OPINION
Liverpool lost the first game of their pre-season tour of America on Saturday as they suffered a 3-2 defeat courtesy of Borussia Dortmund.
The Reds went behind in the third minute with Paco Alcacer putting the German giants ahead, but Harry Wilson gave them hope by pulling a goal back in the 35th minute.
However, Dortmund quickly took the lead again shortly into the second-half as Tomas Delaney and Jacob Brun Larsen both got themselves on the scoresheet.
While Rhian Brewster scored from the penalty spot to make it 3-2 in the 75th minute, the Reds couldn’t tie the game up before the final whistle.
Jurgen Klopp no doubt enjoys winning in pre-season, however sometimes you can learn more things about your team from a loss.
Live 4 Liverpool has put together three things learn from Saturday’s clash with Dortmund:
Lallana was not missed
Adam Lallana missed the Reds’ clash with Dortmund due to a dead leg, as reported by journalist Neil Jones on Twitter, and it’s fair to say he wasn’t missed.
The 31-year-old really needs to be featuring in all of the Reds’ pre-season friendlies after only making 16 appearances last season, as he needs to prove that he is worthy of a place in Klopp’s first-team.
However, with another injury problem, a groin injury saw him miss several games in his latest campaign (Source: Transfermarket) others took the opportunity to impress against Dortmund with Lallana out.
For example, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain proved he should be ahead of the 31-year-old in the pecking order as he constantly tried to carve out chances by surging forward.
While the 25-year-old’s passes sometimes missed their mark, the fact he could skilfully breeze past some Dortmund players showed what an asset he could be in the upcoming campaign.
Larouci is one to watch
Yasser Larouci seized his chance to impress as he made marking Jadon Sancho look all in a day’s work. The 18-year-old kept the formidable attacker at bay for the most part and that’s no easy task. After all last season, Sancho made light work of much more experienced full-backs than Larouci as he scored 12 goals while assisting 14 in his 34 league outings, he also was so impressive that he ended up winning seven Man of the Match awards during his latest Bundesliga campaign (Source: WhoScored).
Yet Larouci showed so much confidence when dealing with Sancho and even showed no fear by charging forward when possible. While the teenager’s display wasn’t perfect, there was a couple of shaky moments, given that he has never played regular senior football, he seized his chance to prove his potential.
However while Larouci took his opportunity, fellow full-back Nathaniel Clyne dropped the ball.
The 28-year-old looked sluggish and was in no-mans-land for Borussia Dortmund’s opening goal.
Wilson should be loaned not sold
Harry Wilson may not get much playing time if he stays at Anfield this season, with Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Xherdan Shaqiri all on the club’s books, he should have a bright future at the club.
The 22-year-old winger not only got on the scoresheet but used his pace and clever footwork to consistently find himself space against Dortmund.
It’s clear to see that as Wilson grew in confidence he improved and you feel another impressive loan spell could see him good enough to be in the first-team squad at Anfield.
The Welsh winger scored 18 goals and assisted six in 48 appearances for Derby County last season while on loan, and a temporary spell at a side in the top-flight surely would see him fulfil even more of his potential.
