Liverpool 3-0 VfB Stuttgart: 5 Talking Points as Premier League champions step up preparations

Premier League champions Liverpool won their first pre-season friendly 3-0 against German side VfB Stuttgart on a rainy evening in Austria.

Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Rhian Brewster scored for Jurgen Klopp's champions as the newly-promoted Bundesliga side looked no match for Liverpool, who looked as sharp as the circumstances allowed them to be.

Firmino put the Reds in front, after brilliant work from Curtis Jones on the left flank. The young Scouser dribbled his way to the byline, and then managed to cut it back for Firmino to tap into an empty net.

The Brazilian turned from scorer to provider at the end of the half, when he set up Keita with a lovely back-heel, that left him one-on-one with the Stuttgart goalkeeper. The Guinean made no mistake with the finish and put the Reds two goals to the good.

Klopp made 11 changes at half-time, with new signing Kostas Tsimikas making his first appearance in a Liverpool shirt. The Reds' lead was extended midway through the half, with an excellent team goal.

After a superb passing sequence between Harvey Elliott, Marko Grujic and James Milner on the right flank, the veteran set up Brewster for an easy finish to round off the evening for the Reds.

Here are five things that we learned from the game, as Klopp's men step up their preparations for the new season with another friendly against RB Salzburg on Tuesday.

---

#5 The conditions hampered the flow of the game

Mohamed Salah's movement was severely hampered by the conditions (Image Courtesy: Liverpool FC)

The rain absolutely bucketed down in Saalfelden as the Reds got their pre-season friendlies again. Jurgen Klopp started with a strong enough enough team, with only Neco Williams and Curtis Jones starting in what was otherwise a team you would expect to start in the Premier League.

Liverpool managed to keep possession well enough, but their ability to exchange quick passes and use the pace of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were severely hampered by the heavy rain. The pitch had become soaked, and the ball wasn't really rolling smoothly on it.

The weather relented a lot more in the second half, but the pitch had already taken enough of a battering. That meant the likes of Nat Phillips and Sepp van den Berg, the young Liverpool centre-back pairing in the second half, were very nervous about their distribution from the back, especially with not being able to judge the weight of passes correctly.

Klopp obviously knows better than to judge from just this one game, but he will be relieved that he didn't have more injuries to deal with, after Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all missed out this evening.

"The weather! Wow!" was Klopp's first reaction to proceedings, when he was interviewed by LFC TV after the match.

---

#4 Naby Keita set for big Liverpool season

Naby Keita scored Liverpool's second goal of the game (Image Courtesy: Liverpool FC)

Naby Keita joined Liverpool for RB Leipzig two summers ago amid much expectation and fanfare. But right now, his Liverpool career is very much at a crossroads. When he has played, he has always been an influential player for Klopp's side. However, he just has not been available for long enough, or consistently enough.

He was one of Liverpool's best players in the last nine Premier League games after the league's restart post-lockdown, and in this game, he seemed to take that form forward. He was the one Liverpool player in the first half who looked unperturbed by the conditions.

His dribbling was still top-notch, and he was linking up brilliantly with the Reds' forward players. Sadio Mane should've scored after a lovely one-two with Keita put the Senegalese through on goal, but his touch deserted him.

The goal was just reward for Keita on the night, for another sharp and purposeful performance. Klopp will only hope that he can remain fit to provide more such influential performances through the course of the Reds' title defence in the upcoming season.

#3 Encouraging signs from Tsimikas and Minamino

Kostas Tsimikas moved from Olympiakos to Liverpool in this transfer window

Liverpool's two latest signings for the first team squad - Kostas Tsimikas and Takumi Minamino - both played in the second half, and were impressive with what they produced.

Minamino looked a lot stronger than he has in recent Premier League games, and was sharp with his movement and dribbling. He started on the left flank, but seemed to develop a very decent understanding with Brewster, with swift interchanges in positions, and neat one-twos.

Tsimikas, who signed from Olympiakos just a few days ago, made his first appearance in a red shirt. Klopp ought to have been impressed by what he saw from the Greek international.

Tsimikas showed his recovery speed to help out a young defensive combination that the Reds put out in the second half. He also was very impressive in dribbling forward at speed.

At the end of the game, Tsimikas was very clear that his target was to ensure he gave himself the best chance of playing more games in all competitions in the upcoming season.

The competition might well be good for Andy Robertson, allowing Liverpool to keep the Scot on his toes, in the knowledge that his spot cannot be taken for granted.

#2 Liverpool's academy youngsters step up to impress

Rhian Brewster and Marko Grujic played their first games for Liverpool since the end of their respective loan spells (Image Courtesy: Liverpool FC)

Neco Williams has already marked his territory as the first choice back-up to Trent Alexander-Arnold in Liverpool's right-back slot, while the likes of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott have been in and around the first-team setup for a year now.

Rhian Brewster scored 11 goals in 21 starts for Swansea in the second half of last season, when he was loaned to the Championship side. He was a big force in helping the Welsh club get into the Championship playoffs, and will now look to build on that, as he fights for a regular place in Klopp's Liverpool squad.

Brewster certainly did his case no harm in this game, and neither did Elliott. Starting together in the second half, the two young Englishman were excellent in dovetailing with the likes of Minamino and Marko Grujic in and around the penalty area. It was one such intricate passing move that brought Liverpool their third goal of the game.

For the last 20 minutes of the game, Klopp brought on young French centre-back Billy Koumetio, and he instantly looked at home. Already an imposing figure, Koumetio was commanding while defending set-pieces, while his distribution out of the back also was filled with quality.

---

#1 Curtis Jones stands out in a superstar team

Curtis Jones was Liverpool's best player in the first half (Image Courtesy: Liverpool FC)

Liverpool put out a side that almost was a full Premier League starting XI for the first half of this game. Only Curtis Jones and Neco Williams were the non-regulars in that lineup.

The young Scouser Jones didn't let that perturb him though, as he was easily the standout player. What catches the eye about Jones is his fearlessness and confidence while in possession of the ball. His ability to drive into forward areas with the ball at his feet is a definite option for Klopp to use as the season wears on.

Jones has had a change of jersey number for the new season as well, with the move from #48 to #17 indicative of a much larger role within the first team setup for the youngster.

Playing alongside Keita and Fabinho in midfield, Jones linked up really well with the likes of Salah and Firmino, even setting up the latter as he opened the scoring for Liverpool in this game.

Jones has had a whirlwind 2020, which began with a sensational Merseyside Derby winner against Everton in the FA Cup. He scored a further two senior goals as well, including his first Premier League goal against Aston Villa, in a 2-0 win at Anfield.

Jones is set for a big season at Anfield, with Klopp showing immense faith in the youngster, and the likelihood of playing in an attacking role alongside the superstar talents that Liverpool already have.