... Liverpool should sell both the MC King and the Headless Chicken and play Solanke as the main striker.

Ah Gong also like this Solanke and the best part is he is still young . At least he know where the goal is and will always try to score in every match he plays . He is certainly much better than the headless chicken and the MC King. Ah Gong also like the other youngsters like Alexander , Woodburn and Kent .