The Ups and Downs of Pre-Season

Last updated : 08 August 2016 By Adam Bryant

Now clubs need to take the transfer window into account. A lot more buying, selling and loaning players now occurs in the weeks leading up to the start of the new season. Managers not only have to put their unwanted players in the shop window by giving them pre-season game time, but they also have to try out the new signings and work out tactics before the serious action commences.

Add to that the increasing number of commercially-sponsored tournaments that expect strong, if not full-strength, teams to take part and we now have a pre-season that’s almost as intense as the season itself.

Jurgen Klopp’s high intensity training methods take the word ‘friendly’ out of some of these fixtures. Take the Chelsea clash for example, with both teams going hell for leather to impress their respective managers. I’m sure the International Champions Cup organisers will have enjoyed the physical clash, but us fans were wincing as the crunching tackles flew in.

As a result we have an injury list longer than your arm, several of the new signings won’t now be able to slot into the first team to strengthen the positions that we brought them in to do and Klopp’s tactics now need to be adapted to cope with the absentees.

What was supposed to be a month of preparation may now have actually put us back a month and could well see Liverpool having to play catch up once we are back to full strength. Let’s hope not!