With the international tournaments now out of the way, Liverpool’s 2024-2025 pre-season begins now and the real stuff can finally resume…
AND there goes the big summer tournament. Finished.
Over the past month, people have been a bit upset when I’ve mentioned England or when I’ve shrugged when asked about their chances so I’m glad it’s all done. Distrust of the national side can once again slide meaninglessly into indifference.
But what it does mean is the reappearance of Liverpool as the lads returned to training. That was nice to see. I trust you all pored over the photos and videos and exclaimed ‘Oh, I forgot he still played for us’ when familiar faces crept into shot.
We’ve moved into Proper Pre-Season now and that means transfers, journalists taking flyers, people tracking planes and stories of: “He was definitely in Popworld last night… With Arne Slot… Both doing Jaegers… I’m telling you.”
No one knows anything at all, of course. No one has influence other than the people in the room and everything else is just speculation. These stories can start anywhere.
My mate Jamie wants me to start a rumour about Fransisco Conceicao of Porto in the hope that a name drop here might end in a contract there. Personally, I think he has too much faith in the influence of a humble writer.
I wonder what the players make of it all. They finally make it to the beach after a long season and summer tournament, they pick up their phone and see that they’re apparently having a medical at Shakhtar Donetsk next Thursday.
I’m also fascinated about player fitness. I mean, do they just stop doing anything at all after the last game or are they throwing in the odd parkrun to keep their hand in?
I was very surprised at the silly documentary a few years ago when, during a pre-season training session, Gerrard asked a colleague if he was as knackered as he was. Steven Gerrard! If he’s tired, what chance do the rest of us have? And he was playing full competitive games just a few weeks earlier.
All players hate pre-season and there’s usually a reference to a player throwing up somewhere when they come back from Dubai when the bleep tests kick in, but how much fitness can a professional footballer lose from May to August? How hard are they hitting the carbs in Magaluf?
I suppose there’s a difference in fitness and match fitness. Jermain Defoe talks about that a lot and says that while you can be fit, you can’t always be ‘sharp’. Of course, you can’t be sharp without playing and you can’t play unless you’re sharp so…
Where does this leave Joe Gomez? He didn’t get on at all during The Euros but still had to train. Is he rested or does he still need a sun lounger and the latest Jo Nesbo book to hand?
I suppose time off is just as good for the mental health as it is for the body. Probably even more so these days.
This is also the time of pre-season friendlies.
There are two schools of thought on them. The ‘it’ll be the youth team so why would I stand in a ground watching a gang of kids just because they’re wearing our shirt’ (that’s why you should do it, really) and ‘this is my chance to go to watch Liverpool,’ which is always to be encouraged.
And we’ve had some belters. The Cheyrou game years ago and, my all-time favourite, a 5-0 win against Parma in August 2000 when you could stand on the Kop and watch Nick Barmby’s first Liverpool goal all for just £12.50. Lilian Thurman, Dino Baggio and Fabio Cannavaro all played that day.
I love a pre-season friendly as you’re never that invested in them and it’s football again, which is the main thing.
There have been plenty of memorable non-Liverpool ones, too. I was at The Valley to see Championship side Charlton beat West Ham of the Premiership 1-0. Charlton fans may have been giddy with delight at such a scalp, but they left the ground unconvinced.
‘Looks like we’ll struggle again this year,’ came one remark as the embarrassed Hammers traipsed off the pitch. The ever-cynicism of the football regular is something I adore.
I’m going to a non-Liverpool friendly in a couple of weeks. Norwich City v St Pauli. The big one.
It’s been a long summerless summer, but we’re nearly there.
Pre-season has begun. The real one.
I can’t wait to see Big Fransisco in red.
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