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.
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.
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.
Bayern equalized again with Josip Stanisic after both teams made more substitutions. Despite the possibility of a penalty shoot-out if the game finished all-square, neither club was willing to accept a draw, and Frans Kartzig lashed a late effort beyond Alisson to give the Bundesliga champions victory.
With Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Chelsea less than a fortnight away, Jurgen Klopp had enough to think about, while his opposing number Thomas Tuchel also has decisions to make. Mirror Football has selected five talking points.
1. Mac Allister injury worry
The departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho need the addition of new players. 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, providing a preview of what we might anticipate coming season.
The two appeared to be tasked with fast recycling the ball to assist the Reds break at will while pushing the opponents back. This worked well when the Reds took the lead, but they got a taste of their own medicine when Bayern scored their second.
Mac Allister went down with a knee injury late in the first half, causing some concern. He didn’t return for the second half, and Klopp will be hoping it’s nothing severe after missing Szoboszlai earlier in the preseason.
2. Jones the holder
When Fabinho joined Al Ittihad, Klopp complimented the Brazilian’s willingness to perform the dirty job. There have been worries about whether the Reds will need to bring in new players to replace those attributes, but for the time being, Curtis Jones is filling the position.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been deployed in a deeper midfield role throughout preseason, with Klopp believing the England international is capable of playing as a six. He was back at full-back this time, and he may have felt he should have been better situated 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.
First, some crucial defending, sneaking in to thwart Alphonso Davies as the Bayern Munich star made a late rush forward. Then came the goal, a confident header after rising highest to meet a right-wing corner.
However, there were some defensive concerns. The alterations to Alexander-Arnold’s role may force Liverpool to take more defensive risks this season, putting additional emphasis on Van Dijk’s organizational skills, but competitive football will be the true litmus test.
4. Selection headache up front
Darwin Nunez’s performance against Leicester demonstrated that he is not ready to be cast off as a flop. The Uruguayan was dropped to the bench for the Bayern encounter, and Cody Gakpo wasted no time in demonstrating his own quality with a thunderous finish for Liverpool’s opener.
Nunez got the second half, almost scoring right away but heading wide from close range. Instead, it was Diaz, who some saw as an outlier, who demonstrated his offensive ability.
With no Champions League football this season, the demand for fierce competition isn’t as acute. However, that is a nice problem for Jurgen Klopp to have.
5. Bayern’s Kane dilemma
Bayern Munich is still looking for a striker, and Thomas Tuchel is still a fan of Harry Kane. While the Bavarians had little trouble getting the internet in Singapore, it was clear why they could benefit from a focus point.
Tuchel’s team posed a threat from wide areas, as proven by Gnabry and Sane finding the net. However, central forward Mathys Tel looked isolated at times, and Kane would surely be an upgrade.
Kane has stated that he will not quit Tottenham following the start of the Premier League season if they are in danger. With that in mind, and in light of this performance, Bayern may be looking to expedite their pursuit of the England captain.
