CARDIFF, WALES - Friday, November 13, 2015: Wales' Joe Allen in action against the Netherlands during the International Friendly match at the Cardiff City Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

England Reds beaten, Skrtel woes continue, Allen & Smith shine – LFC International Roundup

Plenty of international fixtures have been taking place over the last few days, and we take a look at how Liverpool’s players have fared for their countries.

On Sunday, we brought you a roundup of the international break so far, with mixed results for the various Reds players performing.

Since then, there have been three more days of action, as certain individuals continue to stake a claim ahead of this summer’s Euro 2016 tournament in France.

Here is a look how Liverpool’s internationals have fared in recent days.

 

Defeat for English Reds

England’s new-found belief didn’t last too long, with a 2-1 defeat at home to Holland bringing them back down to reality, after their dramatic 3-2 win against Germany on Saturday.

Liverpool trio James Milner, Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge all started at Wembley, with the former the captain on the night.

Although Milner had a bad day at the office throughout, and Sturridge was quiet, Lallana once again looked one of the Three Lions’ brightest players.

The 27-year-old played a key role in Jamie Vardy’s opener, and is in a good place at the moment. Let’s hope his good form continues for the Reds against Tottenham on Saturday.

 

Victory for Can, German Transfer Targets Shine

Germany cruised to an impressive 4-1 win at home to Italy, as the world champions responded well to that aforementioned loss to England at the weekend.

Emre Can replaced Thomas Muller midway through the second half, but it was Liverpool’s rumoured transfer targets who stole the show.

Mario Gotze, linked with a potentially stunning move to Anfield this summer, scored Germany’s second goal on the night, and left-back Jonas Hector capped off a man-of-the-match performance with his side’s third.

The potential purchases of Gotze and Hector are ones that won’t go away any time soon, and on this evidence, Jurgen Klopp should acquire their signatures as soon as possible.

 

Mixed Fortunes for Sakho & Skrtel

Mamadou Sakho was given a start by coach Didier Deschamps, at the expense of Arsenal‘s Laurent Koscielny, as France entertained Russia on Tuesday.

Les Bleus came through a very entertaining contest, winning 4-2, and Sakho looked impressive alongside Real Madrid man Raphael Varane.

The Liverpool centre-back could have done better for Yuri Zhirkov’s goal though, with the former Chelsea player getting in front of his man to score.

Premier League Player of the Year contenders N’Golo Kante and Dimitri Payet both scored for France, on their birthdays, as Deschamps’ men continue to look a real force.

Martin Skrtel, meanwhile, saw his poor run of form continue in Slovakia’s 2-2 draw away to Republic of Ireland.

The 31-year-old gave away a first-half penalty, following a foul on Shane Long, as memories of his Southampton nightmare came flooding back.

 

Allen Shines, Smith Wins Again

Joe Allen’s form has been something of a revelation this season, following some very tough times in a Liverpool shirt.

The midfielder seems to have taken his confidence to the international stage, with the 26-year-old Wales’ star man in their eventual 1-0 defeat to Ukraine on Monday.

Andriy Yarmolenko – often a rumoured Liverpool target in the past – scored the only goal of the game.

Brad Smith once again started at left-back for Australia, as the Socceroos romped to a 5-1 victory against Harry Redknapp’s Jordan side.

Former Everton man Tim Cahill scored a first-half brace, and Smith played the whole 90 minutes for his country.

 

Ilori & Teixeira Feature for U23s

EXETER, ENGLAND - Friday, January 8, 2016: Liverpool's Tiago Ilori in action against Exeter City during the FA Cup 3rd Round match at St. James Park. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Portugal U23 duo Tiago Ilori and Joao Teixeira continued their buildup to this summer’s Olympics with a 4-0 win over current holders Mexico.

Ilori took part in 76 minutes of the game, while Teixeira played the second half.

In terms of Liverpool players who didn’t feature over the last few days, Belgian trio Simon Mignolet, Christian Benteke and Divock Origi were not needed in their side’s 2-1 loss to Portugal.

Marko Grujic was an unused substitute for Serbia, as they won 1-0 away to Estonia.