Liverpool’s fine pre-season form continued on Wednesday night with a 2-0 win over Championship side Huddersfield Town at John Smith’s Stadium.
Mark Grujic’s second goal of the summer gave the Reds the lead, before Alberto Moreno sealed the win at the death from the penalty spot.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have now won all four games of pre-season without conceding a goal, but what did we learn from Wednesday’s outing:
Karius looks pretty good after all
The German stopper had been relatively untested in Liverpool’s opening three friendlies and was almost embarrased when the ball slipped under his foot near goal against Fleetwood.
But the giant stopper finally showed why Klopp was so keen on bringing him to Anfield on Wednesday night, producing an almost flawless display – the highlight of which saw him deny Joe Lolley with a superb save at full stretch in the first half.
His handling was nothing short of perfection for the ninety minutes, and if he keeps up this form, the former Mainz man could well be given the nod come August.
Ryan Kent also looks pretty good
The 19-year-old has been one of the top performers of pre-season so far and his impact on games has had fans’ tongues wagging in regards to what kind of impact he can make at the squad in the coming months.
On loan at Coventry City last season, the winger was one of the most impressive players in League One and so it probably shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see him perform as he did against Tranmere and Fleetwood.
But his cameos against Championship sides Huddersfield and Wigan were proof that Kent’s abilities are not limited to the lower leagues, and he can become a top player at a higher level after all.
It may be too soon for him to become a part of the first-team picture, but performing as he is against very good teams – and at such a young age – must be very reassuring for the club.
Lazar Markovic has to be sold
It’s hard to be too harsh on the Serbian, for he hasn’t had a smooth ride at Anfield since arriving for a hefty £20m fee, but it’s hard to picture a future at the club for him.
He shows flashes of brilliance – an example of which being his assist for Danny Ings against Wigan Athletic – but for all his good work, he can go missing for whole games against much poorer teams – teams a player of his calibre should be running ragged.
Whether Markovic simply doesn’t want to be at the club or if he just isn’t as good as his rare flashes of brilliance suggest, it remains to be seen, but one thing that is for sure is Klopp and fans alike are becoming increasingly frustrated at the winger, and can you blame them?
Leaving no subs for the second half isn’t a great idea
Fielding two different sides in each half is a common occurrence in friendlies nowadays, but it almost came back to bite Klopp on the backside this time out.
In the early stages of the second half, Lucas Leiva was forced off through injury, and with no subs left, U18s goalkeeper Shamal George came on as an outfield player.
It offered an entertaining half an hour for fans and undoubtedly gave the youngster a debut that he won’t forget in a hurry, but it offered a needless disruption to the Reds’ pre-season plans.
At times, his presence almost seemed like a nuisance, and it might’ve been more sensible to use the situation as a chance to practise playing with ten men.
But with unlimited subs available, what would’ve made more sense would be to leave at least one player on the bench incase of injury, at a time where players do pick up knocks and managers are reluctant to take risks on fitness.
Perhaps next time, Klopp will rethink his strategy!
