As Liverpool start their preparations for 2022/23, we revisit some traditional pre-season reminiscences – together with three goalkeepers making an attempt out new positions.
New signings on present, shiny new kits, world excursions and breakout performers – simply among the issues all of us affiliate with pre-season.
It may be a time of nice pleasure for supporters, as gamers reconvene and put together for a very recent begin. A brand new period, in the event you like.
This summer season, there are simply 33 days between Liverpool’s first pre-season match and their Premier League opener towards Fulham on August 6.
Nevertheless, with journeys to Thailand, Singapore, Austria and Germany all scheduled, there’s a lot to unfold earlier than the true enterprise begins.
Right here, we have a look again at some well-known Liverpool pre-season reminiscences.
Pepe Reina in midfield!
When Luis Garcia and Fabio Aurelio pulled up with accidents in Liverpool’s pre-season conflict with Kaiserslautern in 2006, Rafa Benitez had a call to make.
Although he had already made all of his substitutions, he would have been allowed to carry Robbie Fowler – who had already gone off – again onto the pitch.
As an alternative, he gave goalkeeper Pepe Reina a runout in midfield.
The Spaniard wore Xabi Alonso’s No. 14 shirt and had two alternatives to attain, in a recreation the Reds would go on to lose 3-2.
Pre-season at its wonderful greatest.
When Klopp’s Mainz hammered Rafa’s Liverpool
In the identical summer season, Benitez’s Liverpool – on the again of an FA Cup win – took on a plucky Mainz facet in Germany.
Their supervisor? A 39-year-old Jurgen Klopp.
Benitez named his strongest facet of pre-season, together with begins for Alonso, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia and new signings Jermaine Pennant and Craig Bellamy.
Klopp’s Mainz got here away 5-0 winners, with all 5 targets coming within the second half, together with three in 5 minutes.
Don’t go, Xabi
The summer season of 2009 noticed Benitez’s Liverpool journey to Asia to tackle the Thailand and Singapore nationwide groups.
It was additionally a summer season of hypothesis centring round the way forward for Alonso.
Banners begging the Spaniard to remain at Anfield have been scattered throughout the stadiums for each matches, however supporters’ pleas would show unsuccessful, with Alonso becoming a member of Actual Madrid for £26 million later that summer season.
That TV documentary
By some means, this summer season marks 10 entire years since ‘Being: Liverpool’, the documentary that captured Brendan Rodgers’ first pre-season on the membership, aired for the primary time.
“You mentioned ‘regular’” and “Jonjo Shelvey, king of the golf” are simply two of the well-known traces that also, to at the present time, will ship shivers down the spines of Liverpool supporters once they look again at this.
How far we’ve come.
One of the best You’ll By no means Stroll Alone ever?
In 2013, Liverpool’s first-ever match in Australia started with a spine-tingling rendition of You’ll By no means Stroll Alone, sung by the document crowd of 95,000 contained in the well-known Melbourne Cricket Floor.
A video merely titled ‘BEST YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE EVER!!!’ has now racked up over 20 million views on YouTube. Particular.
Benteke’s debut stunner
Admit it, you have been excited once you noticed this objective.
After Liverpool had splashed out £32.5 million to signal Christian Benteke in 2015, the Belgian netted after an outstanding flip and volley on the sting of the realm on his first outing towards Swindon City.
That was about pretty much as good because it obtained for the striker, who was moved on to Crystal Palace after Klopp’s appointment one 12 months later.
“We’re right here as a result of we need to depart Mama right here”
When LFCTV determined to present Mamadou Sakho a GoPro because the Reds toured Alcatraz throughout pre-season 2016, they weren’t to know that he could be despatched residence by Klopp days later.
The video did provide some perception into Sakho’s disciplinary points, with Klopp revealing the Frenchman had been late to report for a flight the day earlier than.
“We’re right here as a result of we need to depart Mama right here,” Klopp joked.
Days later, Sakho was exiled from his squad for good.
Shamal George up entrance
Not the primary and never the final time we’d see a Liverpool goalkeeper enjoying outfield throughout pre-season!
In a pleasant at Huddersfield, Klopp introduced on 18-year-old goalkeeper Shamal George as a striker, after Lucas Leiva was taken off injured and there have been no outfield gamers left on the bench.
It might become George’s solely first-team look of any type for the membership.
Shaqiri’s debut bicycle kick
The summer season of 2018 noticed Swiss attacking midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri arrive from Stoke – and he introduced himself to the Liverpool devoted in one of the simplest ways potential.
In a pre-season conflict with Man United within the US, Shaqiri scored essentially the most outstanding of overhead kicks because the Reds ran out 4-1 winners.
Have you ever ever seen a greater debut objective?
Atherton in assault
July 2019 noticed one other Liverpool goalkeeper given an opportunity as a striker. This time it was Dan Atherton’s second to shine.
Within the Reds’ 6-0 pre-season win over Tranmere at Prenton Park, Klopp was pressured to carry on Atherton as a alternative for Paul Glatzel, who sustained a knee harm within the second half.
Sporting Colombian full-back Anderson Arroyo‘s No. 61 shirt, he slotted in alongside Divock Origi, who had been the Reds’ hero within the Champions League remaining months earlier.
If there’s one factor we’ve discovered about pre-season, it’s to anticipate the sudden!
