What Happened:
The second game of this preseason's first-half somehow was even more dazzling than the last. In the eighth minute, Liverpool struck first as Sheyi Ojo was sent long and somehow managed to stay in play. He moved the ball along to right-back Rafa Camacho and Camacho finished well to give the Reds a quick advantage. Ojo would get his own goal less than 20 minutes later on a lovely solo strike past the Tranmere keeper after his first shot was blocked having been originally played through by Naby Keita. Six minutes after that, Liverpool would find their third goal after a scrum in the box saw Tranmere unable to clear the ball away and Ryan Kent get a vital slight touch on to Adam Lallana, who coolly finished with a curling left-footed hit in his first match (having been ill for the first match). Danny Ward eventually got something to do as he made a crucial reflex save to hold the shutout, but that was the last key moment of the half and Liverpool took a 3-0 lead into the half.
The second half of this match was a contrast. Liverpool struggled to truly make magic happen on the ball and instead conceded to Tranmere. Loris Karius couldn't hold a well-hit free kick in the 72nd minute and spilled the ball, giving a free rebound and finish for Tranmere's Jonny Smith (a loanee from Bristol City) to draw the Rovers back. Tranmere got a second just nine minutes later when center-back Pedro Chivirella's tackle was shrugged through and Amadou Soukouna continued past him to finish a one-on-one chance against Karius. The two goals meant Liverpool would be given a bit of practice in holding a lead, but outside of one counter attack snuffed out by the Liverpool defense, Tranmere did not see any other serious opportunities. Daniel Sturridge had the best one with just two minutes remaining in the match with a left-footed strike, but Luke Pilling, the Rovers' back-up keeper, made a nice save on it. Liverpool would remain the winners, but surely were not thrilled with giving up two second-half goals.
How Did This Happen:
In the first half, it was clear that the standouts were Adam Lallana and Sheyi Ojo. Both men attacked with a hunger that showed both men want to be around the first team this season. To go with a goal for each man, they were both able to keep the ball in dangerous positions, Ojo in particular making everyone shine and assisting Rafa Camacho's opening goal of the match. Another man who stood out was Andy Robertson who from his left-back position played a countless number of dangerous balls into the box and deserved an assist out of his play. He provides a valuable outlet for the attack on the left-hand side and the front three of Firmino, Mane, and Salah will certainly take great advantage of these whipping balls in. Finally, in terms of impressive performances, Fabinho showcased some phenomenal defensive ability with some strong clearances and headers won. He and Keita will be a brilliant midfield threat as it will likely see one attack and one defend, and vice versa, as we saw Fabinho do with his Monaco partners.
The second half was a different story, but there were indeed still some positives to take from the performance of the team. Harry Wilson's link-up play at times really stood out as positive. The young Welshman fresh off signing a five-year deal with the club is really showing up well in this preseason so far, but speculation remains that he will continue on loan with plenty of upper-tier Championship teams being linked to him. Daniel Sturridge also turned in a solid performance and is hoping to give the club something to think about before needing to make the choice whether to keep or sell him, essentially holding his playing future in their hands. Finally, James Milner proved himself worthy of the armband yet again with a strong performance where he helped out suitably on both attack and defense with strong tackles as well as some solid crosses and forward play.
Off course, there was also the weaker points of the team that we must talk about. In the first half, I would have liked to see more out of Dominic Solanke, especially his end product. The young striker continues to put himself in dangerous positions to be found, but still has trouble finding the back of the net. This will need to be improved upon if he is to play a key role in Liverpool and could result in him getting sent on loan for the season to get guaranteed game time to work on this. In the second half, the two goals really fall on the shoulders of Loris Karius and Pedro Chirivella. Karius must do better in catching the free kick that he let go of for the first goal. It's a worrying sign for Liverpool fans who had hoped mistakes would not haunt the German keeper who has been given a vote of confidence from manager Jurgen Klopp, but this mistake will cause some headaches in the fan base. Chirivella could not hang with the Tranmere attacker on goal number two in what is essentially a tryout for the former Valencia youth product at center-back from his favored midfield position. After two loans in Holland, this preseason seems to be an important one in the development of the young midfielder who is still just 21-years-old.
Final Thoughts:
It was shaky from the Reds, but this is why these games are played. Liverpool are back in action on the 14th against Bury F.C., who were just relegated to League 2 this past season. The hope is that Gini Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk will both feature and that Danny Ings will also be fit enough from a blister issue to compete as well. This match, and the one that will follow against Blackburn before the Reds venture to the States, are going to be vital in this preseason especially for the youth players like Ojo and Wilson as they are chances to impress and earn minutes against bigger international clubs in the States.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live-Tweeting of the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
The second game of this preseason's first-half somehow was even more dazzling than the last. In the eighth minute, Liverpool struck first as Sheyi Ojo was sent long and somehow managed to stay in play. He moved the ball along to right-back Rafa Camacho and Camacho finished well to give the Reds a quick advantage. Ojo would get his own goal less than 20 minutes later on a lovely solo strike past the Tranmere keeper after his first shot was blocked having been originally played through by Naby Keita. Six minutes after that, Liverpool would find their third goal after a scrum in the box saw Tranmere unable to clear the ball away and Ryan Kent get a vital slight touch on to Adam Lallana, who coolly finished with a curling left-footed hit in his first match (having been ill for the first match). Danny Ward eventually got something to do as he made a crucial reflex save to hold the shutout, but that was the last key moment of the half and Liverpool took a 3-0 lead into the half.
The second half of this match was a contrast. Liverpool struggled to truly make magic happen on the ball and instead conceded to Tranmere. Loris Karius couldn't hold a well-hit free kick in the 72nd minute and spilled the ball, giving a free rebound and finish for Tranmere's Jonny Smith (a loanee from Bristol City) to draw the Rovers back. Tranmere got a second just nine minutes later when center-back Pedro Chivirella's tackle was shrugged through and Amadou Soukouna continued past him to finish a one-on-one chance against Karius. The two goals meant Liverpool would be given a bit of practice in holding a lead, but outside of one counter attack snuffed out by the Liverpool defense, Tranmere did not see any other serious opportunities. Daniel Sturridge had the best one with just two minutes remaining in the match with a left-footed strike, but Luke Pilling, the Rovers' back-up keeper, made a nice save on it. Liverpool would remain the winners, but surely were not thrilled with giving up two second-half goals.
How Did This Happen:
In the first half, it was clear that the standouts were Adam Lallana and Sheyi Ojo. Both men attacked with a hunger that showed both men want to be around the first team this season. To go with a goal for each man, they were both able to keep the ball in dangerous positions, Ojo in particular making everyone shine and assisting Rafa Camacho's opening goal of the match. Another man who stood out was Andy Robertson who from his left-back position played a countless number of dangerous balls into the box and deserved an assist out of his play. He provides a valuable outlet for the attack on the left-hand side and the front three of Firmino, Mane, and Salah will certainly take great advantage of these whipping balls in. Finally, in terms of impressive performances, Fabinho showcased some phenomenal defensive ability with some strong clearances and headers won. He and Keita will be a brilliant midfield threat as it will likely see one attack and one defend, and vice versa, as we saw Fabinho do with his Monaco partners.
The second half was a different story, but there were indeed still some positives to take from the performance of the team. Harry Wilson's link-up play at times really stood out as positive. The young Welshman fresh off signing a five-year deal with the club is really showing up well in this preseason so far, but speculation remains that he will continue on loan with plenty of upper-tier Championship teams being linked to him. Daniel Sturridge also turned in a solid performance and is hoping to give the club something to think about before needing to make the choice whether to keep or sell him, essentially holding his playing future in their hands. Finally, James Milner proved himself worthy of the armband yet again with a strong performance where he helped out suitably on both attack and defense with strong tackles as well as some solid crosses and forward play.
Off course, there was also the weaker points of the team that we must talk about. In the first half, I would have liked to see more out of Dominic Solanke, especially his end product. The young striker continues to put himself in dangerous positions to be found, but still has trouble finding the back of the net. This will need to be improved upon if he is to play a key role in Liverpool and could result in him getting sent on loan for the season to get guaranteed game time to work on this. In the second half, the two goals really fall on the shoulders of Loris Karius and Pedro Chirivella. Karius must do better in catching the free kick that he let go of for the first goal. It's a worrying sign for Liverpool fans who had hoped mistakes would not haunt the German keeper who has been given a vote of confidence from manager Jurgen Klopp, but this mistake will cause some headaches in the fan base. Chirivella could not hang with the Tranmere attacker on goal number two in what is essentially a tryout for the former Valencia youth product at center-back from his favored midfield position. After two loans in Holland, this preseason seems to be an important one in the development of the young midfielder who is still just 21-years-old.
Final Thoughts:
It was shaky from the Reds, but this is why these games are played. Liverpool are back in action on the 14th against Bury F.C., who were just relegated to League 2 this past season. The hope is that Gini Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk will both feature and that Danny Ings will also be fit enough from a blister issue to compete as well. This match, and the one that will follow against Blackburn before the Reds venture to the States, are going to be vital in this preseason especially for the youth players like Ojo and Wilson as they are chances to impress and earn minutes against bigger international clubs in the States.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live-Tweeting of the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
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