Addressing the press after the last pre-season match of the summer, Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp weirdly stated that pre-season traditionally extends until the first international break of the season.
However, by that point, Premier League teams have already participated in three league matches. Given today’s heightened expectations for point accumulation, categorizing the initial three games of the season as part of the “pre-season” phase might not be a practical approach.
From Klopp’s perspective, the upcoming matches against Chelsea, Bournemouth, and Newcastle United could serve as exhibition games given that Liverpool’s necessary transfer activities have not been completed yet.
These games might be treated as trial runs before the actual competitive phase commences in mid-September.
Following a somewhat shaky but satisfactory 3-1 victory over Darmstadt, Klopp expressed these thoughts (as reported by Liverpool Echo).
He said:
“There is some football stuff we have to do and sort, but that’s normal. Pre-season always goes until the first international break, we have to use these weeks without international football.”
“In Germany we could train a lot on physical and tactical stuff, we came out of the tour without big problems. It’s not done and dusted, we have four or five sessions then we have to put in a proper fight. Let’s go.”
The midfield reconstruction has been a major talking point at the start of this transfer window, and the exits of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have increased their significance.
However, Liverpool’s activity in the transfer market has been sluggish, and they haven’t secured replacements for the departed midfielders.
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The negotiations with Southampton for Romeo Lavia have been troublesome, with the third offer being turned down on Monday.
Even if the Lavia deal goes through, the team urgently requires two more signings—a midfielder and a centre-back. Given the dwindling time, accomplishing this seems unlikely.
As a result, the priority should shift towards signing a centre-back once the Lavia deal is finalized. A versatile player is needed, preferably a left-sided centre-back who can also function as a fullback when necessary, given Liverpool’s new hybrid system.
