Throughout the entire 2018/19 campaign, I’ll be re-watching the entire 90 minutes of every single Liverpool game, which is something I’ve been doing for games over the past few seasons anyway. As I re-watch, I take down some quick notes and, this year, I’ll be sharing some of those in article form here at Read Liverpool.

Liverpool earned a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in New Jersey as goals from substitutes Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane saw the Reds come from behind after Leroy Sane had put the champions ahead.

Like I’ve said all pre-season, it’s tough to learn too much from a friendly game but there were a few things that I took from the match:

  1. Curtis Jones was the best player on the pitch for Liverpool in the first-half. The teenager has looked like the best young player for the Reds in pre-season and his performance against City was very impressive. It’s easy to see him featuring around the first-team squad in the upcoming campaign.
  2. Fabinho looked half-a-yard off the pace in the game. Whether that’s due to fatigue or because the speed of the game was a bit quicker than he’s used to. He’ll need to get up to speed for the start of the year as he’s likely to be playing as Liverpool’s number six early on with Jordan Henderson missing time due to his post-World Cup rest.
  3. Mohamed Salah looking sharp was a real treat, especially as he looked unfit at the World Cup. He scored just moments after coming onto the pitch and he had numerous other chances to score too.
  4. Sadio Mane was incredible and looked so dangerous in a central role. Often the forgotten man when discussing Liverpool’s deadly front three, Mane is such a good player and he proved it again. He got involved in a central role, different from his usual left position and he was able to influence the game greatly. There is a school of thought that he could play like a number ten for the Reds, with Xherdan Shaqiri playing from the left.
  5. After struggling in pre-season so far, Dominic Solanke played really well and looked much better when surrounded by better players. His general play was much improved and he provided a genuine outlet up front.