LFCTV Apologizes After Gruesome Injury in Liverpool Friendly
What began as a low-key tune‑up behind closed doors at Kirkby turned uncomfortable viewing for Liverpool fans when LFCTV accidentally lingered on a gruesome injury to Como defender Alberto Dossena.
The Serie A side, coached by Cesc Fabregas, are in town for a pre-season double-header with Liverpool, with the main event taking place later at Anfield. Before that, though, the clubs squeezed in a 70‑minute training-ground match at the Reds’ Kirkby base, a controlled run-out designed to sharpen legs rather than raise pulses.
It did both.
The game, played without supporters, gave vital minutes to big names and hopefuls alike. Federico Chiesa, Alexis Mac Allister and summer arrival Victor Munoz all featured as Andoni Iraola looked to spread the workload across his squad with the Premier League opener fast approaching.
Then came the moment that changed the tone.
Midway through the contest, Dossena challenged in the air with James McConnell and Will Wright. He landed awkwardly, his weight crashing down on his hand. Cameras caught everything. Too much, in fact.
As the Como centre-back stayed down, LFCTV’s feed cut to a close-up. His finger, horribly dislocated, twisted at an angle that instantly turned stomachs. There was no disguising it. No chance to look away for those already watching.
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 the replay left little to the imagination.
Co-commentator Natashia Dowie could only add: "Woah that's not nice," before Bradley moved quickly to acknowledge just how graphic the pictures were for a lunchtime audience.
"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," he said, as LFCTV effectively apologised on air for the distressing images.
The game paused while medical staff rushed on. Dossena, 27, received treatment on the pitch, his finger bandaged and strapped before he was cleared to continue. Remarkably, he played on for the final six minutes of the match.
The football itself offered little drama by comparison. The 0-0 draw lacked clear chances, but there were bright sparks for Liverpool. Munoz, eager to impress after his arrival, injected energy and intent, while young midfielder Trey Nyoni again showed why he is being pushed closer to the senior set-up with another composed display.
Later Fixtures
The warm-up at Kirkby was only half the story of the day.
Later, at Anfield, Iraola rolled out a stronger starting XI for the second fixture, tightening the screws on his preparations for the new campaign. New signing Jeremy Jacquet was handed his first minutes of pre-season, lining up alongside captain Virgil van Dijk at the heart of defence.
The Frenchman marked the occasion in style. Twenty-one minutes after Cody Gakpo had opened the scoring for the Reds, Jacquet found the net on his debut, an ideal way to announce himself to the home crowd and to his new manager.
On the bench, recent loan recruit Ronald Araujo waited for his chance, joined by Lewis Koumas, Munoz, Nyoni, Wright and Mor Talla Ndiaye – all of whom had already put in a shift in the earlier behind-closed-doors outing. It was a clear sign of Iraola’s intent to build rhythm and resilience across the squad, even if it meant a busy day for several young legs.
Speaking before the double-header, the Liverpool boss had already framed these games as crucial steps in his build-up to the Premier League season.
"This will be a very good, and very important, test for us as we finalise our preparations for the new Premier League season," Iraola said, reflecting on last weekend’s friendly against Monaco. "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."
Those words hung over both fixtures. The early sharpness. The search for consistency. The demand for more.
Liverpool got their goals at Anfield and valuable minutes into key players. They also got a jarring reminder, courtesy of Dossena’s injury, of how quickly a routine friendly can turn.
The question now is whether these bruising, imperfect rehearsals are enough to harden Iraola’s side for the unforgiving rhythm of the season that’s coming.
