The big kick-off! Reds ready for Arsenal test
We’re almost there.
After Euro 2016, after the summer break, after a number of pre-season friendlies both at home and abroad Liverpool FC will begin the 2016/2017 FA Premier League campaign against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this Sunday.
There may have been a number of changes in the playing staff this summer, with the likes of Marko Grujic, Sadio Mané and Ragnar Klavan particularly impressive in their early Reds appearances, but the buzz around Merseyside at the start of a new campaign remains as strong as ever.
Jürgen Klopp will have learned a lot about his players during his first full pre-season in charge of the club, from the high of a 4-0 win over Barcelona to the disappointment, the following day, of defeat to his former club Mainz.
Mané, Klavan, Grujic, Joel Matip, Loris Karius and Georginio Wijnaldum have all been added to the club’s ranks while Klopp knows that several Academy players are knocking on the first team door, having impressed this summer.
"Last season we had Ojo, Brannagan, Randall, Smith, Stewart and Chirivella who played in real games for the first team,” he told LiverpoolFC.com.
"We’ve had Ben Woodburn, Ovie Ejaria and Trent (Alexander-Arnold) playing for us in the friendly games. Shamal George has been in a good way too.
"That’s eight or nine. What do we want? We want 20 of this quality.”
Now, the real work begins as the German expects an intense summer programme to reap rewards in the league.
Belgian striker Divock Origi, in particular, feels that, “everything is there to do great things.”
“We know there will be good moments [and] moments that will be more difficult, but eventually, if we stick together, if we have the same plan, the same ambition, the same hunger, and if every teammate tries to help each other, I think we will stand very strong,” he told the club’s official website.
“We have a very big group with very talented players and we have very good staff.
“Everything is there to do great things so we always have to keep hope and keep pushing until the end and if we do this I’m convinced we can surprise people this year.”
Defender Matip has recovered from injury and will hope to play some part in North London on Sunday.
The former Schalke defender has spoken about how the decision to link up with Klopp – who used to manage the German club’s arch rivals Borussia Dortmund – was an easy one.
“Jürgen Klopp is a great coach. He was the coach of Dortmund when I was at Schalke but now I have the possibility to play for him at Liverpool,” the Cameroon international, who turned 25 on Monday, said.
“It was a very easy decision to play for him at Liverpool. It was a very easy decision to play for him too because he can make every player better.”
Finally, it has been confirmed that the Reds’ first home game of the season at a newly redeveloped Anfield will take place against champions Leicester City on Saturday 10 September.