With another season upon us, Liverpool have prepared comprehensively for the upcoming campaign with a pre-season involving seven matches, 37 players and 33 goals.
While pre-season is used by football clubs to maximise their commercial outreach – Liverpool travelled to Hong Kong and Japan this summer – the primary aim of the summer is to ensure the squad’s fitness is up to speed for the new season.
With seven games played, including a behind-closed-doors friendly against Stoke and a double-header vs. Athletic Club, Arne Slot‘s side will hope to be sharp for their Premier League opener at Anfield.
Integrating six new signings into the squad, as well as coming to terms with the passing of Diogo Jota, has also been a key part of preparation for the year ahead.
Here, we look at the numbers behind Liverpool’s pre-season.
Pre-season minutes played for Liverpool
In total, Slot used 37 players for the Reds, with three of those having already departed for other clubs – Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Tyler Morton have left for Al-Hilal, Bayern Munich and Lyon, respectively.
The first pre-season fixture was played at Preston on July 13, and a game against Stoke followed before the team headed out to Hong Kong then Japan, to play against AC Milan and Yokohama FM.
A double-header on the same day against Athletic Club followed, with a Community Shield defeat, on penalties to Crystal Palace, rounding off pre-season.
GOALKEEPERS:Giorgi Mamardashvili – 329 (5 apps)Alisson – 135 (2)Freddie Woodman – 90 (2)Armin Pecsi – 76 (2)
DEFENDER:Jeremie Frino Frimp – 324 (6) 372 (6)and Robertson – 258 (6) (4) Joe Gomez is
MIDFIELDERS:Dominik Szoboszlai – 378 (6)Curtis Jones – 333 (6)Ryan Gravenberch – 288 (5)Florian Wirtz – 265 (5)Wataru Endo – 231 (5)Trey Nyoni – 229 (5)Harvey Elliott – 169 (4)Alexis Mac Allister – 82 (2)Tommy Pilling – 23 (1)Michael Laffey – 6 (1)
FORWARDS:Mo Salah – 378 (6)Cody Gakpo – 378 (6)Ro Ngomoha – 229 (5)Ben Doak – (1)Will Wright – 16 (1)Lewis Kumas – 10 (1)
Goals
In what is likely a sign of things to come, Liverpool were free-scoring in their warm-up matches, netting 22 times altogether.
However, they also looked exposed in defence, conceding 11 goals, including four against AC Milan and two against Crystal Palace.
The now departed Nunez was top scorer with five, but Cody Gakpo also chipped in with four and impressive 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored three of his own.
In addition, Conor Bradley, Federico Chiesa, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Trey Nyoni, Ben Doak, Harvey Elliott, Mo Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong all got on the scoresheet.
Gakpo – 4Ngumoha – 3Bradley – 1Chiesa – 1Szoboszlai – 1Wirtz – 1Nyoni – 1Doak – 1Elliott – 1Salah – 1Ekitike – 1Frimpong – 1
Assists
Wirtz may be Liverpool’s chief chance-creator going forward, but in pre-season it was Szoboszlai and Jones who produced the most assists.
They both set up three goals from midfield, while Wirtz and Ngumoha managed two assists each. Doak, Gakpo, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister and Ekitike registered assists, too.
Again, Nunez also contributed, providing one assist before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
Szoboszlai – 3Jones – 3wirtz – 2NGUMOHA – 2DOAK – 1GAKPO – 1konate – 1mac Allister – 1ekitike – 1
