Southampton vs Liverpool - Premier League (19/20 - Game 2)

[Fosterbloke]

UK:
Saturday 17th August at 3:00pm

Australia:
Perth Time: 17th August at 10:00pm
QLD Time: 18th August at 12:00am
NSW/VIC: 18th August at 12:00am
NT Time: 17th August at 11:30am
Live on Optus Sports

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This is it!

What a start to the season - a decent 4-1 win against Norwich and another European trophy!

Southampton were poor last week but they're still a much improved side from when we last played them. That said, I expect our superior physical conditioning to get us through.

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SOUTHAMPTON

No code has to be inserted here.Top scorers (All Comps)

No Scorers yet

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LIVERPOOL

No code has to be inserted here.Top scorers (All Comps)

Sadio Mané - 2
Joel Matip - 1
Divock Origi - 1
Mohamed Salah - 1
Virgil van Dijk - 1

[Buzzo]

[Liverpool]

------San Miguel
Trent-Matip-VVD-Robertson
--------Fabinho
----Gini--------Milner
-Salah---Bobby-----Mane

[Fosterbloke]

Didn't Milner have ice on his knee? I'd have Henderson there and start Origi on the left to give Mane more recovery time.

[Fosterbloke]

No, you

[Corndog]

Should players be rested for this? It will be interesting to see who comes into the side. The squad has depth in most areas but I'm not sure how much we will use it without being forced to.

------------Adrian------------
---TAA---Matip----VVD----Robbo
--------------wijnaldum--------
--------Lallana/Shaq---------Milner---
-----Salah-------Firmino-----Origi


Subs
Lonergan
Brewster
Mane
Henderson
Gomez
Lallana/Shaq
Fabinho

[frank the tank]

if we need to rest players already, then we may as well adjust our ****in intentions this season.

It's 3 games in. The players will be ****in fine.

------------------------ADRIIAAAAAAN----------------------------

TRENT------MATIP--------------------VIRGIL-------ROBERTSON

-------------------------FABINHO----------------------------------

-----------HENDERSON--------------WJINALDUM-----------------

SALAH-------------------FIRMINO--------------------------MANE




Bench - Shaqiri, Origi, Lallana, Milner, Brewster, Gomez, Lonergan

[BigChief]

Need to go full strength and win well. City playing spurs gives us a chance to open a gap on one or both of them already.

[Corndog]

if we need to rest players already, then we may as well adjust our ****in intentions this season.

It's 3 games in. The players will be ****in fine.

------------------------ADRIIAAAAAAN----------------------------

TRENT------MATIP--------------------VIRGIL-------ROBERTSON

-------------------------FABINHO----------------------------------

-----------HENDERSON--------------WJINALDUM-----------------

SALAH-------------------FIRMINO--------------------------MANE




Bench - Shaqiri, Origi, Lallana, Milner, Brewster, Gomez, Lonergan

Fatigue isn't something you diminish little by little over the course of a year. It should be managed constantly to decrease the likelihood of injury. Eg you would rather not have Mane injured if you could prevent it.

The case for rotating here is not the number of games into the season. It is the frequency of those games. Already Friday-Wednesday-Saturday.

[Mark79]

if we need to rest players already, then we may as well adjust our ****in intentions this season.

It's 3 games in. The players will be ****in fine.

Even the players who didn't get a break or full pre-season? 3 games is irrelevant for those whose 18/19 never really ended.

We've already lost 2 players to muscle injuries and saw others struggling on Wednesday. It's not like there's a magic reset in August.

[labourRed]

Even the players who didn't get a break or full pre-season? 3 games is irrelevant for those whose 18/19 never really ended.

We've already lost 2 players to muscle injuries and saw others struggling on Wednesday. It's not like there's a magic reset in August.

And some players played 120minutes in an oven midweek. Not that hard to understand some players will need a rest, surely.

Anyway those that'll be doubts are obviously Fabinho, Hendo and Virgil. Although the latter looked to have run off his knock.

Thankfully we tried to rest Bobby and a few others so we should be pretty strong.

[Buzzo]

Interesting article on our recovery process from Dave Maddock.

Inside Liverpool's meticulous medical setup as Reds recover from Super Cup ahead of Southampton trip

Some players did not arrive back at their team hotel until 4am local time in Istanbul after 120 minutes of action.

If, as Sadio Mane suggested, fatigue is in the head, then it helps as an elite footballer to have a psychologist attached to the team.

And a physiologist, head of medical services, a head of fitness and conditioning, medical rehabilitation and performance manager, rehab fitness coach, first team fitness coach, masseur, head of nutrition and four physios, a specialist team of 10 people in fact, who design and implement a scientific programme aimed at getting the squad in the best physical shape.

Most travel with the first team. At this level, with the fixture list and travel a successful team is forced to follow, it isn’t just necessary, it is essential. Even a brief look at Liverpool ’s schedule after the Super Cup final in Istanbul tells you that.

They didn’t finish the game until almost 1am. With the trophy lift and celebration, it was 1.30am before they left the field, and Jurgen Klopp’s press conference didn’t start until 2am… with Sadio Mane coming afterwards.

That is why, at 3am in the mixed zone, as the night’s heroic figure Adrian paused to talk about his first ever trophy in his first ever start for Liverpool, Klopp himself emerged and shouted over: “Adrian, come on, we have a game Saturday.”

They arrived back at their Istanbul hotel at 3.30am, but two players - skipper Jordan Henderson and James Milner - were chosen for drug testing, and didn’t return until 4am.

With a game at 3pm on Saturday, that leaves precious little time to recover from 120 draining minutes in almost 30- degree heat, on a humid, airless night. It takes almost military precision to get players ready so soon after such a draining effort.

It starts before the game, with a carefully planned diet - food weighed and programmed to ensure the right nutrients at the right levels, and vitamin supplements, electrolytes and minerals.

Even on the final whistle, the team of physios distributed drinks which are carefully prepared, with the right balance of hydration, salt and electrolytes to replace lost fluids. Then food is handed out in the form of digestible protein, to return energy levels and protect muscle mass against wastage.

There would have been ice baths too, but the facility was not available in the stadium, and it was too late at the hotel. So instead, recovery is planned in forensic detail by the team of physiologists.

That means massage, treatment and most importantly of all rest. Liverpool stayed in Istanbul rather than flying straight back, because any flight at 5am would mean not return to Merseyside until 9, and an afternoon training session.

Instead, they stayed and trained in Istanbul - a simple recovery session for those who played, nothing more - before flying back to Liverpool, where the players were sent home to get back some of the sleep they were denied.

Those with knocks would have treatment, and every player will be tested on Friday where they will conduct their one serious training session to concentrate on the game against Southampton on Saturday.

Players are weighed to judge how much fluid has been lost, and sweat tested to determine their salt and mineral balance. At this data is collated and diets tailored accordingly.

The return to Melwood allows full use of facilities, and crucially computer analysis of the previous game. The benefit, is one night at home in a familiar bed.

Then another flight to the south coast on Friday afternoon, another hotel, and another training session - largely planning, loosening and stretching - on Saturday morning before the game.

The medical analysis is so good now, that any players with serious issues of fatigue are flagged up, and the information given to Klopp before he makes his team selection. He will be told, who may be at risk of injury, or who is not at the level for the intensity of the Premier League.

The session on Friday is again aimed at recovery, but there will be planning too, a walk through of the tactics to be employed, and also a technical meeting where analysts will present crucial information on the opposition.

Klopp is an emotional coach, but also cutting edge in his detailed preparation too. He designs plans for every opponent and tweaks his tactics for every game. There is no adherence to the old Liverpool mentality of ‘not worrying about the opposition, let them worry about us’.

But he keeps it relatively simple for the players, getting across a couple of important points clearly. And at the core of everything is the mantra of three Rs - rest and recuperation, along with the right refuelling.

That is how the likes of Salah and Mane played more than 50 games each last season, and how they were relatively ‘lucky’ with injuries during a historic campaign.

It is not luck though. It is science, with Liverpool studying and learning from the programmes implemented by some of the tops sports teams in the world - with British cycling and Team Ineos principle Dave Brailsford a Liverpool fan, who has had connections in the past.

Liverpool have also used the former British cycling psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters too, a man renowned for his work on mental strength and positive attitude. That attitude was evident after the game, when players such as Joe Gomez spoke of the physical challenges they faced.

Gomez admitted to being “very tired” after such a long night in draining heat, yet he explained there is a philosophy at Anfield. “It is relentless but it is part and parcel to be at the top.

“You have to play more games than anyone else if you want to win things We want to do it and we want to work together, do our best for the team, recover, go again.

“It’s tough. We fly home and then gone again (to Southampton). That is part and parcel of it. We cannot complain and we are lucky to do it.”

As Mane said, tiredness is all in the brain, but winning is in the heart.

[Yozza]

Keita ruled out

Naby Keita out of Southampton with hip muscle injury, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

The Reds boss added says he doesn’t know when Keita will return to action.


'It looks better and I will make a decision'

“If the person cannot stop himself then the fans around him must. It is not funny," Klopp added about Adrian's injury.

"Wow! How can something like this happen?

“Adrian won’t go for a scan. We wait for the swelling to go down.

"The flight didn’t help but I saw him now, it looks better and make a decision.


”'We know we have to improve a couple of things defensively'

On Mane and Firminho: "[Mane's sub] was a clear decision based on responsibility. It is great for us that he is back. I will see the players in an hour or so and we have to make decisions again.

"Bobby has that extra class and Mo has been incredible as well."

On defensive improvements: “If you compare us to August last year, it’s not that big a difference.

“The thing is they had two goals that were offside and there are no whistles. You see that it is two yards offside so that is good defending.

“We know we have to improve a couple of things defensively.”


'We don't want to make excuses about the short turnaround'

On Southampton: “Last year was tough for us there. The analysis was tricky last season and we don’t know 100% what they will do.

“It’s early on and we all have the same chances. We all have the same job to do.”

On the short turnaround: "I don't want to talk about it. It sounds like we make excuses. Southampton lost 3-0 against Burnley who are full of power.

"Saints are a strong side and we had enough time to analyse them. We saw two pre-season games and we have all the info we need."


'Ox needs to get used to all the intensity'

On Oxlade-Chamberlain: “It was positive for Oxlade-Chamberlain. We all know the potential he has and he can much more of an impact. That is normal.

“He needs to get used to all the intensity and this stuff. He has not played that position much so that is my fault and I said that.”


'Lonergan is ready'

On Andy Lonergan: “We need to think about Saturday to find a way to win the game.

“Andy Lonergan is in training with Kelleher and we have them if we have to make a decision.

“Adrian was a week before, Lonergan has trained with us. Kelleher has potential but is not 100% yet. We will see.”


'We have no power over fixture congestion'

On fixture congestion: “We trained for two hours or so and my plan when I heard about the fixtures was to win on Wednesday and on Saturday and speak about it after.

“If you speak about it before the game it sounds like excuses. Was it right we played Friday and Chelsea Sunday? No but we have no power.”


Klopp says Adrian's ankle is 'swollen but we have to see'

Klopp confirms Adrian has suffered a slight ankle knock.

"I don't understand why in the world of social media when we are all together, a supporter jumped over something and kicked [Adrian's] ankle.

"It is swollen but we have to see. Apart from that it was a brilliant night for him."


'We have a winning approach'

Klopp on the final experience: “Winning things is much better than losing them, that is true. We are now more experienced in finals.

“We have a winning approach. I usually believe the result is the result of the performance and that is true but it depends on the performance.

“You have to be clinical in the right moments and solid.”


'Super Cup win felt good'

Jurgen on the Super Cup win: "It felt good, much better than we thought before the game.

“After 120 minutes, investing all we did in the game, it makes it even more worth it. I can really imagine how Chelsea must have felt.

“We go home with the good feeling. We came back yesterday and had a little time to analyse Southampton.”

[Fuzzy]

Keita ruled out

Naby Keita out of Southampton with hip muscle injury, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

The Reds boss added says he doesn’t know when Keita will return to action.

This sound great

[BigChief]

This sound great

Almost sounded like don't know, don't care.