Preview & Matchday: Liverpool v. Malaysia XI

By: Noel | July 15th, 2011

Kickoff from Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur 5:45PM Local/10:45AM GMT/5:45AM EST

Ways to Watch:

Live on ESPNUK in England and FSC in America, as well as on LFCtv live and online for those with a season pass.

Liverpool:

Liverpool are getting set for their second preseason friendly of the Asian tour, and it’s being widely reported that Kenny Dalglish has flown back to Liverpool to complete the signing of Stewart Downing. Once you leave the digital paper pages behind most of the rumours suggest he in fact flew back for a long-scheduled family wedding/christening/bar mitzvah and that the timing’s just coincidence. Either way, it seems likely that Steve Clarke will be taking the reins on Saturday when Liverpool run out to an expected 80,000 people at a nearly sold-out Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

This after the club managed to draw upwards of 37,500 for their Thursday training session, which as Brian Durand helpfully pointed out on Twitter is more than watched 18 of Everton’s 22 home matches (league and cup) last season. It also quite nearly matched the reported 40,000 who turned up for Arsenal’s friendly against the Malaysian XI on Wednesday, a contrasting statistic that goes to show the level of global support Liverpool Football Club enjoys.

Whatever the relative popularity of England’s top clubs in far flung foreign lands, though, they’ll be adding Dalglish’s name to Steven Gerrard and Pepe Reina as big names the fans won’t be seeing this time around. Stewart Downing also, obviously, won’t be making an appearance. Nor will the Reds’ newest signing, former Roma backup keeper Alexander Doni, who today completed his long expected move to the club and put pen to paper after passing his medical. By all accounts this means it’s the end of the line for Brad Jones as Liverpool’s number two after a season in which his first team action amounted to a rainy night’s implosion against Northampton in the League Cup and a dull draw against Utrecht when the club did its best to drive a generation of fans across the park to help with Everton’s attendance issues.

Though even if some won’t be there, a pair who missed out on the match in Guangzhou are expected to see action in Kuala Lumpur. After visa difficulties kept Emiliano Insua in Liverpool on Wednesday, the returned fullback will get a chance to insert himself back into Liverpool’s left back conversation as he has joined up with the squad and is expected to see at least 45 minutes of action. Also expected to feature fully this time around is Raul Meiereles, who missed out on the matchday squad in China with a slight knock but will play in Malaysia. And if the thousands of Malaysian fans chanting “Raul must stay” at a player appearance on Friday are anything to go by, he should expect a rather loud reaction on Saturday.

Malaysia:

Liverpool’s opponents, the Malaysia XI, aren’t quite a national side, though the majority of its players are Malaysian born. Instead it’s something of an all-star selection of top performers from the domestic league, a shifting collection of players and coaches that has existed off and on since being formed to play their first friendly in 1974 against Everton. Since then they have been a side cobbled together a handful of times each decade, typically managed by the coach of the Malaysian national side, and usually going down to defeat—of their 16 matches to date, they’ve registered a single win against Arsenal in 1975 alongside three draws and 12 losses, the most recent being to Arsenal when the English club leveled their record against the Malaysia XI after 26 years.

This will be the first occasion for the not-quite-a-national-team to go up against Liverpool, and on past results it’s hard to see the collection of hastily pieced together players from the Liga Super Malaysia offering much resistance. Still, as always, it’s a friendly. Just in case something ridiculous happens.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:

Category: Match Previews, Matchday Posts, Team News

« Coady’s Debut Goal, Copa Quarters Preview, and Other Thursday Notes | Home | Liverpool 6, Malaysia XI 3: Wrapping Up the Asian Tour »

PDubz18

A few thoughts on the friendly:

- First half was awful and frighteningly reminiscent of Roy Hodgson's sides. On the other side of the coin, Carroll being in the side wasn't the problem.

- Adam is good, Aquilani is better. However, Aqua needs to get used to the pace and physicality of the premier league. Once the season starts I think we will see the difference that English football experience will give you with respect to Charlie Adam. However, if Aqua can adjust, we will have a really good creative midfielder. (Also, I agree with LucasLeiva; Spearing will 100% be loaned out, Shelvey is more of a 50-50 chance of staying/being loaned out. Spearing looked mostly frustrated when he didn't get the ball, and when he did he looked out of sorts.)

- Poulsen's marking was horrible.

- Insua was probably my favorite player to watch. He arguably saved LFC 10m pounds by showing up and playing confidently. He put in a couple pinpoint crosses and his attacking movement was very good. He was also solid on defense; if he can do that in EPL games then we'll have a damn good left back. If he can keep form, Aurelio and Robinson will be plenty of depth at left back.

- We need a really good center back. Having Skrtel and Agger might be a good combo, but Agger will not be fit half the time (sad, but true). Hopefully KK and Comolli know this and will do something about it.

Overall, it was entertaining and Malaysia XI got some good experience. Their #10 who came in late on and scored 2 (even though he was way offside on his first one) was a handful. Once we get our first-teamers back I think this will be a very good side.
Guest

After watching this game i blame joe cole for the 1st half F-ups. He needs to make a smash&dash out of the team. Aquiliani played amazing good tempo when he was on the field. lastly so glad we have a great goal keeper the young ones need more work in goal.
redtrev73

Credit where it's due lads. 6 - 3 win. Good run out, 6 goals, 23 players used and if we can just keep zorba-the-greek out of our back 4 we probably wouldn't have shipped as many. All without reina and captain fantastic. Great to see Dirky leading by example and getting on the scoresheet. The pen will do Adam a world of good and insua, ngog and aqua put on their best shop-window outfits. It's pre-season fellas...let's give the angst a wide berth, it's all good.
Mr Clueless

Plz, plz don't sell Aqua miles ahead of Adam in every category in my opinion. If Gerrard's touch and go groin goes, Aquillani should slot right in.
Guest

First Ngog goal was a gift. The second? A fucking rocket.
Guest

Good thing I'm not a Malaysia XI fan. That penalty call was weak.
Gryffin

not alot of pass and move football from liverpool at the moment. Malaysia seems to be playing very conservative, liverpool have only had one fast break the first half...
Guest

I blame a lot of it on Joe Cole taking too many touches. Meireles was a bit too uninvolved early for my taste, though he's a bit more involved on the left now. Malaysia deserve more than the draw as of the moment. Beautiful free kick by Rahim.
LouisvilleRed

The pitch was horrible. It looked to disrupt and impede Liverpool's attempts to keep it on the floor.
Gryffin

After watching the first 22 min of this friendly...i see that jay spearing is terrible. Hope they sell him off to the championship. Everytime he passes they lose possession, and he is always overcommitted on defense.
Gryffin

robinson looks fantastic tho.
Guest

Much less timid than Flanny. And Re: Spearing, I do believe both him and Shelvey will be eventually be loaned out, considering the overcrowded midfield and all.
PDubz18

Has anyone noticed how Downing always has that same annoying smile in every picture on liverpoolfc.tv?
PDubz18

Disclaimer: I am not saying anything negative about Downing's footballing ability or usefulness of signing, I am just pointing out that he has an annoying smile.
paul

Right then, the club has confirmed the Downing deal. Let's hope his stats translate into goals!
Justin

Doni has signed: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news...
Suarez from the car park...

can't wait, but it's still early pre-season so not expecting fireworks. I'm sure training will be tougher back in blighty without the humidity.
Some good games coming up for pre-season.

Raul has to stay. He's quality, good touch and intelligent. It's great that the fans are behind him like that. I'm sure he appreciates it.
mardia

Have to give a "well-played" to those Malaysia fans who were chanting for Meireles to stay. *thumbs-up in their direction*

Here's hoping there's a good game, and that the last-minute defensive fuckups we saw in China get eradicated.
GalahadThreepwood

Is anyone else a little concerned about the delay in signing Downing? The fee was agreed on Wednesday night, and he supposedly had his medical yesterday, but there's been surprisingly little fanfare surrounding that medical. No pictures from it have been posted to the official site (unlike Adam's medical, and Joe Cole's last year), and everything's gone quiet. LFC.tv has switched to talking about Doni. By all accounts, Downing was a major target, and was the subject of very protracted negotiations with Villa. Liverpool should be shouting the news of his signing to the rooftops. Why the sudden silence?
Ed

I'm guessing things haven't been wrapped up yet? Not sure there's anything to really be worried about.

Or his helicopter crashed and he'll soon be faced with the horrific choice of certain death or killing and eating his agent to survive.
GalahadThreepwood

Looks like I freaked out over nothing...this transfer window has me skittish, I guess. Either that or I'm just naturally paranoid.
Ed

It's turned out be very boring:

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news...

Looks like the agent's been spared. For now.
paul

Why the panic? Calm down and wait for news. If we don't sign him, he's after big wages after all and not desperate to be a Red, so what? We save 20m and can look elsewhere.
AdamSonOfIstanbul

More negativity about Downing, he has not even pulled the shirt on yet. Dont forget the picture of him and Carroll with the infamous scarf and 6th finger. Im sure he would take reduced wages to wear the famous Red.

The thought that he is chasing wages is ridiculous. Think, your 27, playing at a midtable side, with a manager whom the fans hate and LFC moves for you. I would get my transfer request tatooed on my forehead to force a move for room and board.

Sure he will get more money, but LFC have more money. We need more leftfooted players and a winger or two, we have one who hasnt yet played and so many people are booing him. Sure I wasnt too fond of the Adam deal, but, we have an overloaded midfield, and his arrival was supposed to mean Rauls departure.

Booboys save it till May or Christmas at the earliest.
Thomas Hoppe

you could be right but the Charlie Adam news was also staggered on the official website.
brother jon

i'm not sure if i should be, but i'm excited at the passion/loyalty Raul has inspired in fans. i remember one of his 1st quotes as a red was something about - no, i'm not like mascherano, but LFC fans will come to love me soon. he's a very useful midfielder to have around so i hope FSG rate his contributions and up his wages.

also, 'hip-hip' to the Gunners. sounds like an epic righting of wrongs in KL. maybe Wenger's onto something with this Destiny talk.