preseason | Preston north end, stoke city
7/13 | Preston North End 1, Liverpool 3 | Deepdale
Before we scratch the surface of the footy, a tip of the cap to Preston North End for their class in the aftermath of Diogo and Andre’s passing. As the first club to host us since the tragedy, they were put in what could have been an awkward situation. Instead, they used the occasion as an opportunity to demonstrate care and respect. Prior to kickoff, Claudia Rose Maguire, the wife of a former Preston player, sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Preston captain Ben Whiteman solemnly laid a wreath in front of our traveling supporters, and a minute’s silence was held. The matchday program was specially designed. The teams donned black armbands in honor of the brothers. The attention to detail in each gesture was faultless.
I’ll have a soft spot for Preston from now on. Hope they win the damn Championship.
As for the game itself, Arne opted for the 11-man halftime substitution, a preseason staple. The first-half team: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Gomez, Stephenson, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Nyoni, Szoboszlai, Salah, Ngumoha, Chiesa. The second-half team: Woodman, Frimpong, Nallo, Robertson, Kerkez, Endo, Jones, Koumas, Doak, Gakpo, Nunez.
For me, the story of the first half was 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha on the left wing. Call it fearlessness, recklessness, or youthful naivete, but the kid wants to attack at every possible opportunity. My favorite moment of the half came when Ryan Gravenberch lost his man with a trademark turn and played in Ngumoha, who bee-lined into the box, threw a step over and shifted onto his right, losing three Preston defenders before a fourth blocked a goal-bound effort just wide. His urgency to take on Preston’s back line ultimately led to our first goal — he took up a similarly deep position on the left and danced between two defenders before bobbling the ball to Federico Chiesa, who smartly cut onto his left and slid the ball across for Conor Bradley to plant into the far corner.
It was a deserved highlight for Bradley, who defended resolutely, got forward willingly, and was calm and precise with the ball. He’s not going to just give up the newly vacant right back position to Jeremie Frimpong. In fact, if the season started tomorrow, I’d wager the shirt is Bradley’s.
One last thing from the first 45: Giorgi Mamardashvili is an absolute goliath. I Googled what size shoe he wears to no avail. He’s listed at 6’ 6” but looks larger.
Our front three headlined the second half. It was more than refreshing to see Darwin Nunez use his speed and tenacity to not only pounce on an undercooked back pass, but then calmly round the keeper and roll the ball into an empty net. The split-second before the finish is typically when his psyche glitches. Maybe it’s the new buzz cut. His brain can breathe.
Out left, Cody Gakpo looked as fit and sharp as he did at any point last season. Out right, Ben Doak used his powerful bowling ball physique and considerable pace to wreak havoc. Fittingly,
our third and final goal came from Doak pressing high, winning the ball, and crossing into Nunez, whose clever dummy freed up Gakpo to slot the ball inside the near post.
The most memorable moment of the day came after the match, which ended 3-1. Players and staff stood in front of our away end and clapped in time with our supporters, who sang Diogo’s song on a loop. It was gut-wrenching and soothing simultaneously — a reminder of the tragic moment we’re in, but also the fact that the team and the fans are sharing it, and will help each other through it.
7/20 | Liverpool 5, Stoke City 0 | AXA Training Center
With only extended highlights to draw from, there’s less to say about this behind-closed-doors encounter. The obvious place to start, though, is with Florian Wirtz, who made his long-awaited sort-of-debut in the 10 position as part of the first-half team, which included Mamardashvili, Szoboszlai, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Jones, Nyoni, Wirtz, Salah, Ngumoha, and Nunez. Wirtz’s first involvement produced the opener. In just two steps, he killed the momentum on a ten-yard pass from Trey Nyoni with his left foot, turned, and exploded away with his right foot. Then he shunned his defender with a stiff arm and took three more touches through the heart of the final third before playing in Szoboszlai; all his marker could do was tackle the ball straight to Darwin Nunez, who passed the ball by the onrushing keeper.
It’s easy to read too far into these things — we’re talking about a total of six touches and approximately six seconds in a preseason friendly against a bad team. But the balance, two-footed technique, and strength are clear to see. He runs non-stop and has a quiet swagger. It’s a rare mixture. Hopefully we have a new superstar on our hands.
Other noteworthy things from the opening 45: A Darwin Nunez hattrick inside 20 minutes, a Rio Ngumoha goal to take our halftime lead to 4-0, and Dominic Szboszlai filling in at right back. You could say Szoboszlai’s assignment was a harbinger of a plug-and-play role in the coming season, which it may be. I’d argue it was more about saving Bradley and Frimpong to play together in the second half, which they did, in a team that included Mamardashvili (Pecsi, 59’), Frimpong, Konate, Tsimikas, Kerkez, Endo, Bradley, Gravenberch, Doak (Stephenson, 74’), Gakpo, and Chiesa.
Chiesa scored the goal to complete the day’s scoring, but the focus from this half needs to be on our options at right back. Frimpong is the fastest player I’ve seen play for Liverpool since prime Sadio Mane. His recovery pace is going to come in handy in a major way, but it’s his effectiveness bombing forward that leaves your mouth watering. We need to structure the team to allow him to overlap and join the attack. Very few will be able to catch him, and if Bradley plays at the same time, he’s the perfect man to cover the space he vacates.