What Makes a Good Pre-Season?

As a fan, pre-season is fairly underwhelming. It is eagerly lapped up, given that it is the first chance to see Liverpool in action for the best part of two months, but the matches are rarely scintillating. They are played at a slower pace, everyone looks that little bit less sharp, and even the good games are marred by the nagging knowledge that absolutely nothing rides on the result. Nonetheless, this does not deter us from getting up at ungodly hours to watch the beloved team edge past an obscure Australian outfit, or else face off against a domestic rival in a baseball ground in Massachusetts. Why do we do this? Undoubtedly it is partly because the bulk of the Liverpool fan-base are masochists, but there’s something else too! Pre-season can sometimes reveal quite a lot about a team, and can indeed be very useful for a variety of reasons.

1. Building up match fitness

This is probably the most obvious benefit of pre-season. It does not make for exciting viewing, and in fact contributes to the relative lack of quality on show, but it is of crucial importance to the side. Admittedly, the modern player is training hard even over their holiday – one need only look at the respective social media accounts of Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana for evidence of this. However, the videos Firmino uploads tell a different story: at least some of the players will definitely need to put in some work to get back in condition! In any case, proper match fitness cannot be maintained purely through training; the players need game time to get back up to speed, and whilst this is not exciting it is important. This is particularly true for Danny Ings, who fans will be delighted to see back in a Liverpool shirt after a torrid two years of injury.

2. Embedding new signings

By contrast to the match fitness point, this advantage of pre-season is very exciting for the fans. A first glimpse at a new signing is always eagerly anticipated, even if it is against Tranmere. This comes with a word of warning, of course – the combination of everyone being off the pace and the opposition generally being vastly inferior can flatter to deceive. I was certainly sucked into the Aspas hype following a storming pre-season; as it happens I still think he is an excellent forward, but there is no hiding from the fact that he didn’t cut it at Liverpool. Nonetheless, watching new signings in pre-season can give the fans an idea of their style of play and what they might add to the squad. More importantly, it gives the new signings a chance to settle in; it allows them to function alongside their new team-mates, potentially in a new system, without the immediate pressure of a competitive match. This gives the squad a better chance of hitting the ground running when the actual season gets up and running. This is all contingent, of course, upon transfer business being conducted earlier rather than later in the window.

3. Giving young players a chance

This is another crucial aspect of pre-season, but can sometimes conflict with the embedding of new signings. Acclimatising new players will have limited effect if they are surrounded by youngsters who they are unlikely to be playing alongside come the season proper. As such, I prefer two broadly separate teams – a first team to play for forty-five minutes, and a team of youth prospects for the second forty-five. This comes with the proviso that the ‘first team’ should include one or two of the most promising youth prospects, so as to get them ready for a potential step up in the near-future: this year, I would like to see Alexander-Arnold and Gomez featuring alongside the seniors. This strikes the right kind of balance: the new additions to the squad get game time alongside those who will actually be playing with them in competitive matches, a couple of the most promising youngsters get a similar taste of ‘first team’ action, and the rest of the youngsters get given regular forty-five minute spells to showcase themselves to the manager and fans. For the fans in particular, it is nice to get a chance to see these youngsters play – many don’t watch the youth teams regularly, and pre-season is a chance for them to form opinions on the youth prospects.

4. Trialling tactics

The lack of anything being at stake may contribute to the absence of much excitement in pre-season, but it has its benefits. It allows Klopp to experiment with various tactical approaches, without anything other than pride riding on it. Of course, the German showed at the back end of last season that he doesn’t mind switching formation at an important time – that gamble paid off nicely – but it is preferable to be able to experiment in a more low-pressure environment. This year, that means trying out both the 4-3-3 and the 4-4-2 diamond. The latter was the one Klopp adopted for the 2016/17 run-in, but the former has traditionally been his favourite: the signing of Salah indicates that he will stick to the 4-3-3, but I for one would like to see him at least experimenting with Mane and Salah as strikers in a diamond. Firmino could play in behind, with Coutinho and Wijnaldum playing ahead of Can – it seems unlikely that this will be the go-to formation, but it is worth trying out.

Pre-season is undoubtedly a mere shadow of competitive football, but it does the job nicely as a substitute. It gives fans the chance to have a closer look at new signings and youngsters alike, allows for tactical experimentation and ensures that everyone, players and fans alike, is raring to go for the start of the season. Bring it on!

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Everton 1-1 Liverpool: Draw Not Enough For Rodgers

A fairly good performance from Liverpool in the Merseyside derby was not enough for Brendan Rodgers to keep his job. Depending on whom you believed before the match it may have been the case that his fate was already sealed anyway; regardless, the outcome is that Rodgers has parted ways with the club. His side showed more fight than in recent weeks, perhaps one last rally around the manager who nearly brought us glory in 2013/14 or, more likely, because of the intensity of the footballing rivalry between Liverpool and Everton, but this didn’t prove enough for a win as once again a defensive error meant that we couldn’t come away with more than a point.

A highlight of the early performance was Liverpool’s attacking pressing. This has been slowly returning to our game after a period of absence where we looked lacklustre, impotent and frankly uninterested – today, the pressure high up the pitch meant that the tempo remained high for much of the match. Danny Ings epitomised this: since coming into the side he has been one of the brightest players, and today was no exception. This positive approach meant that it was Liverpool, the visitors, who started on the front foot – Sturridge looked very lively, dancing and jinking in and out of defenders, linking up quite nicely with Ings. Everyone was getting involved; in a memorable attack, Lucas fed a clever pass through to Skrtel who tried to pick out Sturridge in the middle. The wing backs in particular showed talent going forward. Moreno continued his excellent vein of form, making things happen with his positive running style, and Clyne also looked dangerous when venturing forwards.

As is often the way with such an onerous style of play, the pressing began to fade after about half an hour. Everton still weren’t being allowed to dictate the play, with Lucas playing an important shielding role in front of the defence, but the game became more even. Chances became fewer and further between: a lovely little one-two between Coutinho and Milner nearly resulted in a brilliant goal, but Howard saved smartly at his near post. As is often the way, it was at this quieter phase that the goals came. Having wasted roughly six corners already, Liverpool capitalised on a momentary lapse from the Everton defence as an in-swinging corner was met by an unmarked Ings six yards from goal. It was no more than he deserved, and Liverpool too had been fairly good value for their lead. Sadly, however, it did not last long. A minute into added time at the end of the half, Emre Can made an error in defence that was punished clinically by Lukaku – his awful clearance hit Skrtel, and the Belgian was on hand to smash it home. This type of goal is becoming all too commonplace, and cannot have helped Rodgers’s cause. In truth it isn’t really his fault, and it highlights the fact that a new manager won’t immediately fix everything – perhaps his insistence on passing it out from the back has led to the rise of defensive errors, but most of the blame in this respect must fall at the feet of the players.

They didn’t cover themselves in glory in the second half either. The momentum seriously dropped off, and Everton were given the upper hand – a lack of sufficient pressure meant that the defence was called upon more and more. Mignolet was called upon, and showcased his strengths with two immensely good reaction stops – Naismith was denied from very close range before a drive from McCarthy, seen late due to Galloway standing in the keeper’s eyeline, was turned around the post. He gets some abuse for his occasionally nervy distribution and claiming of the ball, but what he does he does very well: he is a shot-stopper. He is potentially one of the players that will benefit most from a new manager: if he isn’t required to play the ball as much, he could truly be one of our greatest assets.

The second half did not have the intensity of the first, with both sides tiring. Liverpool managed to win a few more corners, but were extremely wasteful with them – the goal should not mask the fact that corners are something we really need to work on. Skrtel’s seven headed goals in 2013/14 were a not insignificant part of our success; certainly we could have had a lot more goals this year if that sort of form could be repeated. A small blessing was that we were at least beating the first man today, but for all the good it did we might as well not have bothered – goal aside, nobody in the middle even threatened to score.

In the end, the draw was probably a fair result. Everton came back strong towards the end, but on the balance of play neither side can complain about coming away with a point. A better performance than many we have seen recently, but not a turning point – certainly not enough to justify a change of heart from FSG over Rodgers. There are definitely positives, however – hopefully these, combined with the lift that a new manager will bring, will combine to bring about some better, top four standard form.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool: The Summer So Far

Alright guys? It’s been a while! Since my last article I’ve completed my AS exams, decided on a university course, begun work on my UCAS application and been to a Taylor Swift concert, but more importantly Liverpool have made five major signings. Firmino, Clyne, Milner, Ings and Bogdan have all been brought in – the speed of the club’s business is certainly admirable, but do the new players represent astute purchases?

Let’s start with Firmino. Most of the Liverpool fan base was more taken aback than anything else when it was announced we’d signed him; the rumour had the same feel as a Sanchez or Shaqiri link, it seemed too good to be true. This was particularly the case as Manchester United had also been strongly linked – it seemed almost inevitable that once again a big talent would turn us down in favour of our rivals. Once the shock had died down the elation kicked in: for the first time in ages, Liverpool made a signing that managed to unite virtually every fan. Firmino is an exciting young talent, whose recent development has seen him earn a regular spot in the Brazil team. His flair and creativity alongside an eye for goal is exactly what Liverpool needed – I for one can’t wait to watch him combining with compatriot Philippe Coutinho in Liverpool red. The price tag did raise some eyebrows – surprisingly, the move represented the biggest transfer in Bundesliga history – but with no Champions League to offer, it’s no shock that Liverpool are having to pay big to attract big names. So long as he can replicate his Hoffenheim and Brazil form in the Premier League, Firmino is bound to be a big hit.

Nathaniel Clyne, too, is an excellent addition to the squad. Liverpool were in dire need of a right back; the amount of times Rodgers resorted to playing Can there last season demonstrated this. Glen Johnson was released in the summer (hallelujah) and Manquillo’s loan is reportedly going to be terminated, so the team really was in need of a first-team level right sided full back. In Clyne, they have got one of the best performing Premier League full backs of last season – defensively solid, he also offers a threat going forward. This makes him ideal for Liverpool, and I have every confidence he will succeed where his fellowSouthampton signings did not. At first reading, 12 million seems like a snip for a player of his quality. However, it must be taken into account that he did only have a year left to run on his contract. Even so, the sum is a reasonable amount to pay for such a talented player: as with Firmino, I must admit to being fairly surprised that we managed to secure him ahead of other clubs. At just 24, hopefully he’ll enjoy success at Anfield for years to come.

James Milner is the first of the new signings that has proved seriously divisive. While most are in agreement that picking up an experienced Premier League player on a free was a shrewd piece of business, the level of impact he’ll have on Liverpool’s performance in the coming campaign is very much up for debate. Some have painted Milner as the most criminally underrated player in history, professing that he will single-handedly return Liverpool to its former glory, while others have suggested that he may struggle to even make the starting eleven! In reality, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle ground. I have been known to criticise Milner before – indeed, he has been the butt of many a joke both in my articles and on Twitter. However, this was largely due to the contrast between himself and his former teammates – when surrounded by exotic, skilled foreign players full of flair and creativity, a man whose talents lie in hard graft and pressing can seem laughable. And yet these are the very talents which Liverpool require; the success of 2013/14 was built around a high pressing, high intensity game, and Milner can bring that back to the centre of our midfield. Although not the most exciting of our additions, Milner is sure to contribute a lot next season.

It’s very hard to judge the signing of Danny Ings at the moment, as currently the fee Liverpool will have to pay Burnley in compensation has not yet been agreed. The two clubs are hopeful of reaching an out-of-court agreement, but if current reports are to be believed then a tribunal is looking more and more likely due to Burnley’s attempts to hold out for 8 million pounds. If the final figure did end up close to that amount, it has to be said that it’s a big gamble of a purchase. Ings established himself in the Championship (alongside Sam Vokes) in the 2013/14 season, and did fairly well in a very average side in Burnley’s single season in the Premier League, but as yet he has not proved himself to be of Liverpool quality. At about 4-5 million, it is definitely a gamble worth taking – he clearly has talent, at 22 is likely to improve further, and he’s decent backup for when Sturridge inevitably gets injured. However, any more than that represents a big outlay for a player who, let’s face it, has hardly set the world alight thus far.   

Finally we come to the man himself, Adam Bogdan. This is by far the most heavily criticised signing the club has made – the keeper who lost his place at Championship side Bolton (admittedly after injury) hardly seems like a signing of Liverpool quality. However, personally I think it’s a decent addition. Admittedly this is partially because the prospect of the Bogdan chant (to the Batman theme tune) being sung on the Kop is a very funny one indeed, but there are other reasons. Firstly, we got him on a free. Secondly, his wages are likely to be low. Thirdly, he proved during his time in the Premier League with Bolton and again versus Liverpool in the cup this year that he has quality – as a back-up to Mignolet, there’s nothing wrong with him whatsoever. He may even offer competition for the number 1 spot – he’s certainly better than Brad Jones at any rate. Whilst we probably could have done better, it is by no means a catastrophic transfer.

To sum up, I am very satisfied with the signings the club have made so far. Three of them directly bolster our first team and the other two are solid back-up: all five will help us have a better campaign than last time out, and hopefully see us push for at least fourth once again. It is also pleasing to see that Liverpool are making additions to the youth side – Bobby Adekanye of Barcelona, Joe Gomez of Charlton and Allan Rodriguez (supposedly close to signing) of Internacional all come with big reputations. If we keep strengthening at every level in this fashion, we can hopefully secure success not just now but well into the future. Here’s to the new season!

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013