Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Darwin Nunez (£7.5m) combined for three goals as Liverpool continued their pre-season preparations in Germany on Monday.
We discuss the main Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points in this latest Scout Notes article.
GREUTHER FURTH 4-4 LIVERPOOL
- Goals: Diaz, Darwin x2, Salah
- Assists: Alexander-Arnold, Salah x2, Darwin
DARWIN BRACE
Having linked up for a goal in a pre-season kickabout against Karslruher last week, Darwin and Salah were at it again in Germany on Monday.
Salah supplied the assists for both of Darwin’s uncharacteristically well-taken strikes before the forward returned the favour late in the game, teeing up the Egypt international for a tap-in.
A clean slate and signs of optimism for the Uruguayan striker, then? Let’s not get too carried away: it’s worth reiterating the point that Darwin was also bright in pre-season a year ago, scoring four against RB Leipzig and starring in the Community Shield.
The competition for places is stiffer than ever up top, too. Just to underscore Jurgen Klopp’s selection dilemma and the rotation risk for FPL managers outside of Salah, all of the senior options – Luis Diaz (£7.5m), Diogo Jota (£8.0m) and Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) being the others – are not only fit but have already chipped in with an attacking return this summer.
Diaz got off the mark against Greuther Furth, collecting Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s (£8.0m) pass before finishing excellently. Jota meanwhile ought to have added to his brace against Karlsruher, wasting a couple of clear openings.
Szoboszlai INJURY LATEST
Absent from the Liverpool squad because of injury was summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m).
Jurgen Klopp immediately downplayed the severity of the issue after full-time.
“He rolled his ankle slightly in training, really nothing. Everybody is super-positive about it, himself first.
“If we would have today a Premier League game or whatever, he could play. So, we don’t take a risk and we will see what we will do with the Leicester game after travel [and] stuff like this. But for the Bayern game he will be ready, definitely.” – Jurgen Klopp on Dominik Szoboszlai
Gakpo played as one of the ‘number eights’ in Szoboszlai’s absence, with Alexis Mac Allister (£6.0m) taking up the other spot.
Between them was Alexander-Arnold, not inverting from full-back but rather occupying the Fabinho (£5.0m) role once again.
With Fabinho and Jordan Henderson (£5.0m) possibly heading for the exit door, James Milner (£5.0m) already gone and Stefan Bajcetic (£5.0m) working his way back from injury, it’s needs must at present.
Klopp will surely recruit a more natural ‘six’ before the transfer window closes, and tellingly the Liverpool boss was still using an ‘inverted full-back’ – rookie Conor Bradley – even with Alexander-Arnold otherwise occupied. That system looks like it is here to stay for 2023/24, then.
Alarm bells will be ringing at the concession of four goals but all of them followed the break after a thoroughly unconvincing second-string backline was introduced.
Liverpool XI: Alisson (Adrian 45′ Pitaluga 75′), Bradley (Quansah 45′), Van Dijk (Gomez 45′), Konate (Matip 45′), Robertson (Tsimikas 45′), Gakpo (Jones 45′ Scanlon 75′), Alexander-Arnold (Elliott 45′ Clark 75′), Mac Allister (McConnell 45′); Doak (Koumas 45′ Frauendorf 75′), Jota (Nunez 45′), Diaz (Salah 45′).
