Liverpool will be looking to register their first win of the season when they host Crystal Palace on Monday night.
The Reds were held to a surprise draw when they took on newly promoted Fulham last weekend with Jurgen Klopp critical of their performance. Summer signing Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score and assist as he got off to a fast start at Craven Cottage.
Nunez set Liverpool back a club-record fee and, despite calls for them to strengthen in other areas, it looks as if Klopp's business for the summer is done. These are the latest news lines making the headlines at Anfield.
Milner tipped to be assistant
Current assistant manager Pep Lijnders has tipped James Milner to take over his job "tomorrow" after stepping up ahead of May's Champions League final.
Milner has spent seven years at Anfield and is one of the senior members of Jurgen Klopp's squad having signed a new one-year deal to extend his stay on Merseyside in June. That experience came in handy back in May when Liverpool faced Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Heavy-handed policing tactics led to the kick-off being delayed, with both teams prolonging their preparations.
With Lijnders and Klopp focused on dealing with UEFA, Milner stepped up to deliver a rousing message to the Liverpool squad, which left its mark on the current assistant an Anfield.
“The boys were in and out. What do we do? That’s not a good way to start a final anyway, but that’s for both teams, so no excuses there, nothing like that. But in that moment, Milly took the team together, all the backroom staff, everybody there, and the worst thing is I was not even there because I was discussing with the UEFA guy!" Lijnders wrote in his new book Intensity.
Klopp hints at no new arrivals
The German is not expecting any more summer signings to arrive on the red half of Merseyside despite their injury issues.
Thiago hobbled off at Fulham and questions are being asked about Liverpool's quality and depth whilst there is still an opportunity to bring in some new faces. Klopp is trying not to get caught up in what their rivals are doing - instead remaining focused on themselves.
He said: "There's no joy in that the some teams are trying (to sign players). Other teams have finished their business as well. It's nothing to do with us. We cannot increase the rhythm or find money because other teams sign players and we say 'oh no, we have to do as well, because they signed him we now need him'. We have to be completely independent of whatever whoever is doing, and we are.
"We try to sort our situation, which is difficult enough very often but it's our situation at least. That's the only one we can have influence on. That's why it's the only one I'm concerned about."
Standards being assessed
Milner confessed that, after the opening day draw with Fulham, the players are taking a look at how best they can improve after they underwhelmed. Liverpool twice had to come from behind to pick up a point and, ahead of their second outing, frank chats are being had.
He told the club's website : “There’s discussions amongst the players also on what we can do better and how we can improve. Everyone will go home and look at their own performance as well. That’s for us to improve on for sure, nobody takes that lightly.
“We know the level that is expected of us and the level we want to produce. Nobody is bigger critics than the boys in the dressing room. It’s disappointing but it’s one that hopefully we can bounce back from in a strong way on Monday.”
