Liverpool legend Luis Garcia spoke with the Bangkok Post in an exclusive interview yesterday as he is in town with the Reds who play Manchester United in a pre-season game called THE MATCH Bangkok Century Cup 2022 at Rajamangala National Stadium on Tuesday.
The popular Spaniard, who played for Liverpool from 2004-2007, talked about the fantastic reception from Thai fans, the Reds' first pre-season game, expectations for the new season and the great partnership Liverpool have with AXA, the world's leading insurance brand.
The team received such a great reception on Sunday. There were so many fans waiting for them at the airport.
It was fantastic as always. We know that the fanbase here in Asia, in Thailand, is great. The passion and the love they have for the club is amazing. It's always great to be here.
Liverpool and Manchester United are two of the most popular teams in the world, and Thailand especially.
We know that yeah, yeah. And I think that's why the club wants to come to this part of the world, to give back a little bit to the Thai supporters because we know that not everybody has the chance to travel to Anfield to see the players live. It's always about watching them on TV so it's fantastic that we can travel with the full squad and the players can see the support from around the world.
What kind of game the fans can expect today?
It's the first friendly [of the pre-season tour]. I think United have been training for a week so they've got that advantage but the most important thing is that the players start getting the fitness ready. They [Liverpool] have only been training for a few days so it's more about getting the rhythm of the competition. Feeling the ball, feeling the grass. Getting back the feeling of training. Because they were on holiday. They had that good break... well deserved after a very long season.
I don't think the scores are going to be the most important thing for anybody. Not for the coaches, not for the clubs. But yes they will want to put on a good show on the field so the fans can enjoy.
Score prediction?
I don't think it's going to be a big score because in this kind of game it's more about keeping the ball, having possession. No big runs because the players are not ready to make those 100 percent runs and no one wants to get injured. So I'm going to go for a 2-1 win for Liverpool. I'm gonna go for [Diogo] Jota and Darwin [Nunez] to score.
Speaking about Darwin, what are your thoughts on this new signing?
He's a good player. He's a player who wants to show his ability and I think he's going to do well. He's a good signing for Liverpool. He's a player who has grown very fast in the past few years. He's a very young talent. We know that he will have to adapt a little bit to the team, to the competition, and to the way [Liverpool manager] Juergen [Klopp] wants him to play, and to get involved in that high intensity every single game but I think he's a player who's going to give so many things to the team. His ability is fantastic, his creativity, he's strong, fast and he can score goals from many different positions. I'm very confident that he's going to be a big impact on the team.
Apart from Liverpool and Manchester City, which teams are going to be in the mix for the Premier League title in the upcoming season?
We have to see how Arsenal will do with the signings after a great job they did last year. Chelsea are going to fight for it as well. And we have to see what [new manger Erik] ten Hag can do at United. I think he's a very good coach. It's a transition moment for them. But they still have fantastic players. They are signing good players ... and Tottenham as well. But there are always a surprise... that we have to wait and see who is the one who can keep the pace with those five or six teams.
What are your thoughts on the partnership between AXA and Liverpool?
I think it's fantastic. It has already been a few years. Both of them show the same values. Liverpool's AXA Training Centre is just fantastic. It's a very special place for the players. You're right there and you can see that it has everything inside that training centre. That place is just fantastic. I had the chance to visit it a few times and it's like Disney World for the players.
And I think the important thing is that they share it with the academy. It's very important that the young players can see what the future can be like for them and interact sometimes with the first-team players.
I think that connection is just fantastic. It's been great and I'm looking forward to see what's next.