Naby Keita gives himself Liverpool chance as missing man set for transfer exit

Blood Red:- Liverpool V Mainz Team News – Paul Gorst

SHARE

SHARE

TWEET

SHARE

EMAIL

Click to expand

UP NEXT

Results and performances in pre-season only do not matter if you fail to win, and so Liverpool will be glad to have given extra meaning to their meeting with Mainz courtesy of a late goal.

In forcing Luca Kilian to put through his own net, the Reds ensured that their first full 90-minute outing of the summer ended in a victory.

They also added ‘confidence boost’ to the list of positives to take from a game that was not always easy to watch but which put important minutes in the players’ legs.

It was clear throughout that Liverpool still have plenty of work to do before the new Premier League season gets underway.

But with friendlies against Hertha Berlin, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna still to come, the time for making judgements on their chances next term is some way off.

Keita shows promise again

Liverpool fans have been stung far too many times to fall into the trap of declaring this the season when Naby Keita puts it all together in a red shirt.

But it is hard to deny that the Guinean was, by some distance, the standout player on the pitch in the first half v Mainz.

Quick feet in tight areas, an eye for a pass in the final third, tenacity in the tackle; Keita’s performance had everything you’d want from a Klopp midfielder.

It is easy to forget that he featured in the starting XI for the first four Premier League games of last season before losing his place in the aftermath of a poor showing at Aston Villa.

Klopp is not the type of manager to give up on any player easily, and Keita is giving himself every chance of starting the new campaign in the team.

Reds clear-out continues

Harry Wilson was a notable absentee from the Liverpool squad for the third friendly match of this pre-season period.

The Welshman watched on from the sidelines as his teammates took to the field in Austria but was not risked as he closes in on a permanent move to Fulham.

He is expected to depart in the coming days and will join the likes of Marko Grujic, Taiwo Awoniyi and Kamil Grabara in sealing a move away from Anfield this month.

Michael Edwards faced criticism for failing to move on fringe players last summer, but he is making up for lost time this year.

Klopp offers back four hint

It is no surprise to see an unfamiliar backline named in a pre-season friendly, but the Liverpool defence that faced Mainz has every chance of sticking together for a while yet.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Kostas Tsimikas – the starters here – have played a full part in this summer’s training camp.

Conversely, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are still being eased back from knee injuries, while Andy Robertson only arrived in Austria this week.

With Klopp keen to fully prepare his players for what is sure to be another gruelling season, the back four that featured from the off on Friday will believe they can start that upcoming clash with Norwich.

Exciting Gordon shines

You felt a little for the Liverpool players expected to impress after being named in the disjointed XI comprised of fringe and youth players that came out for the second half.

But Kaide Gordon certainly managed that here.

Despite his tender years, the 16-year-old already looks a good fit for the role of left-footed, pacey winger coming in off the right-hand side in a Klopp team.

And he did his chances of a potential first-team debut this season no harm with a threatening showing full of creativity and threat in the second half here.

Do you want an exclusive pre-season Liverpool preview – both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy.