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Blackburn (h) 11/06/20 (Friendly)

JohnnyH

By JohnnyH,
in FF - Football Forum

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Allan Grand Master

Allan

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Offal Match Report

 

Liverpool recorded a 6-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Anfield on Thursday afternoon.

 

Sadio Mane nudged the Reds into a 10th-minute lead, steering in from close range at the back post after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s initial shot had been saved.

 

Naby Keita then doubled the advantage when he finished from Takumi Minamino’s ball into the six-yard box soon after, then the latter swept in from a Mane centre before the break.

 

Joel Matip tapped in a fourth on 67 minutes, Ki-Jana Hoever curled into the top corner a minute later, and Leighton Clarkson completed the scoring with a wonderful late effort.

 

With the Premier League restart just 10 days away – and a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton in the Merseyside derby first up – Jürgen Klopp’s squad took the opportunity to test themselves against Championship side Rovers to step up preparations.

 

Liverpool went in front after 10 minutes of play at Anfield. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s drive was beaten away by Christian Walton; however, Mane was on hand to slot in the rebound.

 

Minamino almost doubled their advantage soon after, but his snap-shot from Tosin Adarabioyo’s attempted clearance was smartly saved by the visiting ‘keeper.

 

The Japan international was heavily involved again on 23 minutes, claiming an assist for the Reds’ second. Virgil van Dijk’s pass forward was chested off into the path of James Milner by Mane. The vice-captain then slid Minamino into space, who subsequently squared for Keita to stab in.

 

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On the half-hour, Jordan Henderson sent a shot spinning wide of the far post after the hosts had regained possession high up the pitch and Oxlade-Chamberlain cut the ball back into his path.

 

Minamino added his name to the scoresheet before the break when he swept across goal and into the corner from Mane’s low delivery from the left.

 

Blackburn threatened before the whistle as Sam Gallagher looked to have gone through on goal. He was beaten to the ball by a sliding challenge by Alisson Becker, however.

 

Liverpool made seven changes during the interval – and it was a new arrival that went closest to increasing the scoreline when Neco Williams crashed an effort against the outside of the post from Mane’s slick pass.

 

Academy youngster Jake Cain then had a side-footer tipped behind, with Roberto Firmino’s header from the subsequent corner also saved by Walton.

 

But the Reds did go further in front as they netted twice in the space of two minutes, with Matip first tapping in from Firmino’s glance across goal before Hoever slammed into the top corner with his left foot following a set-piece.

 

Ben Brereton went close to pulling a goal back for Rovers, but slid an inch wide of substitute Caoimhin Kelleher’s post.

 

The hosts added their sixth in the final minutes when Clarkson displayed incredible composure inside the box to create a shooting opportunity, which he finished with aplomb.

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Jurgen Klopp is enjoying watching his Liverpool players create their own atmosphere as they warmed up for their Premier League return with a 6-0 friendly win over Blackburn.

 

The match not only enabled Klopp to step up his players’ fitness levels ahead of the Merseyside derby on June 21 but also to adapt to the closed-door surroundings and the safety protocols.

 

Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Takumi Minamino and Joel Matip all netted for Liverpool, with youngsters Ki-Jana Hoever and Leighton Clarkson also weighing in with goals. You can read the match report here.

 

On the lack of supporters, Klopp told Liverpool’s website: “Yes, it’s different, of course. You need to get used to it, but I like it. After three times, it is completely OK.

 

“I thought before – and I don’t have experience in this area – that it would be really awkward. But we have to create our own atmosphere in the games.

 

“We have to be lively as well, we have to be animated and stuff like this. Being positive about the things that have happened and so on, that’s how you can create an atmosphere – and it’s what we have to do as well. Apart from that, it is Anfield.”

 

Klopp is also trying to ensure there are no surprises for his players when they deal with the unusual new rules and protocols designed to stop the spread of Covid-19.

 

“Everything is different” he said. “The boys now go home and they didn’t have a shower. It was raining before the game, so that would have been funny if there had been really hard rain and then you drive home in your own car and you didn’t have a shower.

 

“Our meeting was here in the boardroom. We want to have it like this, we can organise it differently at Anfield when we play here, but we have no clue how it’ll be at away games and we need to create as awkward-as-possible situations just to not be surprised.

 

“We want to focus completely on football and whatever happens around the games, we just take it like it is.”

 

Liverpool opted to play a number of young guns after the break and he was pleased to see how they coped.

 

Discussing Clarkson’s goal, Klopp continued: “It is just so nice. Not only the goal, but when you see the situations when he came on, I think the first pass was between the two strikers, he got it in the No.6 position where he is calm, turns and passes the ball out.

 

“We can teach the boys a lot, but they have to bring a lot. Obviously the basis for Leighton is not too bad and Jake [Cain] did really well, as well. All of the boys.

 

“For Sepp [Van den Berg] it is always hard for centre-halves. We have four, so sitting outside [but] he looks really promising in training sessions.

 

“Ki-Jana, centre-half and right-back and looks really good. You see them – when Harvey [Elliott], Curtis [Jones] and Neco [Williams] played, it looked good as well. It’s coming, it’s nice and nice they are here and training with us.

 

“The way we play helps the players to feel safe; everybody is defending and you should never feel alone in a big area where you have no chance to sort the situation. That’s what I really like and for the boys it was really good.

 

“Yasser [Larouci], too, he looked really good – so that was good and very important for us.”

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Allan Grand Master

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7 hours ago, Bad Red Bull said:

Well taken goal by Clarkson. Never heard of him before this. Will read up on him.

Leighton Clarkson is a fantastic young talent. He and Jake Cain are 2 of the standouts from the Under 18s. Leighton had an extended run up at Melwood earlier this season.

 

Plays mainly as a deep lying playmaker, but can play higher up the park too. Passing range is impressive, as are his set pieces. Needs some work on the defensive side of his game, but he's a young lad with good football intelligence, as Klopp would say. 

 

Both lads will benefit from 23s football next season, whenever that starts at that level. Both will be helped with having Barry Lewtas as the 23's manager as they've worked with each other for a few years now.

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