London – Liverpool continued to gear up for the new Premier League season with an encouraging 4-0 win over Barcelona at Wembley on Saturday and they will put the finishing touches to their preparations in Germany this afternoon against Mainz, Jürgen Klopp’s first club. The past five weeks have been eventful for his campaign.
What has changed? Though he has been in charge sincelOctober, this summer was the time when Klopp put his mark on the club and the additions he has made to his backroom staff include fitness coach Andreas Kornmayer and head of nutrition Mona Nemmer, both of whom were poached from Bayern Munich.
Kornmayer has been responsible for putting on intense physical sessions, while Nemmer has overhauled the menu, but the real changes have come on the training pitch, where Klopp and his assistant Zelkjo Buvac have drilled Liverpool relentlessly.
With the amount of games they played last season, it was difficult for Klopp to focus on the level of tactical detail they wanted. There will be no such problems this time around and the players have been made acutely aware of what is expected.
How have preparations gone?
The performance against Barcelona was encouraging – the first 20 minutes were especially vibrant, the best of pre-season by some distance — but it would be wrong to say the past month has been smooth.
The players reported back on July 2 and the first three weeks went well, with three sessions per day and four comfortable games. Things, however, changed when they went to the United States and there have been a number of issues to vex the manager. First came Mamadou Sakho’s lack of discipline around the camp, the punishment for which was a return ticket home. Then came key injuries to new goalkeeper Loris Karius (broken hand) and central defender Joel Matip (ankle), both of whom had been expected to go straight into the team.
You also have to factor in that Klopp has not managed to sign two of his big targets – Mario Gotze and Ben Chilwell – and, for that reason, you cannot say they will bound into next week’s Premier League opener against Arsenal on a high. ‘I’m fine,’ said Klopp. ‘But I’m not happy as there is work to do.’
Who has impressed?
There have only been fleeting cameos from players rather than sustained quality over several games; Divock Origi’s substitute performance in the 2-0 win over AC Milan in Santa Clara augured well for the future, while Daniel Sturridge showed class in that game and against Roma in St Louis.
But Sturridge now has another hip problem and Origi returned to the bench yesterday after missing the defeat to Roma with a groin issue. He came on yesterday to score along with Sadio Mane, Marko Grujic and a Javier Mascherano own goal.
Perhaps the most consistent has been Ragnar Klavan, the £5million signing from Augsburg who has come in to offer defensive cover.
Capped 106 times by Estonia, Klavan plays without any frills, heading, tackling and blocking — exactly what a defender should do. He will be a useful addition to the group and has indicated already that he could become a fans’ favourite.
What should cause concern?
Sturridge’s latest niggling problem, the hip issue which forced to miss the game against Barcelona will also prevent him facing Mainz in Germany today. He should be available for the new campaign but these persistent issues mean Klopp can never expect to have him available at all times. The injury which forced James Milner off before half-time also provides a headache.
Big season for?
You could pick out plenty of players – will Sturridge deliver? Can Roberto Firmino become a prolific scorer? Will Mane, who sparkled yesterday, vindicate his £30million price tag? – but the man who will be under most scrutiny is Klopp. Armed with a new deal until 2022, he must show he is money well spent.
Signing a new contract is like having a penalty,” said Klopp. ‘Now we have to finish it.’ – Mail On Sunday