LFCTV Apologizes for Gruesome Injury During Liverpool Friendly

An afternoon designed to top up fitness and fine-tune tactics took a grim turn at Liverpool’s Kirkby Training Centre, leaving LFCTV issuing an on-air apology.

Before Cesc Fabregas’ Como side stepped out at Anfield for a pre-season friendly against Liverpool, the two clubs had already gone head to head in a low-key, 70-minute workout at the academy base in Kirkby. No fans, no fuss, just minutes in the legs for big names like Federico Chiesa, Alexis Mac Allister and summer arrival Victor Munoz.

Then came the moment that changed the mood.

Horror injury stops training game

With the game goalless and chances scarce, Como centre-back Alberto Dossena challenged in the air with James McConnell and Will Wright. He landed awkwardly on his hand. The impact was horrible.

Dossena stayed down. Cameras didn’t look away. Instead, a close-up showed his finger, clearly and gruesomely dislocated, beamed straight into living rooms and onto laptops.

Lead commentator John Bradley reacted instantly on LFCTV. "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 turned to the audience with an apology wrapped in gallows humour. "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."

Viewers had already seen more than enough.

Play stopped briefly as medical staff sprinted on. Dossena, 27, received treatment on the pitch, his finger bandaged up before he got back to his feet. Remarkably, he played on for the remaining six minutes.

The game itself never really caught fire. It ended goalless, short on clear chances, but not completely devoid of positives for Liverpool. Munoz showed bright touches and intent, while young midfielder Trey Nyoni again caught the eye, adding energy and composure in the middle of the pitch.

Stronger XI, instant impact

The real showpiece followed at Anfield, where Andoni Iraola rolled out a much stronger starting line-up for the second fixture against Como. This one had a different feel, a different tempo.

New signing Jeremy Jacquet was handed his first appearance of pre-season, lining up alongside captain Virgil van Dijk at the heart of defence. It didn’t take long for Liverpool’s quality to tell.

Cody Gakpo struck first, finding the net to open the scoring for the Reds. Twenty-one minutes later, Jacquet marked his debut in the most emphatic way possible, getting on the scoresheet himself and underlining why the club moved for him.

On the bench, another new face waited. Recent loan recruit Ronald Araujo was named among the substitutes, joined by Lewis Koumas, Munoz, Nyoni, Wright and Mor Talla Ndiaye – all of whom had already put in a shift in that earlier, bruising run-out at Kirkby.

Iraola lays down the challenge

Before either ball had been kicked, Iraola had made it clear what these games meant to him and his staff as the Premier League season looms.

"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. "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."

The message was blunt: the intensity has to last, not just flash in spells.

On a day that delivered both a grim reminder of football’s physical cost and a glimpse of Liverpool’s evolving spine, Iraola’s next task is clear. With the league countdown ticking, can his side turn these scattered pre-season positives into 90-minute standards?