LFCTV Apologizes for Gruesome Injury During Liverpool's Pre-Season Match
What was meant to be a low-key tune-up for Liverpool’s new season preparations turned uncomfortable viewing when LFCTV inadvertently broadcast a gruesome injury to a Como defender.
Cesc Fabregas’ Serie A side are at Anfield for a pre-season friendly, but before the main event they faced the Reds in a separate, behind-closed-doors game at the club’s Kirkby Training Centre. A 70-minute workout, nothing flashy, just a chance to sharpen legs and minds.
It still produced a moment nobody wanted to see.
Horrible landing, live on club TV
Midway through the contest, Como centre-back Alberto Dossena went up for an aerial challenge with James McConnell and Will Wright. He came down awkwardly, his weight crashing onto his hand.
The camera stayed tight.
Viewers on LFCTV were suddenly staring at a horribly dislocated finger, shown in close-up as Dossena stayed on the turf in clear discomfort. The pictures were graphic enough that the club’s in-house channel quickly moved to apologise on air.
Lead commentator John Bradley reacted instantly: “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.”
Co-commentator Natashia Dowie could only add: “Woah that’s not nice,” before Bradley tried to reset the tone for those watching: “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 while Como’s medical staff rushed on. After treatment and a heavy bandage, the 27-year-old defender remarkably carried on, completing the final six minutes of the shortened match.
Goalless, but hints of promise
The behind-closed-doors friendly itself ended goalless and short on clear chances, but it still served its purpose. Federico Chiesa, Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz all banked valuable minutes as Liverpool continued to build rhythm ahead of the Premier League restart.
The real sparks came from the fringes. Summer signing Munoz and young midfielder Trey Nyoni both caught the eye, injecting energy and intent into a contest that otherwise drifted at times.
Their involvement in Kirkby was only part of a carefully managed double-header.
Iraola turns up the dial for main Como test
For the later, more high-profile fixture against Como, Andoni Iraola cranked up the level. The Liverpool manager named a stronger starting XI, pairing new arrival Jeremy Jacquet with captain Virgil van Dijk at the heart of defence.
The Frenchman made an immediate impression. Twenty-one minutes after Cody Gakpo had opened the scoring for the Reds, Jacquet marked his first pre-season outing with a debut goal, underlining why Liverpool moved for him this summer.
On the bench, recent loan signing Ronald Araujo waited for his turn, alongside Lewis Koumas, Munoz, Nyoni, Wright and Mor Talla Ndiaye – all of whom had already featured in the earlier training-ground match. It was a clear sign of Iraola’s intention to stretch his squad, test combinations and push fitness levels across the group.
Manager’s message: intensity, then endurance
Speaking before the twin fixtures with Como, Iraola framed the day as a crucial step in Liverpool’s build-up.
“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, reflecting too on the previous outing against Monaco. The result in that game did not bother him; the lessons did.
“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.”
That is the challenge now. The fitness will come, the cohesion will follow. On this evidence, Liverpool are pushing hard to get there – even if one jarring image from Kirkby will linger longer than anyone expected from a routine pre-season run-out.
