LIVERPOOL 3-4 BAYERN MUNICH: Jurgen Klopp’s side led 2-0 and 3-2 against Thomas Tuchel’s Bundesliga champions but ended up losing a topsy-turvy encounter in Singapore
Liverpool finished their Asian tour with a close loss to Bayern Munich in Singapore.
Cody Gakpo gave the Reds an early lead as Jurgen Klopp’s side attempted to build on their earlier pre-season friendly victory against Leicester. They were fortunate to remain in ahead after Benjamin Pavard missed a fantastic opportunity from point-blank range.
Shortly before the half-hour mark, Virgil van Dijk increased the Premier League side’s lead, headed home from a corner, but Serge Gnabry evaded the offside trap to equalize soon after. Before the break, it was 2-2, with Leroy Sane capping off a fast break by slotting past Alisson.
Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Ibrahima Konate were introduced before halftime, with Bayern also making changes. Harvey Elliott, Joe Gomez, and Kostas Tsimikas all came on around the hour mark, and half-time newcomer Diaz restored Liverpool’s lead with a neat first touch and forceful finish.
After both sides made more changes, Bayern levelled again through Josip Stanisic. Neither team was willing to settle for a draw, despite the promise of a penalty shoot-out if things ended all-square, and Frans Kartzig lashed a late effort beyond Alisson to hand the Bundesliga champions victory.
There was plenty for Jurgen Klopp to consider, with Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Chelsea less than a fortnight away, while his opposite number Thomas Tuchel also has decisions to make. Here, Mirror Football picks out five talking points
1. Mac Allister injury worry
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Alexis Mac Allister received treatment late in the first halfDavid Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The loss of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho means new signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister will be doing a lot of heavy lifting this season. The pair started together for the first time against Bayern, giving a glimpse of what we can expect this term.
It largely looked like the pair were tasked with recycling the ball quickly to help the Reds break at will, while helping push the opponents back. This worked well when the Reds opened up their lead, but they got a taste of their own medicine for Bayern’s second.
There was an injury worry late in the first half, with Mac Allister going down after a knock to the knee. He didn’t re-emerge for the second period, and Klopp will hope it’s nothing serious after briefly being without Szoboszlai earlier in the pre-season programme.
2. Jones the holder
When Fabinho joined Al Ittihad, Klopp praised the Brazilian’s willingness to do the dirty work. There have been questions over whether the Reds will need to dip into the transfer market to replace those qualities, but for now it was Curtis Jones taking up the role in the opening period.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been used in a deeper midfield role during pre-season, with Klopp suggesting the England international is capable of playing as a six. He was back at full-back this time, though, and may feel he should have been better placed to deny Gnabry for Bayern’s opener.
3. Van Dijk leading by example
The game was the first to feature Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool’s official club captain, though he has worn the armband before. The Dutch skipper took over on a permanent basis following Jordan Henderson’s departure, describing it as a “huge honour”, and was heavily involved against Bayern.
Liverpool’s Dutch duo Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo were both on target
First came some important defensive work, nipping in to deny Alphonso Davies as the Bayern star made a late burst forward. Then came the goal, a confident header after rising highest to meet a corner from the right.
Defensively, though, there were still some issues. The changes to Alexander-Arnold’s role might mean Liverpool take more chances defensively this term, and that will put greater pressure on Van Dijk’s organisational qualities, but competitive football will be the real test of that.
4. Selection headache up front
Gakpo needed just a couple of minutes to get on the scoresheet ( Darwin Nunez’s display against Leicester served as a reminder he’s not ready to be written off as a flop. The Uruguayan dropped to the bench for the Bayern game, though, and Cody Gakpo wasted little time showing his own quality with an emphatic finish for Liverpool’s opener.
Nunez got the second 45 minutes, almost netting immediately but putting a header wide from close range. Instead, it was Diaz – who some have seen as a bit of an odd man out – who provided a reminder of his attacking quality.
With no Champions League football this season, the need for fierce competition isn’t necessarily that pressing. It’s a good problem for Jurgen Klopp to have, though.
5. Bayern’s Kane dilemma
