It was back to business as usual as Liverpool saw off Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace in Singapore last Friday.
Jurgen Klopp switched his team at the half, enabling new signing Darwin Nunez to get vital minutes on the pitch ahead of a return to Europe this week.
The Reds’ pre-season preparations continue with two matches in Germany and Austria against Red Bull operatives Leipzig and Salzburg respectively.
The standout fixture of the preseason campaign so far was the 4-0 defeat to Erik ten Hag’s recalibrated Frankenstein of a Manchester United side.
It’s never a good look to lose against your biggest rivals but then again there’s never been a friendlier friendly it must be said.
Klopp made a number of sweeping changes to his team against United, giving little clue to his initial plan for the beginning of the Premier League season.
The next games will likely see the manager refine his starting eleven as the lead-up to competitive matches grows closer.
Liverpool have done a lot of big business early on; Salah’s new contract has been secured and the signing of Nunez from Benfica under the noses of Premier League rivals United and Chelsea is a positive coup.
A clearout of players deemed excess to requirements like Divock Origi to AC Milan and Takumi Minamino to Monaco has already been ticked off.
Sadio Mane has departed to Bayern Munich for a reported £28 million ($33 million) fee. The transfer has been met with mixed feelings by Liverpool fans, although it must be seen as a gateway to aid Klopp’s ongoing rejuvenation of the frontline.
That injection of cash has helped fund the £64 million ($76 million) signing of Nunez. But Klopp has one more defensive dilemma to satisfy before the beginning of the competitive season.
READ MORE: Joe Gomez issues honest response to Aston Villa & Real Madrid transfer links
The Liverpool Echo has reported the club has just sanctioned the departure of Ben Davies to Rangers.
It remains a testy issue given recent difficulties in the heart of the backline. Although the club does have a glut of talent in that area currently on their books, some corners believe a more wary approach should be taken.
Liverpool will journey to Germany to take on RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Thursday. Their trip then takes them south to Austria to meet Red Bull Salzburg next Wednesday.
The team will return home and have just three days to prepare for the Community Shield match against last season’s title rivals Manchester City. The final match of the preseason campaign will take place at Anfield in a homecoming against French side Strasbourg.
Liverpool’s pre-season outings represent a much more arbitrary set of fixtures than their immediate rivals this year.
Manchester City have opted for a more succinct tour of the US alongside big-name sides such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Premier League teams Arsenal, Chelsea, and Everton.
The club have looked to build their brand in Asia, although the US should still be considered an untapped market.
The rise of legal sports betting in tandem with the increasing interest in football in the US has made pre-season tours stateside more lucrative than ever.
Americans searching for how to bet on sports and related terms in connection with football and the English Premier League have seen a marked rise in recent months.
It’s with these growing trends that have led many major European sides to journey to the US this time around.
A major criticism is the amount of travel that could harm Liverpool’s immediate fixtures. The only Premier League side to out-travel Liverpool this pre-season are Manchester United.
The Red Devils are playing matches in Thailand, Australia and Norway ahead of the Premier League season start.
Despite criticisms thrown at the pre-season tour schedule, Liverpool’s transfer business has been done quickly and quietly with minimum fuss by and large.
Any further incoming transfers would be seen as an added bonus at this point in time.
The post Klopp faces next transfer dilemma as Liverpool land in Europe ahead of Red Bull campaign appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
