Transfers:

Last season ended with us all well aware that there were going to be big changes. We didn't expect that to include the sales of Fabinho & Hendo but the Saudis came knocking. Their heads were turned and the money was too much for them to turn down. Fairs..

Their replacements so far A Mac & Szobos are quite frankly younger and better and would have probably started ahead of them anyway.. They should have been battling it out for starting spots with them two but football is football and these things happen..

We are still in the market for midfielders and a defender so we will all have to be patient as this pans out. If you've read the Squad Reviews you'll see we are not in that bad a shape as without Champions League football we can field a quality back up team in UEFA and other Cup Competitions..

This could give us 3 transfer windows (including this one) to get 3 or 4 quality midfielders through the door. Hopefully in time for our return to the Champions League next season.

The Friendlies:

Klopp claimed he wanted to get a full pre-season under the players belts after the disarray of last season. Well he most certainly has had that with the majority of the squad. Thiago & Bajcetic have joined the party now also which is excellent news..

So the story of the game tape.. 5 Friendlies.. 4 Wins.. 1 Defeat.. 18 Goals Scored.. 11 Goals Conceded..

Now years ago.. The 70's, 80's & a bit of the 90's friendlies were of no interest for us whatsoever.. As long as everybody came back fit and ready then all was cool.. We were a well fuelled machine that just clicked effortlessly into gear and cruised through the other gears til we came home with an awful lot of silverware..

However.. The players are constantly under the spotlight so things are totally different nowadays.. Plus we are in transition player wise and also very much so tactically. With this new inverted right back concept sweeping football as we know it. Which we also switched to left back at some points..

We will look at that more later but on the whole the results read very well. Taking into account we were cruising against Bayern before they brought the game level.. Then we took the lead. Made wholesale changes and they banged an absolute belter of a winner in the last minute.

With the added training sessions and travel this is not normal practice prior to matches and the games are seen as a training session. So all in all very good as a fitness exercise. Plenty of goals scored but the goals conceded are a concern and so is this new system. Again we will come to that.

Academy Graduates:

One massive positive is the emergence of yet more exceptional talent coming through from the academy. Ben Doak is just going through the motions before he becomes a first team regular. He has been unreal every time he picks the ball up. Apart from the goals he brought more attacking threat from out wide than Mo.

Ben Clark looked more settled, scored one and was unlucky not to bag one against Bayern.. Quansah looks an instant fit at CB. Scanlon looked really comfortable on the left wing. McConnell also looked very good in the midfield and young Conor Bradley looked like a season long loan done him the world of good.

Taking into account these lads were training at a much higher level this preseason then you'd have expected them to look tired at times but they all came through with flying colours. Add a fit again Kaide Gordon to the mix and those Thursday night games are gonna be really exciting..

The Positives:

There are lots of positives. The goals are one.. We don't look fluent in attack by any stretch but at times some of the intricate build up play has been really impressive. Diaz, A Mac, Jota & Gakpo have really gelled.. Harvey & Doak too added to the mix and we have plenty of others who fit this model..

Szobos adds more quality from set pieces and we have looked a serious threat from these areas. Which is vital in any Championship campaign..

Nunez has looked like a proper striker.. Poaching and Assisting.. In fact everyone has played a part. If you were looking for a weakness you'd say holding mid.. Yet we brought Thiago in from Bayern who dominated that position in their Champions League winning campaign..

The one big positive is everybody is fit and ready to roll.. 

Tactics:

Let's not call this a negative yet as we need to see this new system in full effect. It may well blow us all away although although up til now let's reserve judgement. This may be down to the players positioning or the way it is used.

It seems to be used all the time rather than selectively.. The two players this really revolves around are Trent & Robbo.. Again as yet this seems to have stopped two of our biggest attacking threats and nullified a serious threat from out wide..

Robbo is being asked to play as a Left CB while Trent goes into midfield. Holding midfield. Left and Right.. So the second Robbo is out of position Trent is too and it's a free for all on Virg, Konate & Ali plus whoever else is scrambling to get back. So has this been perfected from last season..? We'll have to wait and see..

The attacking side of this dynamic demands possession based tiki-taka style football to one.. Give the defence a breather and two get through defensive lines. The forwards though seem to lose the ball within a touch or two which isn't good in any formation. But in this one it can prove fatal as we don't use it selectively..

The main concern here is for Trent. He should just be played midfield and attacking midfield to boot. In the search for that 100 million pound midfielder we've looked everywhere else apart from here..

Joe Gomez can play right back obviously.. Thiago plays holding mid we stick to a 433 and all the variables and the problems are solved.

If we do want to play this inverted full back. Then the only one to nail it is Tsimikas with Joe holding that right hand side. While he attacks intelligently.. So intelligence and personnel are key.

Conclusion:

A very good preseason.. We are a player or three light transfer wise.. If we can nail the tactical side of things we have more than enough in the team to dominate once again. We have no problem scoring goals. We just need to stop them going in the other end. Same as last season so lets see what we have learned over the summer.. 

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