Liverpool’s 100% pre-season win record came to an end in Pasadena, California after a 1-0 loss to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
In a game that seemed to be very heated for a friendly, Liverpool fell behind early on to a Gary Cahill header from a set piece.
Marko Grujic was taken off after a nasty clash of heads and has been to the hospital for scans as he suffered a suspected concussion.
Dejan Lovren looked to have suffered a similar fate after he took an inadvertent punch from Loris Karius, but thankfully the stand-in skipper was able to continue.
Chelsea finished the game with ten men after Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas was rightly sent off for a really poor challenge on Reds’ debutant Ragnar Klavan.
Liverpool dominated the ball for most of the game but were unable to make it count by getting the goal that would have taken the tie to penalties.
Here’s what we learned from the game:
Liverpool need a new left back
Alberto may have a bright future ahead of him, but he should not be a guaranteed starter for Liverpool.
He was on the field for around 80 minutes and he showed his limitations once again.
He was needlessly booked early on for a poor challenge and then failed to use the ball well.
We all know that he’s limited in defence, but in attack, bar his pace, he doesn’t offer a lot either.
Liverpool should be looking for an upgrade but at worst, they need competition for Moreno.
Solid start for Klavan
When Liverpool signed Ragnar Klavan from Augsburg, most Reds fans had no idea who he was so expectations were low.
However, albeit in a friendly, he showed that he is a good defender and that he has the ability to play the ball too.
Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come because it’s looking likely that he’ll be starting the first game of the season as Mamadou Sakho and Joel Matip are struggling with injuries.
Cutting edge needed
Roberto Firmino was once again deployed as a striker, and it didn’t really work for him.
In big games where intensity is high and he can press and hurry defenders, he’s a handy option to have, but when a team is sitting deep, an out and out striker is needed with the Brazilian dropping deeper.
Of course, Daniel Sturridge is the ideal choice but Liverpool should consider giving Danny Ings a chance at starting with the ‘first XI’ in these situations too as Sturridge is a constant injury risk and there could be games where Liverpool face ‘park the bus’ teams without Sturridge.
Ings may not be in Sturridge’s class, but he looks to have the instincts of a natural goalscorer, something Firmino doesn’t.
Set pieces...
Liverpool conceded from a corner.
Groundhog Day, right?
Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged this issue needs addressing and to be fair to him, it was a bit of a mix and match defence.
Loris Karius was getting used to playing behind Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren, but with Matip’s injury, another re-jig has been needed.
Klopp will be working hard with his players on defending set-pieces, and this goal will hopefully be a kick up the backside for all involved that there’s still work to be done.