Pre Season Discussion thread.

[Nishankly]

First batch of players have arrived.

First of all lets see how many we can guess from these 2 pictures.

[Nishankly]

Extreme right - Carra,Pacheco, Maxi
First row - No idea, No idea, Lucas?, Adam?, No idea, Cole, Enrique, No idea.
Second row - No idea [coach?], Reina/Shelvey?, Wilson, Coach, Spearing, Flano, Jones and Gulacsi.

[RedOranje]

[Art Morte]

What are our friendlies anyway? Do we know them yet? Nishy-the-all-sorts-of-lists-master, I'm looking at you

[Nishankly]

21 Jul 2012 Friendly Toronto A 21:00


25 Jul 2012 Friendly Roma A 23:30
28 Jul 2012 Friendly Tottenham A 18:00



August 2012
12 Aug 2012 Friendly L'kusen H 15:00



FFS, Other teams have around 7-9 friendlies and we have only 4 till now, How is BR gonna implement his style of football in just 4 fixtures

I think the time of all the matches are BST.

[RedOranje]

21 Jul 2012 Friendly Toronto A 21:00


25 Jul 2012 Friendly Roma A 23:30
28 Jul 2012 Friendly Tottenham A 18:00



August 2012
12 Aug 2012 Friendly L'kusen H 15:00



FFS, Other teams have around 7-9 friendlies and we have only 4 till now, How is BR gonna implement his style of football in just 4 fixtures

I think the time of all the matches are BST.

Pretty sure that's what preseason training is for as well. Fewer friendlies means more training time. There's also the possibility more friendlies could be announced, unlikely though it is.

[Art Morte]

That was fast, man

I think it's going to be a case of finding our feet in the first weeks of the league regardless of the number of friendlies we will have.

Liverpool v B. Leverkusen

[Guest]

Liverpool are coming to my city, and I am probably not going to the game

[RedOranje]

Liverpool are coming to my city, and I am probably not going to the game

But not because you can't get tickets.

[Patrick Bateman]

Not to long until the Roma -Lpool game.

[McAgger]

Extreme right - Carra,Pacheco, Maxi
First row - No idea, No idea, Lucas?, Adam?, No idea, Cole, Enrique, No idea.
Second row - No idea [coach?], Reina/Shelvey?, Wilson, Coach, Spearing, Flano, Jones and Gulacsi.

Extreme right - Carra,Pacheco, Maxi
First row - Lucas, Adam, Sterling, Cole, Enrique
Second row - Shelvey, Wilson, Spearing, Flano, Jones and Gulacsi.

Only 14 players are back so far (mentioned above), the guys wearing red sleeved shirts are trainers. Skrtel, Aquilani, and Doni will be joining in a couple of days.

Suso, Jack Robinson, Conor Coady, and Joao Carlos Teixeira are in Estonia with their respective U-19 National teams competing for U-19 Euro Championship. Teixeira is injured so he will not participate with Portugal but he's still with the team as a guest.

Suarez, Coates, and Bellamy are training with Uruguay and GB respectively to get ready for the Olympics.

Gerrard, Kelly, Johnson, Carroll, Henderson, Downing, Agger, and Reina have extended holidays for partaking in the Euros.

And Eccleston has been reportedly told he can look for a new club (could be just rumors, but he's not with the squad).

[Nishankly]

Messiah

[Guest]

Liverpool are coming to my city, and I am probably not going to the game

But not because you can't get tickets.

Priorities mate, Priorities

[RedOranje]

Shouldn't really complain about not going when you're prioritising other (non-essential) things over it, then. There are those of us that would love to go but can't.

[Red Alert]

Congratulations on Aquilani. He's just married Michela Qsomethingsomething.

This is the reason why he's not in the pre-season training atm.

[Fahim89]

Rodgers outlines Liverpool vision

Brendan Rodgers today reflected on the first day of pre-season training and explained how he pitched his football vision to Liverpool's returning squad and his approach to moving the club forward.

The 39-year-old met a selection of players at Melwood for the first time on Wednesday when those who had not been on international duty during the summer returned to begin preparations for 2012-13.

"The last couple of days were really about painting the vision so that people understand what direction we're moving in," Rodgers revealed to Liverpoolfc.com in an exclusive interview at the club's training complex.

"We had a really good meeting with the staff on Tuesday. I just felt it was important from the very first day with the staff they understand how I work, my values and morals on and off the field.

"Then obviously for the players it's about what I can do to help them achieve what it is they want to achieve, and let them understand the principles of how I'm going to work and look at the direction which the club is moving in."

Although Rodgers has already spoken with the likes of skipper Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and Luis Suarez, the new manager was keen to imprint his beliefs into the players who were in attendance for his first training session.

"They understand where I'm coming from, from day one, which is important," the Northern Irishman continued.

"There's no mystery behind it, they understand the vision and the culture that we're trying to create here. We can now move forward in confidence and look to work hard and work well."

Rodgers was appointed Liverpool boss on June 1, but due to the summer break had to wait until yesterday to begin working with his new players at Melwood.

Now the self-confessed 'lover of football' cannot wait to get started out on the training pitch and is keenly anticipating the chance to analyse the talent at his disposal.

He said: "I've got good awareness of a lot of the players here but you are always surprised when you see people from the outside and then look in. It's only really when you come in to work with them day in, day out you start to understand their character and personality before the technical and tactical aspect.

"That's something I'm really looking forward to because I'm sure there are players here who will surprise me, which is always nice.

"The natural environment is on the green grass, that's where we'll do a lot of our work. Thankfully that will start today and the players can look forward to working well."

Rodgers admitted that some additions may be made to the Reds' squad before the new Barclays Premier League season begins against West Bromwich Albion on August 18, but stressed that any potential signings must 'fit the model'.

"I've got a bunch of wonderful players here," he added. "I'm going to take time to have a look at that. I believe there's one or two areas that I'll need to improve on for sure, but overall the core of the group is strong.

"But like any manager, you want to add the other pieces that can complete your jigsaw and that's something that we're doing over a period of time.

"This window for the summer, you either had to get your business in early or it was going to run over towards the end of the window, just purely because of all the games and holidays and championships and everything that was going on.

"We're doing a lot of work off the field in terms of potential players to come in, but it will only be a certain type of player that will fit the model here at Liverpool."

One player who will not be making his way to Anfield is midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, who featured for Rodgers at Swansea during the second half of last season and completed a move to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.

"Gylfi did fantastic for me at Swansea last season," said the boss. "He wasn't playing at Hoffenheim, I brought him to Swansea and he did very well for me there, scored seven goals in 19 games and was very, very good.

"He and I both sat and spoke and believed that playing football was going to be the most important aspect for him. But obviously it was important financially so we agreed a deal for him to go to Swansea and that was wrapped up.

"I then became the Liverpool manager, and that then wasn't something that was going to happen at Swansea. So he then had a choice of where he wanted to go. I knew what the market was and I wasn't prepared to pay anything over what I had known was agreed before.

"Liverpool would have provided Gylfi with a wonderful opportunity to perform with a manager that he knows and at a club which is a real footballing institution.

"But he's decided to go to Tottenham, for whatever reason. I wish him the best, he's a good kid and there's no ill feeling. We've got other targets and we'll move on."

Positivity was the overwhelming message being preached by the manager, who offered an insight into how his working day begins and where he finds his inspiration.

Rodgers said: "I find it all very inspiring, from the minute I drive through and walk through the door. You see the little bust of Bill Shankly, you walk in every day and walk past the European Cup.

"It's a great and wonderful motivation for me as a young manager. It gives me great pride. It's an absolute privilege for me to be the manager of this club and I hope to repay the faith of the owners and the people for everything they have given me so far."

I just can't get enough of this guy's interviews . . . . simply BRILLIANT! !

[Fahim89]

Its really great to see many of the young lads in pre-season with the main team . . also i am little confused about some of them having squad number on their training kits . . . that is a great thing if they have got a squad number

[stevieg8]

"Hey Jay, I bet you your playing time this year you can't get the ball back"

[Fahim89]

First LFC training session 2012/13

[Fahim89]

Our 34 men squad for Pre-Season

Goalkeepers

Peter Gulacsi
Brad Jones
Danny Ward

Defenders

Daniel Agger
Jamie Carragher
Jon Flanagan
Stephen Sama
Brad Smith
Glen Johnson
Jose Enrique
Martin Skrtel
Danny Wilson
Martin Kelly
Ryan McLaughlin
Andre Wisdom
Jack Robinson

Midfielders

Charlie Adam
Alberto Aquilani
Joe Cole
Suso
Lucas Leiva
Stewart Downing
Steven Gerrard
Jordan Henderson
Jonjo Shelvey
Jay Spearing
Raheem Sterling
Jordon Ibe

Strikers

Adam Morgan
Andy Carroll
Daniel Pacheco
Krisztian Adorjan
Fabio Borini
Nathan Eccleston

[Red Alert]

Fergie's a *bleep*.

[McAgger]

The Europa League draw is out, we'll be facing either FC Gomel or FK Renova in the third qualifying round.

FC Gomel is leading 2:0 from the first leg, we'll most likely face them

[McAgger]

[Sponsored content]