close
close

Liverpool 1 Real Betis 0: Slot’s lineup, need for a No.6 and first impressions

Liverpool 1 Real Betis 0: Slot’s lineup, need for a No.6 and first impressions

Arne Slot achieved his first victory as Liverpool’s head coach. The pre-season in the US started positively with a 1-0 victory over Real Betis at the Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the night when he converted a pass from Mohamed Salah in front of a crowd of 42,679 in the first half.

Slot deployed 23 players, including a large number of youngsters, as Liverpool held on to beat their Spanish opponents.

On Saturday they fly to Philadelphia to prepare for Wednesday’s second tour match against Arsenal.


How did Slot put together the team?

A sultry evening in Pittsburgh offered supporters their first real taste of the Slot era at Liverpool.

It would be wrong to put too much value on the way the Dutchman has put the team together, given that there are not many stars on the team, but his choice of line-up was certainly intriguing.

Attacking options were scarce with Diogo Jota unavailable for selection after only reporting on Thursday, while Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz are on holiday and youngster Jayden Danns remains in the UK through injury.

Slot decided to experiment and played an effective 4-2-4, with Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott operating as false number 9s in the first half, with Salah and Fabio Carvalho on the wings.

Without a strong point in attack, Liverpool struggled to keep the ball during a scrappy first half hour, but Szoboszlai’s influence increased as they took the initiative just before half-time.

The Hungary captain passed the ball to Salah on the right and made an intelligent run into the box. The Egyptian played a perfect pass and Szoboszlai swept a clinical first-time shot past former team-mate Adrian and into the far corner.

Szoboszlai’s sharpness certainly bodes well for the challenges ahead. He initially shone at Anfield following his £60m ($77m) move from RB Leipzig last summer, but has alarmingly lost his way in the second half of the season. Injuries have certainly contributed to his declining output, but a good break after the European Championship seems to have done him the world of good.


What does this tell us about the need for a number 6?

While the wait for Slot’s first signing continues, the holding midfield role is widely seen as a key area where Liverpool really need to strengthen their squad.

This was not an evening to quiet that debate.

Wataru Endo has perhaps exceeded expectations in his first season at Liverpool, making 43 appearances since joining Stuttgart for £16.2million last year.

The combative 31-year-old proved himself a useful intermediary after the club missed out on deals for Chelsea-bound duo Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. The Japan international improved once he got to grips with the pace and physicality of the Premier League, but his form dipped again towards the end of last season.

He is not the long-term solution there and he struggled during his 45 minutes against Real Betis, giving away cheap possession time and again and giving away a few careless free kicks.


Wataru Endo struggled for 45 minutes against Real Betis (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Endo was relieved to see former Liverpool transfer target Nabil Fekir unable to punish one of his sloppy mistakes as a swift counter-attack ended in a wild finish.

There was further concern for Slot’s midfield when Curtis Jones indicated he would have to leave the field before half-time.

Stefan Bajcetic is another option for Slot in the role of number 6. He came through the last half hour unscathed. But after such a long injury, it would be wrong to expect too much from him this season.

The calls for an additional dynamic holding midfielder to the squad will continue.


Which of the young players impressed?

The tour offers Liverpool’s young players a golden opportunity to impress Slot, and one player stood out.

Trey Nyoni only turned 17 last month, but the England youth international didn’t look out of place in the environment. In fact, the midfielder thrived — calm in possession and elegant when darting into space and picking the right pass.

Nyoni, who replaced the injured Jones, wasted no time in making an immediate impact when he was involved in the move that led to Szoboszlai’s goal.


Trey Nyoni made a good first impression when given a chance by Arne Slot (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool saw it as a great success when they signed him from Leicester City last summer and he has developed remarkably since then.

He became the youngest Liverpool player to play in the FA Cup when Jurgen Klopp gave him his debut against Southampton in February, aged 16 years and 243 days.

When Slot talks about how excited he is about what he has taken over from Klopp, Nyoni is a perfect example of the enormous potential that needs to be tapped.

There was also the welcome sight of teenage winger Ben Doak shining in the second half as he looks to put last season’s injury problems behind him. Doak provided a decent outlet with his pace and trickery down the right.


What’s next for Liverpool?

Thursday August 1st: Arsenal, Lincoln Financial Field, 00:30 UK, 20:30 ET (Wednesday)


Recommended reading

(Top photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)