5 Liverpool Players with Points to Prove in Pre-Season
"In all of the [pre-season] games we will play we will play out full training. So if we play our best in pre-season then I’ve done something completely wrong," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp explained in May, per the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce, hinting at a relaxed approach to development this summer.
"It’s another session, it’s not about beating our opponents. I don’t care about how big the opponent is we will say nothing about the situation," the German continued—but as he later elaborated, Klopp intends to utilise pre-season to maximise his squad's "physical potential."
In this end-of-season address, Klopp revealed his approach to Liverpool's nine-game warm-up schedule, but while his Reds won't be expected to triumph over the likes of Tranmere Rovers and Fleetwood Town—let alone International Champions Cup opponents AC Milan and Barcelona—performance levels will be scrutinised heavily.
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Liverpool begin their run of pre-season friendlies away to Tranmere on July 8, rounding off with a trip to Klopp's former club, Mainz, on August 7, with the 49-year-old implementing a gruelling regime in between.
Liverpool's Pre-Season Fixtures, 2016
- July 8, Tranmere Rovers (A)
- July 13, Fleetwood Town (A)
- July 17, Wigan Athletic (A)
- July 20, Huddersfield Town (A)
- July 27, Chelsea (N)
- July 30, AC Milan (N)
- August 1, AS Roma (N)
- August 6, Barcelona (N)
- August 7, Mainz (A)
Aided by incoming fitness coach Andreas Kornmayer, formerly of Bayern Munich, he will oversee triple training sessions, and as one of his ex-Borussia Dortmund charges, Kevin Grosskreutz, told the Bundesliga club's official website in 2011, "pre-season is always a tough time" under Klopp.
After a muted first campaign on Merseyside that saw Liverpool promise greatness—reaching the finals of the Capital One Cup and the UEFA Europa League—but ultimately fail, Klopp will be hoping for more in 2016/17.
Welcoming his group back to Melwood at the beginning of July, with faces new and old linking up at Liverpool's training facility, Klopp will be running the rule over who will be fit to feature in his first full season with the club.
Here are five Liverpool players with a point to prove this pre-season, kicking off with a young, talented defender.
Joe Gomez
Former Charlton Athletic player Gomez enjoyed an encouraging start to life at Liverpool at the beginning of 2015/16, starting in the first five games of the Premier League season at left-back, with Brendan Rodgers showing his faith following his £3.5 million move from the Valley in June.
But days after Klopp's arrival as Reds manager in October, Gomes suffered a devastating ACL injury in an England under-21 victory over Kazakhstan at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Coinciding with striker Danny Ings' similar injury, Gomez's absence came as a major blow to Klopp, but the manager has earmarked a role for the young defender in the future, per the club's official website:
"Gomez came here and I met him for the first time. What a wonderful young boy—tall and muscles in the right positions. But [he has] an injured knee.
[...]
I'm pretty good at waiting for players, young players especially. This is his home and we will do everything so that he can come back as soon as possible.
"
With the 19-year-old poised to return to full fitness this pre-season, Klopp will be hoping to utilise his talents during Liverpool's friendly schedule, and according to the Liverpool Echo's Kristian Walsh, he will serve as one of the German's centre-backs in 2016/17:
Gomez joins Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip as one of Klopp's regular options at the heart of the defence this season, and a bright start to pre-season—on the training field and on the pitch—can see him secure a long-term future under the former Dortmund manager, who is yet to see him play.
Jordan Henderson
England's disappointing exit from this summer's European Championship has led to widespread criticism of Roy Hodgson and his squad, with former Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling bearing the brunt, as noted by the Mirror's Anthony Bond at the end of June.
While Sterling's former team-mate, Jordan Henderson, has managed to escape much of the focus in the fallout of the Three Lions' exit at the hands of Iceland, the Reds captain did little to enhance his reputation in France.
Named as part of Hodgson's 23-man squad following what he described to the Liverpool Echo's Neil Jones as "the hardest season of my career so far," Henderson made just one appearance at the tournament, in England's 0-0 draw with Slovakia, with his manager preferring the likes of Wayne Rooney and Eric Dier.
Dogged with injury and the burden of the captain's armband, Henderson struggled to impose himself under Klopp in 2015/16, and after a forgettable campaign, he will need to hit the ground running on his return to pre-season training later in July.
Klopp is clearly looking to add to his midfield ranks this summer, with Goal's Melissa Reddy discussing his interest in Udinese's Piotr Zielinski and Borussia Monchengladbach's Mahmoud Dahoud, suggesting that Henderson's role could be under threat—with Emre Can firmly established as a first-choice selection.
As with Sterling, Rooney and the rest of his England team-mates, Henderson will be looking to put a poor summer behind him in 2016/17, and that can start with a strong pre-season under Klopp.
Adam Lallana
Unlike Henderson, 28-year-old attacking midfielder Adam Lallana produced a strong run of performances at Euro 2016, emerging as one of few players to receive near-unanimous praise following his appearances against Russia, Wales and Slovakia in the group stage.
Hodgson's decision to replace Lallana with Sterling for England's crucial knockout clash with Iceland came to the bemusement of most supporters, with Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier taking to Twitter to speculate as to the £25 million former Saint's absence:
Lallana's off-ball intelligence and attacking guile provided England with an edge on the flanks, and this was lacking as Hodgson's side fell to a 2-1 defeat in the round of 16—underlining Klopp's faith in the £25 million man in 2015/16.
But as Lallana returns to pre-season training alongside Henderson, he could also find his role in Klopp's starting lineup under threat, following the arrival of Senegalese forward Sadio Mane from St. Mary's Stadium.
Mane arrived in a deal worth £30 million, and given the significant fee paid to secure his services, it can be assumed that the 24-year-old will play a key role under Klopp in 2016/17.
Furthermore, with Philippe Coutinho (12 goals) and Roberto Firmino (11 goals) finishing 2015/16 as the Reds' second- and third-highest goalscorers, the Brazilian duo can expect to retain their roles in Klopp's 4-2-3-1 formation.
Lallana's relative lack of end product in front of goal—finishing the season with seven goals and eight assists from 49 appearances—is routinely held up as a major flaw in his game, with Mane scoring 15 goals and laying on a further nine in 43 games for Southampton in 2015/16 in comparison.
If Mane has been signed to replace Lallana, the Englishman will need to provide a stark reminder of his talents during pre-season—as entering his peak years, it could be now or never.
Lazar Markovic
Also providing competition for the starting role on the right flank this season will be Serbian winger Lazar Markovic, who has returned to Liverpool following a hit-and-miss loan spell with Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig.
Rodgers' decision to loan Markovic to the Istanbul club was roundly criticised by supporters, with the former Benfica star poised to fill the void left by the departed Sterling, and according to the Liverpool Echo's Pearce, Klopp explored the option of recalling him shortly after his arrival on Merseyside.
This proved fruitless, due to the terms of Liverpool's agreement with Fenerbahce, but it served to highlight the Reds manager's faith in Markovic's ability—something he reiterated in March, per the Daily Express' Paul Joyce that "if he wants to come back to Liverpool on July 2, then [he is] welcome."
Markovic eventually returned to Melwood ahead of his team-mates, in a move that no doubt endeared him to Klopp, with the 22-year-old determined to prove his fitness after a season hampered by a series of hamstring injuries that restricted him to just 21 appearances for Fenerbahce, including 13 starts.
Given his pace, work rate and direct running style, Markovic has the raw attributes required to thrive in Klopp's attacking line, and he could look to emulate Dortmund's Marco Reus in the seasons to come.
He will likely be given a chance to prove his worth during pre-season, and with the likes of Mane and Lallana already established as regular options under Klopp, he will need to shine in order to do so.
Mario Balotelli
"I hope to play at Liverpool next season," Mario Balotelli told Italian publication Corriere della Sera at the beginning of July (h/t the Liverpool Echo's Jones). "[AC] Milan decided to leave me. There will certainly not be another 'Mario’s back again' moment there."
After a disappointing spell on loan with Milan in 2015/16, in which he scored just three goals in 23 games, the striker has returned to pre-season training with Liverpool, seemingly determined to earn a long-term role under Klopp.
The 25-year-old is surplus to requirements on Merseyside, according to Jones, but short of suitors at this early stage of the summer, he could form part of Klopp's plans for pre-season friendlies against the likes of Tranmere and Fleetwood—particularly given Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Christian Benteke are on holiday following their involvement at Euro 2016.
This provides Balotelli with a slim opportunity to impress a manager he clearly admires, as he revealed on Twitter in 2013:
But as Joe.co.uk's Robert Redmond relayed Klopp's impression of Balotelli from his time at Manchester City, in an extract from Elmar Neveling's biography Jurgen Klopp, the manager is unlikely to take kindly to the striker's presence:
"When the subject of Italy forward Mario Balotelli, who while at Manchester City threw a dart at a youth-team player, came up, Klopp didn't mince his words: if one of his players pulled a stunt like that 'they would never wear this club's shirt again.'
He wont get a second chance to make a mistake like that: 'Look, you might be able to play, but I don't want to see your face again. Not when we've got so many lads who are a joy to work with.'
"
While Gomez, Henderson, Lallana and Markovic all stand a strong chance of proving their worth to Klopp during pre-season, Balotelli has a sizeable challenge ahead of him—one that may prove too much for the ex-Milan man.
Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk.
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