Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp was happy with the run-out his side got against Blackburn Rovers in their behind-closed-doors friendly at Anfield on Thursday.
Klopp’s men won 6-0 in the fitness-focused game with Championship side Blackburn. The goals were scored by Sadio Mané, Naby Keita, Takumi Minamino, Joël Matip, Ki-Jana Hoever and youngster Leighton Clarkson.
Liverpool scored three goals in each half in a fixture Klopp used not only to test the fitness of his first-team squad but also to adjust to the new protocols in place for COVID-19.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Klopp discussed the benefits Liverpool had attained from the game:
“It was not only a workout; for us, it was a really important test and we wanted the players to go for 45 minutes [but] because of a few little issues we couldn’t do that, so we didn’t have enough ‘first-team players’, I would say, so that’s why we decided to let three players go for 60 minutes. That’s OK. It looked really good, obviously. It looked really good, pretty much from the beginning. Yes, you have to get used again to playing against a deep-defending side and stuff like this. Blackburn had a playing build-up from time to time, so we could work on the high press as well. So [the] counter-press was brilliant, the football was really good, the goals were nice and it was a really good afternoon. I am really thankful that Blackburn came here and we could do that, so I wish them all the best.”
The Liverpool boss was asked about different arrangements now necessary due to the Coronavirus and stopping the spread of same:
“Yes, everything is different. 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 [and] 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.”
Apparently, neither Mohamed Salah nor Andy Robertson took part in Thursday’s win but it may have just been a precaution.
Liverpool return to Premier League action in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Sunday week, June 21st.
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