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Premier League giants Liverpool took on Austrian outfit RB Salzburg in a pre-season friendly at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night (July 27).
Despite outplaying the hosts, the Reds could not manage to find the back of the net and ended up succumbing to a 1-0 defeat. Benjamin Sesko’s first-half strike ended up being the difference between the two teams in Salzburg.
Coming into the match on the back of a commanding 5-0 win over RB Leipzig (July 20), Liverpool were expected to run riot in Austria. Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case.
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Keeping Saturday’s (July 30) FA Community Shield clash against Manchester City in mind, Jurgen Klopp kept most of his key players on the bench in the first half. The heavy rotation took its toll as the Reds struggled to create clear-cut goalscoring opportunities in the opening quarter of the match.
Their first big chance arrived in the 21st minute when Darwin Nunez drove down the left-hand channel and pulled it back for U-18 defender Isaac Mabaya. The 17-year-old connected with the delivery, but his effort sailed harmlessly over the bar.
Four minutes later, Mabaya returned the favor, setting up Nunez with an excellent delivery. The Uruguayan’s shot had power, but the ball slammed against the bar to get out of harm’s way.
Having been under the cosh for a while, Salzburg bounced back with a lightning-quick counter-attack in the 27th minute. After Sesko drew a smart save from Liverpool keeper Adrian, the rebound failed kindly to Fernando. With only Ibrahima Konate to beat on the line, the attacking midfielder ended up dragging his effort wide of the target.
Four minutes later, Klopp’s side were once again caught on the break, and this time, Sesko made it a point to make the most of Salzburg's opportunity. Liverpool looked set for a reply in the dying embers of the first half, but lacked the attacking edge to pierce the hosts' resistance.
Twelve minutes into the second half, Liverpool's Curtis Jones went for goal, but Salzburg goalkeeper Nico Mantl was up for the challenge. Klopp brought on the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Roberto Firmino, and Luis Diaz in search of an equalizer.
The visitors created more chances, but the final pass and shot were still few and far in between. Klopp’s men eventually found the back of the net in the 83rd minute, but Diaz’s neat finish was chalked off for off-side.
Their final pre-season display before the FA Community Shield was far from encouraging, but it could only spur them on to do better against Manchester City on July 30.
Here are two Liverpool stars who stood out and three who disappointed in their pre-season defeat to RB Salzburg:
Underperformed: Naby Keita
Naby Keita got a rare start on Wednesday night but miserably failed to win the coach’s confidence.
Despite being the most senior member of Liverpool’s midfield, the former Salzburg man was often unsure on possession, lacked vision, and rarely gave the opposition anything to worry about.
He combined a couple of times with Nunez, but other than that it was a drab display from the Guinean.
Given the competition for places at Anfield, the midfielder ought to have done better to impress the coaching staff last night.
Performed: Roberto Firmino
With another impressive showing, Firmino proved why Klopp may not want to let him leave this summer.
Coming on for Nunez at the break, the Brazilian changed the complexion of the game, making the Reds a lot more cohesive up front.
Firmino, as always, dropped deep to link up with midfielders, carried the ball well, and was always on the lookout for openings.
In the 73rd minute, he almost got the equalizer for the Reds through a cheeky attempt, but it was ultimately saved by Mantl.
Twelve minutes later, the Brazilian forced another good save from the centre of the box. Apart from two attempts, he also set up two shots, one of which was blocked and the other missed.
Underperformed: Joe Gomez
Starting the match, Gomez had a great opportunity to prove his mettle against RB Salzburg on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately, the centre-back failed to provide the solidity everyone expected from him.
In the 27th minute, Gomez made a hash of a headed clearance and gifted Sesko with the ball in a dangerous area. Luckily for the Englishman, the chance eventually went begging, but it shed light on his lack of confidence.
A few minutes later, Gomez, alongside Konate, was once again caught napping, only this time, Sesko comfortably tucked the ball past Adrian from close range.
Following an unimpressive showing, Gomez was hooked for Van Dijk in the 60th minute.
Performed: Luis Diaz
With Sadio Mane gone, Diaz is set to serve as Liverpool’s first-choice left-winger for the foreseeable future.
He is quick, smart, and can make a massive impact when on song, and last night, it was all about the Colombian taking centre stage.
Introduced in the 60th minute, Diaz was nothing short of a livewire on the pitch. He completely dominated the left flank with his pace, lodged a shot on target just three minutes after coming on, and combined effortlessly with his teammates.
He also set up five shots, with two of them being blocked by the Salzburg defense.
Underperformed: Darwin Nunez
Nunez, who scored four goals in the Reds’ previous pre-season clash against Leipzig, started against Salzburg.
The 23-year-old striker tried his best to get involved in proceedings, but nothing quite came off for him.
Apart from hitting the bar with a thunderous attempt, he was rather quiet in front of goal. Either he lacked finesse or he took too long to get his shot away, thus allowing the opposition to put a block in.
The former Benfica man has already shown the world that he has plenty of talent. The real challenge would be to hone his skills and become a consistent source of goals for the Reds over the course of the 2022-23 campaign.
Also Read: 5 players who could be changing positions this season
