With few new-ish faces...
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/fi...liverpool-kick-off-pre-season-work-in-austria
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/fi...liverpool-kick-off-pre-season-work-in-austria
Pre season starts
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LFC TV has a long video from the first day of pre-season. No sign of Harry Wilson and Woodburn, but the rest of the loanees are here: Karius, Grujic, Brewster, Nate Phillips, Kelleher... Looks like Matip and Hendo are following individual programme, but Shaq is in the main group. Tsimikas seems to have struck a good relationship with Salah already, maybe he's going to be the new Lovren. Grujic also seems to be part of the little circle with Kostas and Mo. Brewster looks to be super determined, you can see fire in his eyes. Overall from the bits you can see in the video everyone looks fresh and motivated; Bobby and Mo in particular.
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He needs to learn to not get so under a high ball.
Never seen him play unfortunately
I think Pearce was raving about him, saying he's the next big hope from the youth ranks.
That also combines with a season already shortened by 2 weeks and then shortened even further for the teams you listed. Their fixture list is going to be horrible.
We're certainly well placed to capitalise if we can add a bit more depth by the end of the window.
Sounds good. I have high hopes for Hoever, if he wasn't still so young maybe he would be our new #4 CB.
Koumetio's a great prospect. It's not just his height and build that makes him stand out in his age group, he's also unusually mature and thoughtful as a player. Good awareness, good jump, really powerful - he's deffo being fast-tracked. Still plenty to learn, though, and a loan deal would make sense.
How about Hoever?
About a year ago there was a lot of talk/hype about him being the next big thing from the reserves. He even came on in a PL game didn't he?
Since then he seems to have faded from the first team somewhat. Has he regressed? Something else?
No, I don't think so, just not enough games where the pressure was off and we could afford to bring him on in defence. I think he's great, such a very classy player.
My only slight concern is that, thanks to his Ajax coaching, he could be a victim of his own versatility. There are some players that you think, 'Okay, he's a CB or he's an RB or whatever and that's the position he's got to make his own'. Hoever just looks comfortable pretty much wherever you play him. So in the ressies he's played at RB, right CB, left CB, defensive midfield... Hopefully it's all helping him with his tactical awareness etc, but he's not yet sort of 'crystallising' in a particular position.
That's hurt some young players in the past (we've had very good prospects who been good enough to 'fill-in' all over the pitch, and it's somehow - I think unfairly - diminished their impact on the first team coaches, and presently Adam Lewis, who can play on either wing as well as LB, seems to be suffering because of his versatility), but obviously it hasn't done the likes of Carra or TAA any harm. Handled in the right way, so that the different experiences benefit him rather than just plug gaps in the under-23 sides, it ought to help Hoever, and anyway, Klopp, Lijnders and Matos all seem to love him, so I think we'll see more of him from now on. He's just got to be patient.
Whenever I've seen Hoever he has looked a cut above. He never looked too far away from being ready for the first team. A little surprised Neco Williams got ahead of him in the pecking order this season, but that's no slight on Williams.
Hoever is also not quite tall enough for a CB at 183cm at present (he will definitely grow taller in time), compared to the likes of VDB and Kumetio. So looks like he’s mostly going to play fullback for the next year or two and we’re well-stocked in that position. Think a loan would make sense.
Personally I've never seen the fuss about Williams. He doesn't seem to have any outstanding attribute, so I'm a bit baffled he's got ahead of Hoever who looked so classy when he got his first appearances.
Cos full backs get away with mistakes, centre backs cost you points if they fuck up, more often than not.
There's a reason a lot of centre backs end up filling in at full back just to get first team experience, & that's it.
There's a reason a lot of centre backs end up filling in at full back just to get first team experience, & that's it.
Yeah, but Hoever has looked brilliant at right back. Would've thought we'd see more of Hoever there than Williams.
I think Williams has potential. He's decent enough on the ball and can deliver a good cross.
But yeah, Hoever looked a lot better.
I think it's definitely a bit odd. For all the world he looked like one of those youngsters who'd just sail into the first team, but we've barely seen him since.
I think Hoever is simply not the type of full-back we need in our system – long-term he projects as a CB and it's a bit like Gomez playing RB, solid and physically strong but not really a replacement for Trent. His physique is more like VVD or Emre Can – too heavy to keep shuttling up and down the flank for 90 minutes game after game. Neco had some difficulties in the last couple of games, but Klopp clearly believes in him as someone who can be Trent's long-term understudy, so I have plenty of patience for him.
I dunno. Hoever is excellent technically, as well. Skillful, decent crosser, takes free kicks I believe, too? Seems a ready-made Trent back up.
Absolutely, yes. His injury messed up a good year of development, but he's potentially a very good player. He needs games.
He's not so keen bombing up and down the wing - I think that's why Williams has nipped ahead of him in that sense. But otherwise he's perfectly competent.
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