With our first game of the Premier League season just a few days away, Jurgen Klopp has been speaking about how the team is preparing for the new season as the German welcomes the team back to Melwood.
The team was given two days of rest after their eighth pre-season game, which was against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
We did do pretty well in the off-season as not only did we defeat the Spanish side 3-1, we also picked up the Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong. Our only loss of the pre-season came in the Audi Cup final as Atletico Madrid defeated us on penalties.
After playing these many games in such a short time, our manager was sharing how important the preparation is as we face Watford at Vicarage Road.
As quoted by the Liverpool Echo, Klopp said:
“We have to get a little bit of fresh legs back, but that will happen.
“Tactical things – we’ll have an exact look at what Watford will ask of us system-wise and things like this; preparation and preparation.
“We will be prepared and hopefully it’s good enough to win.”
The German also added that he has been looking forward to the first game of the season and isn’t really fond of the length of the pre-season.
“I’m excited. I’ve been looking forward to the first game since we started pre-season. I’m not the best in pre-season – I’m not very patient. I’m happy that we can start.”
Injuries A Concern For The Reds
We don’t have a fully fit squad ahead of the clash against Watford as Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne are both set to miss the game due to injuries. Lallana’s injury is a long-term one as the Englishman will be out of action for a couple of months at least, due to an issue with his thigh.
The Reds will also fret over the availability of Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho as the trio skipped the win over Bilbao in Dublin.
The last thing we would need are more injuries and it is a good thing that Klopp gave a couple of days off to the players. There will be a large number of games due to our European commitments and hopefully we can stay fresh for the clash against Hoffenheim which takes place a few days after the Watford clash.
Things are going to be really tough for us this season if we don’t get our players back soon but thankfully we have enough cover for our forward line, thanks to the addition of Dominic Solanke and Mohamed Salah.
