A year ago
Jurgen Klopp had hoped for a smooth pre-season but Liverpool's plans will be disrupted by international matches, with only a small group returning on day one.
Jurgen Klopp will only have 9 players on the first day of pre-season
Jurgen Klopp faces an early roadblock to hopes of a recovery after a disappointing season, with only nine players available for pre-season.
Liverpool have had a tough campaign, finishing outside of Champions League qualifying and winning nothing. It sets the stage for an epic pre-season, with the Reds squad going through a major overhaul during the summer transfer window.
Klopp will want a smooth pre-season to convey his ideas to a revamped squad. But it looks like the German will be forced to manage a more sporadic training schedule than he anticipated, with only nine players returning on day one.
According to This Is Anfield, the international schedule means a smaller team will meet on July 8. There will then be a staggered arrival schedule for the rest of the team to follow a few days later. there.
Four friendlies have been confirmed as well as two trips abroad for training and competition. Players who did not join the national team in June will return in early July, after a six-week break. This team should include Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Darwin Nunez, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Joel Matip, Calvin Ramsay and Stefan Bajcetic. The latter two are both from long hiatuses from injury, with Ramsay's first season at Anfield marred by trips to the treatment room.
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Fabinho and Thiago will be two of nine players returning on the first day of Liverpool's pre-season
Fabinho and Thiago will be two of nine players returning on the first day of Liverpool's pre-season
They will need to be carefully managed in the early part of pre-season to ensure they stay in shape. Fabio Carvalho could also join the group of nine, although the young Portuguese is expected to leave Anfield.
There is still a month left to settle his future, with R Leipzig leading the hunt for his signature. Jamie Carragher had previously urged Klopp to switch to Matip, although the centre-back is not expected to leave until his first day back.
With internationals not expected to return until July 11, Klopp could finalize his squad with members of the academy. Tyler Morton, Leighton Clarkson, Kaide Gordon and Jarres Quansah are said to be the main contenders for the first team. Liverpool confirmed more details of their pre-season plans earlier this week, with friendlies scheduled against Karlsruher SC, Greuther Furth, Leicester and Bayern Munich. Speaking after the final game of the season, Klopp admitted it will be a busy summer.
"Suddenly we had to become a dominant team, the teams were waiting for us when we got there, we weren't able to arrange as well as we would have liked. We wish we would have solved the problem faster, but we worked with humans and sometimes it took a little longer,” he said.
"I'm perfectly fine... I don't have time to rest. I'm not trained [or] for such things.
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