Liverpool played two friendly matches at Anfield in a single day on Sunday, and in the end it was the first of them that proved to be the most memorable.
In their first attack of the day, which was played at 12:30 p. m. To mirror next weekend’s Premier League opener against Ipswich, the Reds won 4-1 against Sevilla in front of a packed house.
Liverpool took a three-goal half-time lead thanks to a very good left-footed volley from Diogo Jota and two plays from Luis Díaz, and after Gerard Fernández scored the goal for the visitors, he immediately followed up with a precise shot. of teenager Trey Nyoni. at the end of the Kop.
Arne Slot used 17 other players in the match, then named a completely different XI for the behind-closed-doors match against Las Palmas at five in the afternoon, which was naturally a much more low-key affair.
Players like Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo were given valuable minutes, but in the end it was a young team that finished the game in the box when the game ended in a goalless draw.
However, the first match of the day provided plenty of entertainment and here’s what you missed at Anfield.
There are guys who end their tenure by having a song call the guy who replaced them, but Jurgen Klopp has never been one to do things the general way.
The German’s song to his successor Slot was shouted by himself in his last game at the club on the final day of last season against Wolves and has already made its way onto the Kop.
Liverpool fans appreciate what they see from Slot’s side, and it was the three-goal salvo in the final 15 minutes of the first half that Slot’s call exploded at Anfield. It’s only preseason, but it turns out that there is an appointment set.
And when Slot’s call didn’t echo across the ground, his voice did.
The Dutchman is a very vocal presence on the bench and someone who is not afraid to express his point of view to his players, whether on an individual or mass level. At one point, he was seen having an intense verbal exchange with striker Jota, and he found time to speak to each player in the first and second half of the drinks breaks.
It was the first opportunity to see Slot’s Liverpool on British soil, and it was transparent to see the important replacement he made in the much-used setup through Klopp.
The Liverpool midfielder will look different in the new campaign, with two players, here Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, sitting deeper into a double pivot as opposed to the only player you’d see on Klopp’s side.
It’s just pre-season, of course, but the technique promises to give Liverpool a more solid look in front of their back 4, and work has been done here as Gravenberch and Mac Allister have settled in well. We may soon see Martin Zubimendi there. . . .
Jota’s goal was special, but the most productive moment of Sevilla’s game came from talented teenager Nyoni, who fired a fine shot into the bottom corner of the Kop net.
The 17-year-old almost looked stunned as his shot hit the net and, after a brief celebration, began to spin towards the halfway line. Enter Virgil van Dijk, who appeared on the scene and walked among the young man to make a statement.
The difference in length between the two became apparent when Van Dijk pushed his young partner from behind, almost sending him flying, and it was a lovely moment between the experienced player and the youngster.
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