Brendan Rodgers had a focus, and that was clear from the start – defend first, attack later.
Oddly enough, Raheem Sterling snatched a lucky break and dinked it home for an early fifth-minute score, and that was that between the two sides.
Olympiakos tried to play on the counter, but they didn’t get very far as Liverpool shut up the midfield.
Let’s get this out of the way now – preseason soccer, especially with mostly second-team players and lower on the pitch, means nothing. Or, next to nothing.
But it did give us a view into the priorities of the manager, who remains the one constant on the field for the club.
For Brendan Rodgers, his team picked out nearly twice the tackles and half the shots, but they remained solid in their structure. Olympiacos picked up much of their numbers towards the end as they pressed to grab something from the match, but the Reds held serve.
Especially throughout the first half, most of the team concentrated on defensive shape, preferring to play on the counter through the middle with Gerrard and Sturridge. For a team that finished second in the table despite conceding 50 goals – eighth in the Premier League – this comes as no surprise.
Brendan Rodgers brought in a number of important players for the second half, including Philippe Coutinho, Joe Allen, and Rickie Lambert, and things started to pick up a bit for the Reds. But the overall shape remained the first priority.
Luis Suarez has gone, but much of the team remains intact, and even improved with new signings. Green players such as Emre Can and Lazar Markovic both started and looked lost but bright at the same time, despite coming off at halftime.
All in all, this Liverpool shouldn’t see too much of a dropoff from last year, especially if it can keep its composure like it did today in Chicago.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos decided to concentrate on its diving skills today, and they look solid in that department.
