Jurgen Klopp confirms that Diogo Jota will play against Hertha BSC on Thursday as he and Andy Robertson ramp up their pre-season training.
“They will have minutes, that’s the plan. They obviously trained completely normal all the time now and we try to involve them,” the German manager told Liverpoolfc.com.
“For some of them it’s the plan,” he continued. “Some of them are ready for 60 minutes, it will be hard for them definitely but it means then others play 30 minutes and stuff like this, or even maybe 20 minutes and these kind of things.
“Unfortunately, football is not like cycling, so you don’t miss it completely but the pedals and stuff like this just go away so quick that’s incredible. So we have to work on that again, that’s what we do.
“Today is a really tough [double session]. I like it, the players probably sleep now already and that would be better because this afternoon it would be really hard.”
UNSPECIFIED, AUSTRIA – JULY 25: (THE SUN OUT. THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool during a training session on July 25, 2021 in UNSPECIFIED, Austria. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Last week, Pep Lijnders paid special homage to Jota in his training camp diary: “We are just arriving up into the mountain for our team dinner while I’m writing.
“Probably schnitzel again, but that’s not bad at all. While I’m sitting here and writing, Diogo just shook me ‘awake’ saying hello. It’s great to see him – fresh, fit and ready.
“Our pressing monster just arrived! Haha!”
The Portuguese arrived from Wolves for a fee reported to be in the region of £45million (€52m) and if he can avoid injury, he can add to his tally of 13 goals and 1 assist.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 13: Diogo Jota of Liverpool celebrates after scoring their side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on May 13, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Liverpool are hard at work to get in shape for the start of the 2021/22 Premier League season and if we can forget about transfers for just a second, it’s actually so exciting to think that the new season is just around the corner.
There are less than three weeks until Liverpool travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich City on opening day for the second time in three years.
Many supporters are too caught up in the hysteria of the transfer market to realise that the new season is this close but, personally, I hate the transfer window.
GROEDIG, AUSTRIA – JULY 23: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) head coach Juergen Klopp of Liverpool FC and Billy Koumetio of Liverpool FC to discuss during the Pre-Season Friendly Match between FC Liverpool and 1. FC Mainz 05 at DAS.GOLDBERG Stadion on July 23, 2021 in Groedig, Austria. (Photo by Roland Krivec/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Fortunately, with the start of the new season so close, we will have other things to talk about and while the window only closes on the 31st of August, Liverpool seem to be getting a lot of their outgoings done quite early.
It remains to be seen who Liverpool will sign this summer with some fans on social media speculating that the club isn’t going to make any new signings but with plenty of time remaining, we just need to keep the faith.
