Who will be taking part in Arne Slott’s first pre-season tour?
Slott said getting to know his new squad in the summer when most of the veteran players are on international duty was a “disadvantage but no excuse”, and the reality of his first pre-season was made clear by the 28-man squad that departed on Tuesday for a three-match tour of the United States.
The squad appears more concerned with a Carabao Cup winner’s medal than Premier League experience, with the absentee list including: Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota.
Some players will join up for the second half of the tour, a golden opportunity for young players to impress Liverpool’s new manager, but Jayden Danns and Bobby Clarke have been left behind as they recover from back injuries. “Ideally I would have liked to be starting in a season without the Euros and Copa America,” Slott admitted. “But that’s not the case so we just have to take it as it is.”
First glimpse of Slott’s style in a Liverpool uniform
The Slotts may be short on established players on a tour that sees them face Real Betis in Pittsburgh on Friday, Arsenal in Philadelphia the following Wednesday and Manchester United in Columbia, South Carolina, the following Saturday, but it will still be a first look at the style that attracted the club’s new soccer executives to Slotts.
There will be similarities to Jurgen Klopp’s approach, but as the Dutchman said in his official statement, he is “not a Jurgen clone”. Liverpool’s full-backs are expected to take on different roles, with players free to switch positions when the team has possession of the ball. “Sometimes we’ll play 4-2-3-1, sometimes we’ll play 4-1-4-1, sometimes we’ll build up with three,” Slott said when outlining his tactics last month. “When we have the ball we have a lot of freedom, when we don’t have the ball we don’t have as much freedom. At that time we want to play really aggressively but there’s only one way, and that’s for everyone to keep their position.”
Stefan Bajetic’s return
Bajetic will be hoping his fresh start at Liverpool won’t just be slotted in. The talented midfielder has been plagued by injuries since his remarkable breakthrough two seasons ago. He made just one start last season, in a Europa League group game in Linz, before missing the final months of the 2022-23 season with a groin injury, which he then suffered a calf injury. Back problems caused by growing pains will keep him out for a further seven months.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a productive and intensive pre-season so far and Liverpool will be hoping that his fitness issues are fully resolved ahead of his slotted debut season. Central midfield is an area likely to see change under the new manager, with Bajetic having an early chance to make his case amid stiff competition.
A chance to test Vitezslav Jaros’s preparations
The three-match tour will give Slott an opportunity to assess the strength of his back-up goalkeeper while Alisson enjoys a post-Copa America break. Caoin Kelleher should be first choice in the US, but it remains to be seen whether the Republic of Ireland international is ready for another season as second choice after making 26 appearances for the first team last season. Kelleher admitted at the end of last season “I feel the next step for me is to be number one, whether that’s at Liverpool or somewhere else.”
Liverpool had been keen to keep Adrian as an experienced signing, but the 37-year-old rejected an offered contract extension and returned to his first professional club, Betis, on a free transfer. Adrian’s departure, and questions over Kelleher’s future, present an opportunity for 23-year-old Vitezslav Jaros, who was part of the Czech Republic’s squad at the European Championships.
Liverpool view Jaros as one of their senior goalkeepers after he impressed on loan at Sturm Graz last season, helping the Austrian club win the league and cup double, and that assessment could be tested in the United States.
Lack of new faces
With more than a month still to go in the summer transfer window (rest your angry social media fingers), and a lack of new signings and a host of big name players missing, it’s no wonder fans are disappointed, having paid in some cases more than $400 to watch Liverpool on their US tour.
Liverpool’s new sporting director, Richard Hughes, has said the club’s transfer strategy this summer will be “opportunistic”, with Slott’s squad having no glaring holes to fill, at least in the short term, and the view that last summer’s midfield overhaul has solved the major problems facing his predecessor.
But there is always room for improvement. Liverpool were interested in centre-back Lenny Yolo, a Real Madrid target who eventually moved to Manchester United. Newcastle were looking to break even before the June 30 financial deadline and were offered a deal for Anthony Gordon. The long-term futures of Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah remain undecided, with each key asset entering the final year of their current contracts. There is a lot of work to be done before the August 30 deadline.
