4 things we spotted from Arne Slot’s first unofficial pre-season match

The headlines may read ‘Liverpool lose first game under Arne Slot‘, but the story of the pre-season friendly is a lot more intriguing than the final result.

On Friday, Championship side Preston travelled to the AXA Training Centre for a behind-closed-door friendly against a mishmash of academy and senior players.

Preston left with a 1-0 victory, but a video of the highlights gave us a lot more to take away than the scoreline.

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Liverpool first-half XI: Jaros; Bradley, Van den Berg, Quansah, Tsimikas; Jones, Elliott, Szoboszlai (Endo 33′); Doak, Carvalho, Salah

Liverpool second-half XI: Davies; Stephenson, Nallo, Phillips, Chambers (Beck 75′); Endo (Nyoni 75′), Bajcetic, Morton, McConnell; Koumas (Blair 75′), Gordon

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Here is what we noticed from the Reds’ first unofficial outing.

 

3 absent Reds

Jayden Danns did not play his part in the match, and The Athletic’s James Pearce explained that was due to the forward suffering a “minor injury.”

More pressing, though, was Caoimhin Kelleher‘s absence. The Irishman has not been spotted in training for more than a week.

Vitezslav Jaros and Harvey Davies shared responsibilities against the Championship side, but we’re left wondering if Kelleher has sustained an injury or if it has something to do with transfer Business.

Liverpool’s No. 2 goalkeeper has a history of minor fitness issues but has also previously expressed his desire to play regular minutes, and he has not been short on interested suitors.

We’re sure to find out more early next week when the squad travel to the United States.

Andy Robertson did not take any part, but that is no surprise given he only just returned to training.

 

Quick ball movement

Liverpool v Preston North End Highlights

? @KM_243_ pic.twitter.com/jRHoYL2wde

— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) July 19, 2024

One can only take so much from a ‘highlights’ package, but what was noticeable was the speed at which the ball was moved from one player to the next with short passes.

Progression up the pitch was often done with one or two touches, helped by the squad’s movement, which created openings in the final third and only left the final finish to find.

A small detail, but they make all the difference.

 

A ‘first-choice XI’

It goes without saying that Liverpool are still missing a significant number of their first-team players, but there were some notable selection choices for the first-half XI.

Curtis Jones was deployed in the No. 6 role to start, well within his capabilities but is likely just a make-do situation for now, while both Harvey Elliott and Ben Doak played on the left.

Sepp van den Berg is getting his audition. He lined up alongside Jarell Quansah and took the left-sided role. The 22-year-old has a larger frame since he last played for the Reds, and we’re interested to see what he has to offer this summer.

Nat Phillips then took over alongside 17-year-old Amara Nallo for the second half. That is a strong indicator of Phillips’ future, with a summer transfer expected once the senior centre-backs return.

An obvious strongest XI, then, and one we will expect to see against Real Betis next week.

 

It’s a friendly, the first at that!

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Every year it is the same story. We do not live and die by scorelines in pre-season outings, they are glorified training sessions, if you will.

This one was no different. In scorching summer heat – a rarity in England this year – with a squad predominantly made up of academy players, this was simply a good early opportunity for match simulations.

Much more important was Slot seeing his principles in practice.