Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp was happy with his side’s 3-0 win over VfB Stuttgart in Austria on Saturday as The Reds continued their preparations for the new season.
Goals from Roberto Firmino, Naby Keïta and Rhian Brewster were enough to ensure a confidence-boosting win for Klopp’s men against the German outfit. VfB Stuttgart had just won automatic promotion back to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2019/20 season.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com after the win, Klopp said:
“I’m very happy, very happy. It was a super intense session for us today because the weather, wow, it rained like crazy, the pitch was really difficult – you could see the water was still on the pitch. That makes football games always tricky. Good organised opponent obviously but we scored nice goals and for me, most important was that we felt 45 minutes [of] football is different to a 90-minute session because in sessions you make breaks, drinks break. Here is no break, so you just have to go through. That was the most important thing to do today and the boys did it, they felt the intensity of the game – very good. Tomorrow we do a little bit less, Monday two sessions, Tuesday is Salzburg, interesting. So, it’s all good. I think Ki-Jana rolled the ankle a little bit but apart from that they all should be fine, which is obviously very important.”
Klopp gave special mention to some players who will be looking to push for a place in the starting eleven in the coming season.
“How we made the goals, I would say that was absolutely exceptional. Obviously Taki is in pretty good shape, Kostas showed some nice glimpses of his talent. We know we have good boys here and that looked well. Curtis first half [was] obviously around the goals, Harvey hard-working until the end, Rhian could have shot here, but they look really promising. How I said, they had to work today and that’s what they did, so I’m fine with the performance.”
Liverpool have one more friendly in Austria, against Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday at 15:00 BST. Then it’s Wembley for The Reds as they take on Arsenal on Saturday evening in the 2020/21 season curtain-raiser, the Community Shield.
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