Liverpool 4 Barcelona 0: Sadio Mane and Divock Origi among goal scorers as Reds run riot in ICC Cup

LIVERPOOL romped to a 4-0 win over Barcelona in the ICC Cup.

Sadio Mane, substitute Divock Origi and Marko Grujic all capped impressive performances with a goal while Reds old boy Javier Mascherano found the back of his own net.

Jurgen Klopp will be pleased going into the new season having beaten European powerhouses AC Milan and Barca in the pre-season tournament.

The Reds now head to the Emirates on August 14 buoyed by a fantastic performance at Wembley.

FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS

• NEW balls please! In the first 10 minutes, referee Martin Atkinson was unhappy with the pressure of the footballs used, ordering them to be repeatedly changed until the right one was found.
• JURGEN KLOPP said he may experiment with James Milner at left-back until he fills the troublesome position…..but no-one actually believed him. Yet here he was starting in an unfamiliar position and played ok until he was outmuscled and outpaced by Messi and was promptly hauled off for Alberto Moreno just before half time.
• ROBERTO FIRMINO scored some stunning strikes last season. But the terrible top-knot which he grew over the summer really needs a trim, sharpish – it seems to slow him down. And team-mate Moreno must have the same barber, sporting a similarly dodgy tuft.
• JURGEN KLOPP was characteristically barking orders from the touchline in his tracksuit, but Luis Enrique in the opposing dugout looked like he was on his way to a bar in Shoreditch after the game in his grey T-Shirt and skinny jeans.

  

  

• GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM and Sadio Mane both look to be a shrewd signings and every penny of the combined £59million transfer fee. Dutchman Wijnaldum links attack and defence superbly and has a real eye for a pass, while Barca’s back line struggled to deal with the pace of ex-Southampton man Mane who took his goal superbly.
• LIONEL MESSI did not look fit, and – whisper it quietly – seemed a tad overweight. It is perhaps understandable given his lack of a lengthy pre-season, but if he started comfort eating Argentinian steaks after his country’s latest Copa America heartache, it would not be surprising.
• IT may have been a roasting hot days today, but just before half-time, a sprinkler turned on by itself in Barcelona’s half of the pitch. Oddly, Atkinson did not stop the game, but sadly play was up the other end of the field so nobody got comically wet.

  

• LIVERPOOL looked electric going forward. Every time they went forward, particularly down Barca’s left side, they looked like scoring – but at the back, age-old concerns still linger. But Barcelona’s defence played their part, in particular the woefully slow Jeremy Mathieu who had a mare all game.
• WITH Liverpool cruising and Barca not creating anything of note, an almighty Mexican wave erupted around the stadium for about 10 minutes of the second half – at one point two waves going round the stadium at once. It was pretty naff but Wembley was at its noisiest for a long time. And the attendance of 89,945 was the second largest in the history of the new Wembley.
• IT may have only been a friendly, but with the Spanish Super Cup just a week away against Sevilla, this was a chastening defeat for Enrique’s Barcelona. Another forward to take the burden of Messi, Suarez and Neymar is desperately needed, as is defensive cover.

LIVERPOOL’S NEXT FIVE FIXTURES:

Arsenal v Liverpool – Aug 14 (Prem)

Burnley v Liverpool – Aug 20 (Prem)

Tottenham v Liverpool – Aug 27 (Prem)

Liverpool v Leicester – Sep 10 (Prem)

Chelsea v Liverpool – Sep 16 (Prem)

THEY SAID

Jordan Henderson said: “It was a big performance, arguably playing against the best team in the world. It was a big test for us.

“Each and every one of us worked our socks off and did everything for each other, and we got our reward in the end with the goals.

“[The key was] making sure everybody was getting behind the ball as quick as we can. When we’re losing it we’re trying to get it back, high up the field, like they do very well.

“It’s built our confidence up massively but at the same time we have to keep continuing to work like we have done pre-season. We have to keep doing what Jurgen Klopp wants us to do.

“He’s [Sadio Mane] been brilliant since he’s come in. He’s sharp. He wants to go in behind, he wants it to feet. His finishing is very good as well, he’s a fantastic addition to the squad.”

Jurgen Klopp added: “It was a wonderful lesson for us today.

“We did really well and I’m very happy.

“When we became a little bit passive, they created problems for us but that’s normal. Not only against Barca but especially against Barca!

“I’m a little bit emotional at the atmosphere. It was really nice to have all these people around.

“We had wonderful direction in the game and passing. We lost it a little bit which is normal. We are not at 100 per cent fitness.

“It was a very good session which is what we wanted.”