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Photo by Playmaker/MB Media/Getty Images
Manager Jürgen Klopp says a knee injury that forced the Argentine’s substitution at the half isn’t a concern.
With most of Liverpool’s starting eleven continuing to play well into the second half against Bayern Munich on Wednesday—the first time players have been given more than 45 minutes this pre-season—there were some concerns about the players who didn’t.
Key amongst them new midfield signing Alexis Mac Allister, who suffered a knock late in the first period that saw him removed, with Cody Gakpo dropping into midfield while Darwin Nuñez entered at striker. According to Jürgen Klopp, though, it wasn’t serious.
“He could have played on,” Klopp said after the match. “I got the information it’s painful, so there’s no need to push him. When I spoke afterwards, he said, ‘No, I would have been fine,’ but we didn’t want any risks. It’s just knee on knee, a bruise, that’s it. It was fine.”
Mac Allister and the rest of Liverpool’s more attack-minded players again looked impressive against Bayern, but with the season less than two weeks away there are concerns about the defensive solidity of a side that has at times looked shaky in their own end.
Certainly, though, against bottom half opponents—often Liverpool’s biggest struggle last season—this Liverpool side looks built to score plenty of goals and end up in plenty of shootouts one the 2023-24 campaign kicks off against Chelsea on the 13th.
