Liverpool have confirmed two pre-season fixtures in preparation for 2020/21, while we also have the usual batch of transfer rumours and news on Wednesday.
Two friendlies confirmed for next week
Not much time to plan this summer! Looks like the club are utilising existing relationships to forge their pre-season activities.
As such, local opposition during our camp in Austria is in the form of Salzburg and Stuttgart, both teams we’ve had transfer dealings with recently.
Nat Phillips spent last term with the German club – either side of a one-game return to the Reds to help beat Everton in the cup – while Taki Minamino joined us from the Austrian outfit, after we’d played them twice in the Champions League group phase.
All the details of times and dates can be found here for those fixtures, while upon our return to the UK the Reds will play Arsenal in the Community Shield – this season, more than ever, a mere extension of pre-season.
Shaq the alternative to Silva?
Rumours continue to circulate over a few players in particular departing this summer, with Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri one of them.
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport say he’s at the top of the list for Lazio to consider this summer, though there’s no official bid as yet.
They believe Jurgen Klopp will let him go for an “affordable fee”, which makes him of particular interest after they missed out on David Silva.
Shaqiri was originally on Lazio’s list to replace Felipe Anderson when he moved to West Ham, but they signed Joaquin Correa instead – who was himself linked to the Reds a couple of months back, coincidentally.
Quite where Shaqiri would fit into Lazio’s 3-5-2 is up for debate, but the director of football Igli Tare is a “massive fan”. Apparently.
Top Reds
It’s going to be a pre-season like no other, so we need to hit the ground running.
- Klopp hopes the team find their feet and their form as quickly as possible in the upcoming friendlies
- While opposition players and bosses struggle to keep our manager out of their heads during his usual pre-match routine
- And Joe Gomez has detailed the exact moments he had to make tough calls for his Liverpool career to be a success
Quickfire LFC news
- Meet the Kirkby Academy’s six-year-old starlet who is definitely better than you! (TIA)
- The Reds might lose seven senior players to international duty while Premier League games continue because of a change in FIFA dates (Echo)
- Dejan Lovren reckons he was outside Anfield, in among the fans, when the title win was celebrated (TIA)
- Curtis Jones hopes himself, Neco Williams and Harvey Elliott all earn a run in the team together (LFC)
Around the Prem
- 14 cases of coronavirus have been recorded from 12 Premier League clubs since pre-season training got back underway (Telegraph)
- Newcastle have joined the list of teams hoping to sign Rhian Brewster for next season (Chronicle)
- Chelsea will finalise a deal for Kai Havertz in the next 10 days, leaving them another 10 or so to sort goalkeeper, centre-back, left back and holding midfield (Express)
- Leeds, Everton and Chelsea all want Sergio Romero, because any ‘keeper who can’t get in the side after the amount of errors made by De Gea this season MUST be good, right? (ESPN)
Stupid rumour of the day
Anything involving Juventus and Paul Pogba, swaps and Paul Pogba, or forwards and Paul Pogba, now goes straight into this category.
Italian media, Dybala for Pogba, Juve want him back, etc. Precisely where is Dybala fitting into this new-fangled attacking foursome Ole is so reliant on playing 90 minutes every week?
Tweet of the day
Did you know this about Liverpool's new away kit…
The shirts are cut from a larger piece of fabric to stop excess wastage.??
This means every shirt having it's own unique pattern.? pic.twitter.com/rZrlZcWZ4z
— Pro Form Football (@ProFormFootball) August 19, 2020
Go on the Sustainable Reds.
What we’re reading
Just one bit to read today because it’s a long one, but also a very interesting one for the footy geeks among us. On Stefan de Vrij and a private performance analyst working with some top players on improving their game, because the clubs themselves don’t actually do the individual work.
Worth watching tonight
Champions League, semi-final, Bayern vs Man Ci—oh, Lyon. BT Sport, 8pm.
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