Liverpool’s three-game tour of the United States was wrapped with a 3-0 win against Manchester United in Columbia on Friday night. Goal from Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas did the damage as Arne Slot’s side signed off to make it three straight wins, Stateside.
The Reds had earlier beaten Real Betis 1-0 in Pittsburgh before a 2-1 victory against Arsenal in Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday and Slot concluded his first summer tour with another impressive display in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 78,000 at Williams-Brice Stadium in South Carolina.
Slot changes become obvious – and two players will benefit most
While Arne Slot has repeated his belief that he was hired because his style of play was the one most closely aligned to Jurgen Klopp’s at Liverpool, the subtle changes in philosophy have been unmistakable in the United States.
For those at open training on Monday morning at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, Slot could be heard repeatedly bellowing out phrases like “patience”, “kill them with passes” and “everytime you lose the ball, you lose an opportunity to score a goal”.
The willingness to build up more methodically from the back has been the most obvious alteration in playing style and Liverpool are trying to become a more possession-based side than previously under Jurgen Klopp, where they were renowned as one of the most electric sides in world football during attacking transitions. The new approach was something noted by both Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott out on the tour.
“It’s kind of more in possession now,” Elliott said in Philadelphia. “Managers have different styles of play and the gaffer now has a style which is about in possession and keeping the ball, one touch and two touch passes but I’m not going to give away any details.
“We’re learning different roles and I think it’s key for us to get the understanding now with one another and where we need to be in certain positions throughout games and certain situations and it is going to come but it is not something that will happen overnight.”
For his part, Jones was effusive in how much he is enjoying it under Slot, saying: “It’s probably the happiest I’ve been. In terms of a style of play, it suits us and the lads we have. It is a clear plan. He is fully involved in the training, coaches us a lot, he’s big on the finer details.
“We’re not in a rush to attack. We want to have the ball and break teams down. I feel more in the past, it was like a rush. We got the ball back. It was a bit too direct I’d say. Arne wants us to get the ball down and completely kill teams.”
As the development of the new style continues in the weeks and months, Elliott and Jones, as creative, technically excellent midfielders with their best years ahead of them, will be two of the players who stand to benefit most. Both were excellent here against top Premier League opposition.
Has Carvalho finally found a home?
Ask Fabio Carvalho, as the ECHO did after the Real Betis game, and he will tell you he is a dyed-in-the-wool No.10. The Portugal Under-21 international’s close control, touch and vision mark him out as a player with the credentials to operate as the man behind the strikers, pulling the strings if allowed time and space.
“So we spoke about it and [Slot] told me to try and settle on the wing but obviously I know where I play best and I feel that is as a No 10,” he said last week. “I’m just going to do what he wants me to do and just work as hard as I can for him. He’s giving me good instructions and motivating me a lot in training and giving me that confidence.”
But with two goals in back to back games, against Arsenal and now Manchester United, while playing off the left of the front three, might Slot be finally finding a home for a player whose biggest problem, it seemed, was settling into a role in this Liverpool squad?
Open training was instructive to what Slot wants Carvalho to do, with the head coach imploring him time and again to attack the spaces and take on his man. His goal here, where he shimmied past multiple Champions League winner Casemiro before dispatching with aplomb, was proof he has been listening.
Szoboszlai absence makes sense
Liverpool may still be going through their summer schedule but it felt like the return of the ‘real’ stuff is getting closer judging by the intrigue around one pre-match injury rumour on Saturday.
Speculation raged throughout the day about the potential absence of Dominik Szoboszlai for the clash with Manchester United at Williams-Brice Stadium and given the level interest in this part of the world in recent days, the attention on the Hungary captain’s fitness issues was entirely in-keeping with that.
Szoboszlai did indeed sit out this one here but his absence is not thought to be linked to any real concern, with Slot deciding to leave out his No.8 as a precaution only. The 23-year-old has not missed any training sessions in recent days but given the intensity of those workouts under Slot, it was decided there was little point jeopardising the attacking midfielder.
Fatigue was the explanation and with Liverpool flying straight back to Merseyside within an hour or so of the final whistle on Saturday, the idea of a long-haul flight after involvement in a game like this was deemed a risk not worth taking.
Having flown out of the traps after his move from RB Leipzig last year before tailing off as the demands of English football started to chip away him, a pre-season free of injury issues is pivotal for Szoboszlai so this omission made total sense.