Liverpool's Pre-Season Workout: Injury and Insights from Como Match
Liverpool’s low-key pre-season workout against Cesc Fabregas’ Como took an ugly turn when a gruesome injury to visiting defender Alberto Dossena forced LFCTV into an on-air apology.
Behind closed doors, nothing stayed hidden
Before the main Anfield friendly, the clubs had already met in a 70-minute, behind-closed-doors game at the Reds’ Kirkby Training Centre. It was designed as a tune-up: a controlled run-out to sharpen legs and minds rather than stir headlines.
Federico Chiesa, Alexis Mac Allister and summer arrival Victor Munoz were all handed valuable minutes, with Trey Nyoni also involved in a youthful Liverpool side. The match itself was cagey, short on clear chances and long on tactical shape.
Then came the moment that changed the tone.
Midway through the contest, Como centre-back Dossena challenged in the air with James McConnell and Will Wright. As he came down, he landed awkwardly on his hand. The impact was immediate and sickening.
Cameras, positioned tight on the action, caught everything. Viewers on LFCTV were suddenly confronted with a close-up of Dossena’s finger, badly dislocated and bent at an unnatural angle.
Lead commentator John Bradley reacted in real time.
"That's a nasty landing. We might need a little stoppage here to get the medical team on. Well yes there you go, he's dislocated his finger," he said, as replays and live shots showed the damage.
Co-commentator Natashia Dowie added: "Woah that's not nice," before the broadcast moved quickly to acknowledge the graphic nature of what had just been shown. The commentary team apologised on air, with Bradley saying: "Apologies if you are just trying to have your lunch or if you're in, who knows, San Diego having a very early breakfast. Sometimes you just see things that make you squirm."
The game paused briefly while medical staff rushed on. Dossena, 27, received treatment on the pitch, his hand bandaged before he got back to his feet. Remarkably, he played on for the remaining six minutes.
The match ended goalless, a drab scoreline but not a wasted exercise. Munoz caught the eye with his energy and direct running, while Nyoni again showed why Liverpool’s staff rate him so highly in midfield. For a low-key friendly, there were at least some footballing positives to cling to.
Stronger XI, stronger signals at Anfield
If Kirkby was about rhythm, Anfield was about raising the level.
For the second fixture of the day, Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola named a far stronger starting XI to face Como, giving new signing Jeremy Jacquet his first taste of pre-season action. The French defender lined up alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, an early glimpse of a potential partnership.
Jacquet didn’t just blend in. He scored.
Before his debut goal, Cody Gakpo had already opened the scoring for the Reds, finding the net 21 minutes into the contest. Jacquet then marked his first outing in Liverpool colours with a finish of his own, underlining why the club moved to bring him in this summer.
On the bench, recent loan arrival Ronald Araujo waited for his chance, joined by Lewis Koumas, Munoz, Nyoni, Wright and Mor Talla Ndiaye – all of whom had featured in the earlier Kirkby run-out. For Iraola, it was another opportunity to mix established names with emerging talent and to stretch his squad across two different environments on the same day.
Iraola demands more as season looms
Speaking before the double-header against Como, Iraola made it clear he views these games as serious building blocks rather than soft exhibitions.
"This will be a very good, and very important, test for us as we finalise our preparations for the new Premier League season," he said.
He referenced last weekend’s meeting with Monaco as a template: imperfect, but encouraging.
"Despite the result, last weekend's game against Monaco brought plenty of positives and plenty of learnings for myself and my staff.
"The first half, and the first 30 minutes in particular, was very pleasing. It was good to see Alexander Isak getting on the scoresheet and looking sharp, and I saw a lot of good things both with and without the ball.
The problem we had, as we had against Leeds in Chicago, was that we were not able to sustain our levels and that is something that can only happen with time, and with a lot of hard work on the training ground.
The message is blunt: the intensity isn’t there yet, and he knows it. Performances are coming in bursts, not full matches. The legs will need to catch up with the ideas.
On a day when a dislocated finger stole the spotlight from a quiet training-ground draw and a more polished Anfield win, Liverpool still walked away with two things that matter in August: minutes in the bank, and a manager who is already demanding that this team holds its standards for far longer than 30 minutes.
