Three games, 3 wins, six goals scored, one conceded and no injuries.
It is not surprising that new coach Arne Slot has expressed his satisfaction with Liverpool’s preseason in the United States.
“Very positive,” he said.
“The effects are what everyone is seeing, but the players who stayed have compatibility and played the way we need to. We’ve noticed some wonderful goals on this tour, wonderful pre-season conditions and I see them racing really hard not to concede. “
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Athletic were present at each and every stop, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia and Columbia, to assess the Dutchman’s impact after the start of a new era at Anfield.
What clicks? What are the disorders that you still want to solve? There are less than a fortnight until the opening match of the Premier League at newly promoted Ipswich Town.
As if the challenge of succeeding Jurgen Klopp was not big enough, Slot also had to deal with the absence of most of his stars in the preseason after Euro 2024 and the Copa América.
But perhaps the most positive thing about the excursion was seeing the players at his disposal accept the adjustments he made to Liverpool’s taste of play. The improvement was significant over the course of the 3 matches.
“It’s very different, it’s more about possession,” said Harvey Elliott, one of the standout players after landing the No. 10 spot he dreamed of. “It’s a sublime Dutch style. Players are excited about some of the models we’re playing. There is a murmur around the team.
Fellow Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is “no longer in a rush to attack. ” And he added: “It’s more like me. “
Watch Slot oversee education at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. While Klopp would take a step back while Pep Lijnders led the sessions, the former Feyenoord boss is much more active.
“Kill them with passes. . . move,” he growled. After blowing the whistle to stop the session, he asked Kostas Tsimikas to pass him the ball so that he could simply demonstrate the art of the gesture of running after him, then backing up and receiving the ball at his feet. “Open your frame and gaze for an inner career,” she said.
During a long exercise, 10 players tried to unleash attacks while being stressed by nine opponents. The emphasis, obviously, on one-twos and overlaps before drilling low crosses into the six-yard box.
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Fast forward to Saturday night in South Carolina. Liverpool’s third goal against Manchester United was a carbon copy of this training session: Conor Bradley combined with Mohamed Salah on the right, Diogo Jota’s shot deflected and Tsimikas hid the rebound.
Salah looks elegant after a true summer vacation. This allows him to put a complicated end to the season. The same goes for Jota, whose momentum in 2023-24 has been shattered by injuries. With Cody Gakpo, Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz returning to contention, Slot knows he has serious firepower.
While the wait for the first signing of the Slot era continues, the debate continues over the role of the midfield. Will Liverpool buy a number 6? This will not do much to silence those who ask for it.
Wataru Endo is one of the few players who has not shown what he is capable of in the Slot. The Japanese foreigner does not seem very adapted to the more patient game plan founded on the Slot’s ownership.
Endo struggled after starting against Real Betis. He then came on as a replacement in the second phase against Arsenal: Dominik Szoboszlai and Jones were the favourites further back, with Elliott further forward.
While Szoboszlai was resting against Manchester United due to fatigue, Slot turned to Ryan Gravenberch instead of Endo to start with Jones. It was eye-opening that the thrilling 17-year-old Trey Nyoni, the youngsters’ choice on tour, arrived here. in play after the break before Endo nevertheless emerged.
Liverpool rejected an 11. 9 million pound ($15. 2 million) offer from Marseille, but it would not be surprising if Endo left this month.
Gravenberch fared well in his first pre-season outing as he looks to build a first combined crusade at Anfield following his £34. 2million transfer from Bayern Munich. It’s an attractive choice: elegance in ownership, but lack of body will weaken it. . It’s a great year for him.
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America’s Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister joined his South Carolina teammates to join them on the return but was not considered of variety against United. He’s a nail-biter when he’s on top of things.
It will be on Tuesday when Slot will nevertheless reunite its full squad for the first time, with Virgil van Dijk, Gakpo, Diaz, Nunez, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez also back on board.
There is no shortage of elements in the midfield (teenagers Tyler Morton and Stefan Bajcetic have also inspired in the United States), but Liverpool are still missing a dynamic and specialized number 6.
This partly explains the lack of control that Slot lamented against United. Goalkeepers Caoimhin Kelleher and Vitezslav Jaros, who took over in the second half, were very busy. Liverpool were too simple to play against.
“We missed too many opportunities,” Slot admitted. “United deserved more than a 3-0 defeat. The result may have been different.
There is still a lot to be done in terms of spending.
Liverpool had 32 players in the United States at the end of the tour, adding seven veteran players who were still on vacation. Then there are Jayden Danns and Bobby Clark, who missed the tour due to minor injuries.
Having had time to assess what they have inherited from Klopp, Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes are running out of time to decide who stays and who leaves permanently or on loan.
Fabio Carvalho is worth a lot more than the £15m rejected by Liverpool from Southampton. He couldn’t have done much more to break through in Slot’s plans with opposing targets to Arsenal and United, but it’s hard to see him getting started. games when the cavalry returns.
Long-time Joe Gomez was on the verge of joining Newcastle United for £45m at the end of June when news emerged that winger Anthony Gordon was going in the opposite direction. Gomez has other suitors, but Liverpool are not actively willing to push him.
The club also has to make decisions regarding Morton, Clark and Ben Doak. Nathaniel Phillips is destined to move on. Will the hypothesis about Díaz generate significant interest?
And what about Sepp van den Berg’s future?Liverpool have already rejected several offers that were close to their £20m valuation.
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The young Dutch defender put in some performances in the United States showing how productive he enjoyed a productive season on loan at Mainz in Germany. He needs to play regularly, but that’s unlikely to happen at Liverpool. It has Van Dijk, Jarell Quansah, Ibrahima Konaté and Gomez for the competition. Quansah remains the leading candidate to marry Van Dijk.
Andy Robertson took part in the excursion but has undergone his rehabilitation and is almost in top form after the ankle injury that has plagued him from the latter stages of last season and into the European Championships. Tsimikas did a good job replacing the left-back, while on the other flank, Bradley excelled in the absence of Alexander-Arnold.
Commercially, the excursion was truly a wonderful success, with a total of over 190,000 fans attending Liverpool’s three matches as the popularity of the Premier League in the United States continued to rise.
The modest crowd of 42,679 for the match against Real Betis in Pittsburgh can be explained simply by the fact that it was a late addition to the schedule, but the other two games were sold out.
The 69,879 spectators who faced Arsenal in Philadelphia were a football record at Lincoln Financial Field. The attendance of 77,559 in Columbia, South Carolina, was the highest for a non-American football event.
Philadelphia proved to be a wonderful base, and players loved their stop at the iconic Rocky Steps and the famous Front Street boxing gym, where they were put to the test in the ring. There was also team building to watch baseball at Citizens. Bank Park. After the win over Arsenal, Elliott exchanged signed jerseys and spoke with Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox.
It’s a big deal for the University of South Carolina to host Liverpool instead of United. The mood is lively, after fears of a delay due to severe thunderstorms eased, but the lack of transportation infrastructure is the main problem.
With roads blocked, some fans who had paid top dollar for tickets were still looking to get into Williams-Brice Stadium just before halftime. A similar story after the game and with taxis available, some still had no choice to embark on the two and a half mile walk to downtown Columbia while it rains.
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Fans of soggy Liverpool at least had the satisfaction of celebrating a resounding victory over United.
Two years ago, a heavy pre-season defeat to United in Bangkok set the tone for a difficult season. Slot hopes this win will propel them forward.
In the United States, the symptoms were promising. Slot has the best platform to build on.
(Main photos: Getty Images)