New Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate described it as an “unforgettable moment” to make his first appearance for the Reds after his £ 36m transfer from RB Leipzig and played in a 30-minute mini-friendly against Stuttgart that ended 1-1.
Konate was selected by Jurgen Klopp to play in the second of back-to-back mini-games, with the first against Wacker Innsbruck also ending 1-1.
“It’s an unforgettable moment for me,” the midfielder told LiverpoolFC.com.
“Yes, without our fans – but I’m very, very happy. Just a little sad – very sad – that we did not win. But it’s OK, I’m happy. ”
An unforgettable moment for @IbrahimaKonate_?
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) 20 July 2021
Konate discussed how he personally progressed and added: “I was very happy with the team on the pitch; good communication with everyone. Step by step we get better, this is the first time during the pre-season. We are waiting for the next match. ”
Despite not winning any of the matches, Klopp was pleased that his team got some playing time.
“Physically was all we wanted to see, we had to do it and it was an important test for that,” Liverpool also told the club’s official website.
“From a football point of view, obviously a lot of room for improvement; I saw a lot of wild pressing. We wanted a wild press, we had some competition between the two teams to see who wins back the ball more and how many counter presses we have.
This was what the boss had to say after we started the pre-season with two 30-minute matches in Austria?
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) 20 July 2021
“I am very happy about it, everything is fine. I saw what I expected to see, in fact – it would be strange if I stood here and said, ‘My God, I did not know we can play this kind of football’, but I’m fine and now we’re working. “
Liverpool’s next pre-season test is a full-length match against Mainz on Friday, although Klopp has already said it would be a “surprise” if Virgil van Dijk or Joe Gomez are ready to return from a long-term injury, despite resuming full training.
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