Liverpool completed the latest leg of their pre-season preparations with a 4-4 draw against Greuther Furth, with Jurgen Klopp watching as both sides opened the goals in the second half.
The Reds went into the break with one goal advantage courtesy of neat footwork and a smart finish from Luis Diaz. Darwin Nunez bagged himself a brace, shortly after the German side equalized, then three quick goals saw Liverpool trailing. Mohamed Salah popped up in the final minutes though to claim a draw.
Similar to the opening win of pre-season last Wednesday against Karlsruher, Klopp used the friendly as an opportunity to field as many players as possible for fitness and tactical purposes, brushing aside any thought of the result.
Speaking to LFC TV after the game, the boss said: “Most importantly no one was injured, and nobody wants to concede four goals but we saw in the second half we tried to play build-up, passed the ball late, first touch not good, so that’s how we brought them back into the game.
“We scored some really wonderful goals, to be sincere, so a lot of good performances and that’s most important. 50-ish minutes for everybody and again, nobody got injured so a good camp and I’m really delighted.
“I know, nobody wants to concede four goals but at least eight goals – come on! It’s okay.”
While many supporters would no doubt agree with the boss, some fans have been banging the drum to sign a centre-back for quite a while. Especially if Liverpool persist with the 3-2-2-3 formation.
The back four that started the match are Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson. Trent Alexander-Arnold also started, though as an out-and-out defensive midfielder rather than his inverted full-back role – which Bradley occupied – while Alisson got his first minutes of the summer in goal.
Replacing them at the break were Adrian – a straight swap for Alisson – followed by Joe Gomez at right back, Joel Matip and 20-year-old Jarell Quansah at centre-back, then Kostas Tsimikas at left-back. Adrian was then later swapped for Marcelo Pitaluga between Greuther’s third and fourth goals.
Little can be judged from performances after players get up to speed following their summer breaks, especially in the short timeframes they play in these initial fixtures. However, with some senior players featuring in the second half, some fans now feel that in order to have a successful campaign ahead, a central defensive signing must be prioritised.
Here are the thoughts of some fans on Twitter after the game:
@seanmullane111 tweeted: “If this doesn’t make Liverpool sign a centre back then I don’t know what will.”
@Somkey55 said: “Lol Liverpool need a centre back before we even need a midfielder lol.”
@krawf24 believes: “Ideally we need 2 [centre backs] but that’s not gonna happen this window.”
@Shifty_Bernie wrote: “Sign a cb.”
@LFCWed66 stated: “Need some defensive help.”
@AnythingLFC also put: “If Klopp wants to play with 3 at the back then we NEED a top centre back to come in. Robertson will not cut it there.”
This last opinion in particular received the most debate, mainly for the stance on Andy Robertson, who has filtered into a back three whilst his opposite number moves into midfield as part of the new system.
@Ravebud replied: “Robbo gets crazy disrespect off this fan base.”
@leamy_shane responded: “I don’t think Robertson is actually the problem lad. [D]isrespect Robbo gets from fans is ridiculous.”
The Liverpool squad have now rounded up their tour in Germany, and will next jet off to Singapore where they face Leicester City and Bayern ahead of the new season.
