Liverpool put in their strongest performance of pre-season on Sunday in the Anfield headliner against Champions League side Como, and next up for the Reds under new head coach Andoni Iraola is the Premier League season opener against Newcastle next Sunday.
“We are ready and everyone can’t wait until the season starts next week,” left back Milos Kerkez said after Sunday’s 2-0 victory. “We said we need to get the win, to get that positive mentality going into the next week. So, we did good, clean sheet, good for the defenders, we’re happy.
“We have still some work to be more defensively set up, to get more help obviously from the wingers, but it’s going to come over the next week. We need to be ready for the Premier League intensity next week, especially at Newcastle, so the 90 minutes was good, definitely.”
In order to get more help from the wingers, the club continue to work to sign an elite forward to replace the departed Mohamed Salah, with Bradley Barcola widely expected as that signing—but the small matter of agreeing a fee that satisfies Paris Saint-Germain proving difficult.
The timeline for a but signing is tight with Newcastle next weekend and the transfer window closing a week after that, but whether or not a new signing is ready for next Sunday’s opener this is a side that looks in high spirits and to have embraced Iraola’s high intensity approach.
“I feel ready,” Kerez added. “It’s the first time I played 90 minutes, so I felt my legs a bit at I would say after 70, but it’s good to get the whole 90 minutes. After last season honestly I started to train after two or three weeks. I missed training, so it’s good to be back and recharged.”