Liverpool’s ‘behind the closed doors friendly against Villa is now called off
Liverpool and Aston Villa were to play a behind-closed-door friendly, which has now been cancelled. The match was scheduled only a day after the Fulham game.
Unlikely start for the Reds
Liverpool’s first match of the season was a bitter one. The Reds drew 2-2 against Fulham. The draw was more hurtful, considering Fulham just came back from the Championship.
Fulham Striker Mitrovic bullied Liverpool’s defense. And by scoring two vital goals, he won one point for his team against the Merseyside giants.
Liverpool’s friendly against Aston Villa called off due to Injuries
Due to the tight summer calendar, Jurgen Klopp has been vocal about extending Liverpool’s pre-season into the opening few weeks of the season. And for that, he has set the match with Steven Gerrard’s team.
An additional friendly after the trip to Fulham was seen as the perfect opportunity to give players the minutes they required. And it was just like the previous campaign.
The friendly, however, became dubious as Liverpool’s injuries grew. And it is now official that it will not take place.
After Villa’s 2-0 loss to newly promoted Bournemouth on Saturday, Gerrard gave the update during his press conference.
According to Birmingham Live’s Ashley Preece, who covers Aston Villa, Gerrard now believes his team “needs more quality rather than more minutes” on the field.
Liverpool would have had to pick a young team due to the injuries. As many players like Kelleher, Konate, Tsimikas, Ramsay, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Thiago, Keita, Jota, and Gordon are facing injuries.
But Klopp now has nine straight days to choose the players who are healthy and get his team ready for Crystal Palace’s visit on Monday.
Moreover, with two back-to-back Monday night games coming up, the Reds must regroup. The manager said in the preseason, “try to create a basis for the rest of the season.”
