The Liverpool Offside - Community Shield 2019: Liverpool vs. Manchester CityZeppeline, Trinken, & Pink Badeshortshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51345/ltos-fav.png2019-08-04T18:35:50+01:00http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/rss/stream/205176642019-08-04T18:35:50+01:002019-08-04T18:35:50+01:00Digging Deeper Into Liverpool’s Penalty Shootout Loss to Manchester City
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<img alt="Liverpool v Man City - FA Community Shield" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ITHrr5hr7g87c2Q-v_Pxeiy61tY=/0x0:4239x2826/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64909303/1166052196.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>With a loss in a meaningless friendly in the books, we dig a little deeper into what it means for Liverpool.</p> <p id="BJPQWW">On the day, <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> were probably the better side against a <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> side that’s amassed 198 points the last two seasons. Not finishing at least one of the dozen chances they created in the second half came to bite Liverpool in the end, leaving them to miss out on lifting the <em>totally serious and very real</em> Community Shield 5-4 on penalties. Now join us to examine some of the narratives, tactics, reactions, and questions Liverpool will be dealing with and the fans will be talking about in the aftermath.</p>
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<h2 id="9nFR4h">Winners and Losers</h2>
<p id="tmDDwd"><strong>Winners</strong></p>
<p id="UC7muE"><strong>Big Daddy Joel Matip</strong></p>
<p id="aC2uvD">One of the biggest questions heading into this season is who is going to be Virgil van Dijk’s preferred partner at the heart of defense. Both Joe Gomez and Joel Matip had good performances against City, but the latter put in a great second half shift against a stellar City attack. It was by no means a definitive showing or anything, but scoring the game tying goal certainly helps Matip’s case to be the starter against Norwich on Friday. </p>
<p id="20IB0S"><strong>The Attack is Just Fine</strong></p>
<p id="0c4Q8J">A lot of this preseason has been spent worrying about where Liverpool are going to get their goals. Most of the preseason was spent without the likes of <span>Roberto Firmino</span>, Mo Salah, and <span>Sadio Mane</span>, not to mention Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri. That’s a lot of firepower left out of a side. That changed this past week when Salah and Firmino showed up to camp after their offseason breaks. Both of those players were incredible difference makers against City, despite lacking the sharpness to finish their chances. Liverpool did more than enough in the second half to calm any fears that fans might have heading into the season. Mo Salah took 10 shots. City only managed 8. Everything is fine. </p>
<p id="gUux6w"><strong>Losers </strong></p>
<p id="UaSKXk"><strong>Pep Guardiola’s Got No Chill </strong></p>
<p id="GUtQyv">Imagine getting a yellow card in a preseason friendly because you can’t stop whining to the 4th official. What a weirdo. Absolutely rent free in that shiny dome of his. </p>
<p id="RxtyU4"><strong>Jordan Henderson Ultras</strong></p>
<p id="VXztEs">Look, I’m a massive Henderson fan. His move to the #8 position towards the end of last season was pivotal in the march to Liverpool’s 6th European Cup, but today he was poor. Perhaps a midfield three of Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum, and the captain provides a very solid foundation, but it lacks creativity and at times it fell to Hendo to try and bail the team out. I’m pretty sure he had picked out a few passes to Klopp. One area he showed signs of improvements was that he was very aggressive in trying to play the ball forward. That was great to see, even if it didn’t come off much.</p>
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<h2 id="19Rpcg">What Happens Next</h2>
<p id="AiBT9M">As if there was ever a doubt heading into the 2019-20 Premier League season, it’s going to be a two horse race between Liverpool and Manchester City. Virtually nothing has separated these two sides last season, and if this match is a precursor of what’s to come this season, well, the same can be expected. These are the two best teams in Europe by a country mile. Liverpool didn’t win today, but they take away a lot from this match. First, they’re bloody good at football. They can enter the season with the swagger of being the European Champions. As they should. Secondly, they know how they can improve. Too sloppy on the ball at times. Not clinical enough finishing. Lapses in mental judgement on set pieces. All of those things can be easily addressed ahead of Friday. </p>
<p id="LUhxcl">Long season ahead. It’s going to be a joy to watch the Reds march on. </p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2019/8/4/20753815/liverpool-1-manchester-city-1-tactics-narrative-community-shield-2019Mark Kastner2019-08-04T18:01:04+01:002019-08-04T18:01:04+01:00Klopp Talk: Community Shield Defeat a “Really Good Performance”
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<img alt="Liverpool v Man City - FA Community Shield" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ofwsyah7upGlFhuI2xvcVgbbOL8=/0x0:4124x2749/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64909229/1166034420.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Positives to take despite loss</p> <p id="tGxBwj"><a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> lost a sort-of trophy and that never feels great. Nonetheless, Liverpool did play some good football against Man City. In the second half, particularly, we were comfortably the dominant team and could have easily won the game. Jürgen Klopp broadly agreed.</p>
<p id="QTCfLx">“Wow, it was a really good performance, a powerful one in the second half”, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/48968112">BBC Sport report Klopp as saying</a>. </p>
<p id="ewrLPd">“Both teams had a similar pre-season, I spoke to Kevin de Bruyne after the game and we both said we don’t really know where we are yet.</p>
<p id="fptuTo">”The least we deserved was the equaliser, one save decided it and I cannot be disappointed today. The performance was much more important today than a win. We know we are still here, we can still play proper football.</p>
<p id="feXUTL">”In the first half we could have adjusted better, but we had chances as well. In the second half we changed a few things, we wanted it and in the end it was a little bit lucky. Congratulations to City.”</p>
<p id="R23GEh">All of this feels like a fairly reasonable and honest assessment of where Liverpool are right now. It has been a strange preseason. Results haven’t been great and performances have felt disjointed, with players returning late certainly not helping that.</p>
<p id="NTWb0V">And Liverpool looked legitimately very good against City today, generating more than twice as many shots as Pep Guardiola’s side. Neither team looked close to full sharpness, and you’d expect to see a much stronger performance across the pitch when the two teams next play each other in November. But this was an afternoon of real positives for Liverpool, with a sense that the side is, after all, in a good way.</p>
<p id="G9CVbg">As Klopp has complained about, Liverpool start the Premier League campaign on Friday night. Expect to see a more cohesive performance than this one, but there are positives to take into it.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2019/8/4/20753838/klopp-talk-community-shield-defeat-a-really-good-performance-man-city-premier-league-eplGraceOnFootball2019-08-04T17:22:21+01:002019-08-04T17:22:21+01:00Liverpool 1, Manchester City 1: Man of the Match
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<img alt="Manchester City v Liverpool - Community Shield - Wembley Stadium" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_0PN-_snWNdVC9EdUrd-IteMC_0=/209x0:2746x1691/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64909122/1159520510.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>City find the edge on penalties </p> <p id="AOmWBp">It was a game that didn’t matter, but there are so many positive performances from <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>’s players. Mo Salah and <span>Roberto Firmino</span> looked really bright despite having just showed up to the team this week. Three really good performances from Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, and <span>Joe Gomez</span> at Centerback. All the subs showed well. </p>
<p id="nOkEMp">Now let us know how you saw it. With our usual polling tool out of service, we’re instead giving you a choice between a few of the players we thought looked best today for the Reds, so make your choice below and vote for who you think should be the man of the match—or take to the comments to let us know that we got it wrong by leaving the real man of the match off the list entirely.</p>
<p id="VEPrp0">And as always, anyone visiting on Apple News or Google AMP who wish to vote and can’t see the poll can make it visible by navigating to the front page of The Liverpool Offside and re-entering the story.</p>
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https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2019/8/4/20753699/liverpool-1-manchester-city-1-man-of-the-match-community-shield-2019Mark Kastner2019-08-04T17:11:05+01:002019-08-04T17:11:05+01:00Liverpool 1, Manchester City 1 (4-5 Penalties) - Match Recap: This Means Nothing
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<img alt="Liverpool v Man City - FA Community Shield" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qv4MTJhchWAfEZi-fzR7DEm4hfo=/89x0:3895x2537/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64909099/1166038339.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Things didn’t look great starting out, and Liverpool aren’t able to do much about it even with penalties. </p> <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="sites-canvas-main-content">
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<a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> 1 - 1 <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a>
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<h5 id="kEHjlI">Liverpool: Matip 78’<br>Manchester City: Sterling 12’ </h5>
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<h3 id="NPqH9Q">Pre-Match </h3>
<p id="uhI2uv">This is it, we’re mostly back in action. Preseason training and fun videos are over, it’s time to put in some real work and put our mark on the season to get things started. We’ll be up against our new rivals City and eager to let them know that we’re here to fight for every place. </p>
<h3 id="IBNKyf">First Half</h3>
<p id="r16OIZ">We’re officially back in action, for real, since the first of June, and honestly it feels good. This may not mean a whole lot going forward, but it might be the best way to get an idea of where the team sits before Friday’s match against Norwich. Things start a little shaky but most of my attention is on Pep’s outfit, who looks like he came from a walking tour of London on his vacation. </p>
<p id="2uh0ra">The first goal comes through a defensive error and a lucky <span>Raheem Sterling</span>, catching some unfortunate bounces on the ankle and just barely pushing it past Alisson. Nothing like an early goal to revive the “mentality monsters” from last season and make sure they’re awake to fight. Liverpool, somehow, have forgotten where the goal is and <span>Mohamed Salah</span> keeps shooting wide. </p>
<p id="WwdkNn">Defensively things haven definitely looked better in the past, as Manchester City are able to get forward and look fairly threatening now that they’ve opened things up, but Liverpool have been plenty threatening themselves - they just haven’t been able to find the back of the net. Andy Robertson even got into the midfield action, as Salah pushed forward, putting himself into space but was quickly closed down by City defenders. </p>
<p id="NPkSJa">We know, this isn’t really a game or a cup or anything that matters, but it would be nice to think that we could actually get out of this deficit and do all the things that this fake cup would allow us to do. Mostly just telling City to take their money and shove it. Things look promising around the 28th minute, with a poor clearance going straight to Salah once more, only he skies the ball instead of controlling it. </p>
<p id="qv2vLz">As the match has gone on, Liverpool have looked a bit more ruthless as they’ve moved through City’s players, and with six subs at our disposal, there’s very much a feeling that goals could come in the second half. There is no need to be upset, Reds, we can get ourselves out of this mess. </p>
<h3 id="oYCqIk">Second Half</h3>
<p id="BSIVjn">We’re back for the second half and Liverpool haven’t made any changes, but there’s plenty to be had ahead. The stadium in certain parts is also surprisingly empty for a Wembley match, but who knows what the snack and drink lines are like? </p>
<p id="xuy6pu">Salah, for all the work and attention in the game he’s gotten, hasn’t made the best choices in this game. And for my obligatory <span>Jordan Henderson</span> praise, he’s done well to throw in a couple tackles and break up City’s play to get things back on Liverpool’s side. <span>Roberto Firmino</span> (who I’ve missed dearly ) wins us a corner in the 55th minutes and things look like they’re going our way for a second as Virgil Van Dijk receives it and pushes it just over the line but it’s ruled out for I guess not looking like it went over the line enough because that’s what happens when we play City. </p>
<p id="lvFzRf">This is just the kind of payback Liverpool need to use in their fight right now, because it doesn’t really look like a lot of anything right now. We have half an hour and at least a couple players that could come off in the interest of fresh legs. We have six subs that we’re allowed to use, let’s please use them because some players look a little tired. </p>
<p id="lfPXlx">It’ll be around the 67th minute when Klopp makes some changes, bringing on Joel Matip and Naby Keita for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho respectively, after Hendo makes a signature run to run down Otamendi and win the ball back. Hendo will move deeper and Naby will take his forward mid spot - which I don’t agree with but I’m not in charge. What would be super helpful, and I think even Klopp can agree, is if Salah would stop shooting right at the keeper and trying to slide in a goal on the bottom corner. </p>
<p id="4zuIpW">We have twenty minutes to go and uh, it doesn’t look like anything special is going to happen right now or anytime soon, and that needs to change. <span>Adam Lallana</span> gets up to come on, along with <span>Xherdan Shaqiri</span>, hopefully to get some fresh legs into our attack. It’s pretty clear that Salah still needs some practice to shake off the rust from the summer, as he’s not looked great in the final third. Liverpool are getting sloppy now, with passes getting taken from them unfortunately easily. </p>
<p id="6cT91Q">FINALLY A GOAL! Just as Liverpool are about to make their third, fourth, and fifth subs, Joel Matip finds an equalizer for the Reds and things finally come our way. Adam Lallana, Xherdan Shaqiri, and <span>Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain</span> come on for Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, and Divock Origi. This feels like a monkey’s paw situation. I asked for a change but not to take off Hendo. We have ten minutes, roughly, to find a winning goal and keep this from going to penalties, and with one of our best attacking players now on the pitch, things seem a little more likely. </p>
<p id="unKHmt">Things are probably gonna go to penalties and I can feel the nausea and anxiety already. We have four minutes to find a winner. Four minutes and who knows what can happen, and with this Liverpool team it’s anything. Especially with another clearance off the fucking line, holy toledo, I don’t want that. That control from Lallana in the last minute to push forward was a spark of brilliance but only for a second because it ended in nothing when City packed all their defenders in the final third. </p>
<h2 id="a3v4xV">Penalties</h2>
<p id="QeR9wb">We’ve gone to penalties and it is my least favorite thing ever. Things were getting testy there in the last five-ten minutes so pep talks are needed as we figure out who is going to line up for these and I still hate everything. </p>
<p id="dL2SVJ">Shaqiri starts us off and is the first to send one home, scoring a rocket to the right and sending Claudio Bravo to the other side. Next up is Gundogan for City and Alisson gets sent the other way to make it 1-1 so far. </p>
<p id="bNvJsS"><span>Georginio Wijnaldum</span> is next up for Liverpool, and has his shot saved unfortunately by Bravo. Silva scores the second for City as Alisson goes the other way once again, and 1-2 City. </p>
<p id="zeVPrg">Lallana comes up for the third shot, making things even more nervy, but tying it up for Liverpool as he sneaks one into the bottom left corner. Phil Foden comes forward for the third and wow Alisson is not good at this today, making it 2-3. </p>
<p id="Q1b6ap">Chambo walks up for the fourth, pointing it into the top of the net to make it 3 before City’s chance. City put up a veritable child in Zinchenko and Alisson saves it only to have it bounce into the back of the net. </p>
<p id="DPPoMh">Last up is Salah and judging by his shooting earlier today he might not have made it, but he does. We just need Alisson to save this one and get us through, but Gabriel Jesus is the one up and he wins it for City. </p>
<h3 id="uhvLe7">Final Thoughts</h3>
<p id="SJWmhi">Welp that’s not how we wanted to start things this season, but at least it’s a nothing trophy and means nothing for the season going forward. Not to rest and get ready for Friday. </p>
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https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2019/8/4/20753702/liverpool-1-manchester-city-1-match-recap-fa-community-shield-2019Jordan J. Keeble2019-08-04T12:00:00+01:002019-08-04T12:00:00+01:00Liverpool vs. Manchester City Live Updates: Lineups, TV Listings, Match Highlights, and How to Watch Online
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<img alt="Soccer - FA Community Shield - Chelsea v Liverpool - Millennium Stadium - Cardiff" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8VjMtnB6xjcY9Z78nAlqH0TEb5Y=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64908325/832264252.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Chris Young - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Lineups, television and streaming options, and live Community Shield coverage as Liverpool face off against Manchester City.</p> <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="QXWgdv">
<h2 id="9sPLEq"><strong>LIVERPOOL VS MANCHESTER CITY</strong></h2>
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<strong>| Sunday, August 4th |</strong><br><strong>FA Community Shield | Wembley</strong><br><strong>3:00PM GMT/10:00AM EST</strong>
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<p id="4YWg5P">Think what you want of the Community Shield, but it’s our first shot at silverware this season and that shouldn’t be discounted. Especially against a team like Pep Guardiola’s <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a>, who have been a thorn in our sides for a while. So long as we can keep them from adding to their cabinets, we can have a nice shiny silver shield to put next to all of our others - especially since the last one we won was in 2006 and that’s a long time ago. It’s the perfect precursor to the rest of the season — if we win, we have a good push going into the season and if we lose, we have a chip on our shoulder. Nothing can go wrong! (Knock on wood). </p>
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<h2 id="vRr0vb"><strong>PREVIEW & VIEWING OPTIONS</strong></h2>
<p id="V3QtDT"><strong>Full Preview: </strong><a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2019/8/3/20752421/manchester-city-liverpool-community-shield-2019-preview-team-news-injuries-project-lineups-how-watch">Liverpool vs Manchester City</a> </p>
<p id="BAO2QQ"><strong>Television:</strong> BT Sport Live (UK); ESPN (Australia); Sportsnet World (Canada); SONY TEN 2 (India); Astro SuperSport 3 (Malaysia); SuperSport 3 Africa (Nigeria); 111 mio Sports 1 (Singapore); SuperSport 3 (South Africa); other listings at <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/"><strong>LiveSoccerTV</strong></a></p>
<p id="3VO2l8"><strong>Online Streaming:</strong> <a href="http://espn.zlbu.net/c/482924/535100/9070?sharedid=TheLiverpoolOffside">ESPN+*</a> (USA) | Online Radio: LFCTV GO</p>
<h2 id="UigEEn"><strong>LIVERPOOL</strong></h2>
<p id="empLEo"><em>Starting XI: </em>Alisson; Alexander-Arnold; Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Origi</p>
<p id="5CLe5M"><em>Bench:</em> Mignolet, Lovren, Matip, Keïta, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Shaqiri</p>
<h2 id="hRcuec"><strong>MANCHESTER CITY</strong></h2>
<p id="POVkDq"><em>Starting XI: </em>Bravo; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Sane, Sterling, Bernardo</p>
<p id="4tOByX"><em>Bench:</em> Ederson, Gundogan, Angelino, Foden, E Garcia, Jesus, Aguero</p>
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<h2 id="Mn9L4u"><strong>FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS</strong></h2>
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<h2 id="azfNkl"><strong>SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS</strong></h2>
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<h2 id="BRhdVx"><strong>JOIN THE CONVERSATION</strong></h2>
<p id="XFdyK4">If you haven’t already, sign up for an SB Nation account and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=373"><strong>join the conversation on The Liverpool Offside,</strong></a> where we’ll have full coverage of every Liverpool match this season, breaking news, opinion, and tactical discussion.</p>
<p id="LGMdNS"><small>*Liverpool Offside has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Liverpool Offside may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.</small></p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2019/8/4/20753561/liverpool-manchester-city-community-shield-2019-highlights-teamsheets-tv-channels-online-streamingJordan J. Keeble2019-08-04T03:00:00+01:002019-08-04T03:00:00+01:00Alexander-Arnold: Our Season Starts Sunday
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<img alt="Liverpool v Olympique Lyonnais - Pre-Season Friendly" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rsoqcvrvJOcm-MHRjXl4wpyi558=/0x0:4594x3063/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64907682/1158939897.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by RvS.Media/Basile Barbey/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The 20-year-old fullback talks the upcoming season</p> <p id="QMlvt3"><a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> FC are taking on <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> in the Community Shield on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London. Whether or not fans view it as a glorified friendly, it seems like the team and the players are taking it very seriously. Trent Alexander-Arnold spoke with the team’s website ahead of the match. </p>
<p id="JGAfPe">“Again, it’s another opportunity to win a trophy.” Trent said. “You’ve got to respect every competition you enter and this is one of many competitions that we’re in this season as a team. We’re obviously looking to win the game; it’s a game against City and one that might set off the start of the season. Effectively our season starts on Sunday and we’ve got a massive game against one of the best teams in the world. Coming in off pre-season, it’s going to be tough and intense but we know we can match them, we’ve shown that over the years. It will be tough but I am sure we will put in a good effort.”</p>
<p id="vxcplq">The game doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but it’s good to see players with the right mentality ahead of the season.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2019/8/4/20753317/alexander-arnold-our-season-starts-sunday-liverpool-community-shield-2019Mark Kastner2019-08-03T17:30:00+01:002019-08-03T17:30:00+01:00Preview: Manchester City vs Liverpool
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<img alt="Liverpool Parade to Celebrate Winning UEFA Champions League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S-7VDzmCfj8shF05pnzuJW_9OB4=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64906537/1149699251.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Nicola Sua - AMA/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The season begins with a chance for a trophy as Liverpool head to Wembley to take on Manchester City in the Community Shield.</p> <h1 id="RJzTQ7">
<a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> vs. <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>
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<h5 id="tubzX4">| Sunday, August 4th |<br>Community Shield | Wembley Stadium<br>3PM GMT/10AM EST</h5>
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<p id="lwoSCS">Welcome back! We still have a week until the Premier League starts back up, but Liverpool are set to kick off their season on the right foot when they take on Manchester city in the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon. Usually this game pits the league winner against the winner of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a>. However, since Manchester City picked up both, Liverpool, who came in second place in the league, got the call.</p>
<p id="IvqFLY">The last time that Liverpool played this game was in 2005, after their FA Cup win. Manchester City, meanwhile, beat <a href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/">Arsenal</a> last season to win the trophy and will be looking to duplicate that feat on Sunday. </p>
<p id="Kxyf2x">It feels like yesterday that we watched <span>Jordan Henderson</span> raise the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/champions-league">Champions League</a> trophy, yet I’m already hungry for the Reds to pick up another. They’ll get the chance to begin the season on a positive note by adding the Community Shield to their trophy case. </p>
<p id="xkVjNb">Jürgen Klopp’s team hasn’t had the best pre-season, though they were without some of their best players during the United States tour. They also haven’t yet made any significant signings to strengthen their squad in the summer <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/transfer-rumors">transfer window</a>. Klopp will have the renewed services of the likes of <span>Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain</span> and <span>Joe Gomez</span>, both of whom missed huge chunks of last season. Still, they’ll be looking to prove that these players still have what it takes to compete for the league title, even without a marquee signing to get the fans’ blood pumping.</p>
<p id="wg3Ztp">The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City is relatively recent as both teams have found themselves battling it out for all of the top prizes, both domestically and in Europe. Liverpool beat Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the 2017-18 Champions League competition when the Cityzens were virtually unstoppable in the league. Manchester City, meanwhile, were the only team to beat Liverpool in the Premier League last season, marring an otherwise indomitable run and taking the title for themselves in the process. </p>
<p id="UDzIwt">Sunday’s game will be the next chapter to add to this fascinating tale.</p>
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<h5 id="bzoM0H"><strong>Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)</strong></h5>
<p id="prOVV7">Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Henderson; Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Origi</p>
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<p id="NqwPPQ">Hard to say that Liverpool will be at their best for this game, with so many extended absences due to the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/copa-america">Copa America</a> and African Cup of Nations. Sadio Mane, newly returned after coming in as runner-up in Cairo, will not be included. Therefore, expect Champions League hero <span>Divock Origi</span> to make the starting XI in his place.</p>
<p id="GEA2K9">At the moment, the manager has plenty of midfield players to choose from, with the likes of Naby Keita, <span>Xherdan Shaqiri</span>, and Oxlade-Chamberlain all returning to fitness. However, for this match, we’ll likely see Klopp go with what worked last season.</p>
<p id="E1jMS4">Manchester City have every player back and available, expect for Fernandinho and Benjamin Mendy. They’ll also have new recruit Rodri to add to the mix, should Pep Guardiola choose.</p>
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<h5 id="hS8A6L">What the Managers Had to Say</h5>
<p id="OuFn6q"><strong>Jürgen Klopp</strong>: “It’s a new situation. We have prepared everybody as well as possible. We have to fight at the start of the season 100 per cent with all we have and the good thing is if the opponents want to analyse us now then they think ‘easy job’ – but we will be a different animal next week.”</p>
<p id="ITlJuC"><strong>Pep Guardiola</strong>: “We won almost every trophy (last season), not all of them. It was quite remarkable. We know each other better now than the first season. That’s easier for our job. We start from zero now, we start again. But we are ready to accept the challenge.”</p>
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<h5 id="3tUXZd">The Officials</h5>
<p id="Yn1GQG"><strong>Referee:</strong> Martin Atkinson <strong>Assistants:</strong> Sian Massey-Ellis, Dan Cook <strong>Fourth official:</strong> Stuart Attwell</p>
<p id="KF88ix">Kickoff is set for 3PM GMT/10AM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/2502841/liverpool-vs-southampton/">LiveSoccerTV</a>. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2019/8/3/20752421/manchester-city-liverpool-community-shield-2019-preview-team-news-injuries-project-lineups-how-watchepicskyline2019-08-03T15:30:00+01:002019-08-03T15:30:00+01:00Klopp Focused on Fitness in Community Shield Preparation
<figure>
<img alt="Liverpool Pre-Season Training Camp" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ng02yGw_5inQa_S6dx9WmnE6iWI=/0x0:2642x1761/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64906207/1165695214.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The manager plans to take advantage of the six substitutions he’s allowed.</p> <p id="fz9K1S">Tomorrow’s FA Community Shield match up comes less than a week before the Premier League season begins. Jürgen Klopp wants to win the trophy, but he’s also keenly aware of the fact that many of his top players have had intense summers with their national teams. He’s looking to balance playing their best with the well-being of his team, and one of the big ways he plans to do that is through making good use of his six available substitutions.</p>
<p id="lO98O9">Klopp isn’t world renowned for his prolific substitutions during the regular season, but it seems that this final pre-season match will be an exception.</p>
<p id="6HMj9G">“The good thing is we can have six substitutions, that’s really good,” <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.liverpoolfc.com%2Fnews%2Ffirst-team%2F358910-liverpool-v-manchester-city-community-shield-team-news&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fliverpooloffside.sbnation.com%2Fliverpool-fc-news-coverage%2F2019%2F8%2F3%2F20752788%2Fjurgen-klopp-focused-on-fitness-in-community-shield-2019-manchester-city-preparation" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">he said</a> in the press conference before the match.</p>
<p id="pryHGE">“We’ll make a squad for the game, not for the season. We will find the line-up, for sure. We will find a starting line-up where you can change six times in that early a game in the season against a very demanding opponent who asks for a lot of footwork and runs and all that stuff. We will probably use all six [subs].”</p>
<p id="szW7cG"><span>Sadio Mane</span>, who has just arrived back with the team, will not feature in this game either, but we likely will see more of <span>Mohamed Salah</span> and <span>Roberto Firmino</span>. </p>
<p id="YLtQ2g">The Community Shield game, and <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>’s season kicks off Sunday at 3PM BST/10AM EST.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2019/8/3/20752788/jurgen-klopp-focused-on-fitness-in-community-shield-2019-manchester-city-preparationepicskyline