Arne Slot’s Liverpool will take to the field in their first public game on Friday night when they face Real Betis in Pittsburgh.
The new Reds manager saw his side beaten 1-0 by Preston North End in a behind-closed-doors game last week.
Slot was missing most of his senior stars for that game – with players who went deep at Euro 2024 or the Copa America given extra time off.
Those international stars will also skip the clash with Betis but there is just three weeks to go until the Slot era begins for real with a Premier League trip to Ipswich.
So what might the next chapter of Liverpool’s story hold? Mail Sport’s ROBERT SUMMERSCALES has listed five things to look out for this summer.
New Liverpool boss Arne Slot pictured overseeing a training session in Pittsburgh on Thursday
New tactics
Liverpool fans were treated to eight and a half seasons of ‘heavy-metal football’ under former manager Jurgen Klopp.
This philosophy saw the Reds play a fast-paced game that mixed high-pressing with fast counter-attacks.
Slot’s tactical plan will likely be slightly different, although he and Klopp both tend to flip between 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 as their most-used formations.
While the Dutchman also has a reputation for getting his team to press high up the pitch, he prefers a more controlled approach than Klopp.
So instead of looking to turn defence into attack at the first opportunity, expect to see Slot’s men attempt to keep the ball.
Possession and patience are both key for Slot.
New blood will arrive, eventually
As things stand, Liverpool are the only Premier League club not to sign any new players so far this summer.
But that will change before the transfer window closes on August 30.
Slot has said that the lack of new recruits is down to two major reasons.
He explained: ‘The first is me wanting to assess the squad, which is difficult because most of them are still not here. And the second one also has to do with the difficulty [that] if you inherited a team that is really good, then it’s not so easy to find players that are of the same standards or even higher, especially because those ones need to be available as well.
‘We already have a very good team I’m already really happy with. But it would be a surprise for all of us I think if we don’t bring any player in, so that will probably happen in the end. But for now, we are just waiting for the players to come back and waiting for the right ones to sign.’
Liverpool have not signed any new players since the end of last season but they will eventually
Star men could leave
While Slot has claimed that he is very happy with the players currently at the club, it is not clear if all of Liverpool’s star men with stick around this summer.
Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all have less than 12 months left to run on their contracts.
That leaves Liverpool in a position of vulnerability as the star trio could all leave for free this time next year if no extensions are agreed.
Therefore, it is very plausible that at least one of them might leave this summer if a significant offer comes in.
Of the three, captain Van Dijk is seemingly the least likely to leave. However, Salah has been linked with interest from Saudi Arabia and the USA, while Alexander-Arnold is said to be on Real Madrid’s radar.
The transfer rumour mill was fuelled earlier this week after Alexander-Arnold was spotted having dinner with Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Mo Salah (right) is currently with the Reds squad in the USA but he is wanted in Saudi Arabia
Squad players rejuvenated
Klopp was very popular, both among the fanbase and the majority of the players.
However, it is impossible to please all of the people all of the time and it is inevitable that some of the players who were not starting regularly under Klopp may have been happy to see him go.
One such player could be midfielder Curtis Jones, who only started 14 of Liverpool’s 38 Premier League matches last season.
Jones has previously made it clear how much he respected Klopp and enjoyed working with him.
However, he suggested at a press conference this week that Slot’s arrival could rejuvenate his career at Anfield – and not just because of the possibility of increased game time.
‘Arne is amazing. It is probably the happiest I have been,’ said Jones. ‘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.
‘My way of playing has always been a kid who wants to get on the ball and play, help the team, be comfortable on the ball. I then came around a team with world-class lads on the wing and up front. I felt like the centre midfielders were more disciplined runners.
‘Of course, the principles are the same but now the midfielders are going to be the heart of the team. In terms of our build-up and being comfortable on the ball, we have to be more calm and play more as a team. We’re not in a rush to attack.’
Midfielder Curtis Jones, 23, pictured (centre) on the ball during Thursday’s training session
Youth will be given a chance
Initially, Slot will have no choice but to give Liverpool’s youngsters a shot at showing what they can do.
You could name an entire XI of first-team players who are not currently Stateside with the Reds.
As of Friday, there was no Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Diogo Jota, Joe Gomez, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch or Ibrahima Konate following their Euros exertions.
Meanwhile, Darwin Nunez, Alisson Becker, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz have not yet returned to the club after playing at the Copa America.
Their absences could provide a big opportunity for the likes of Ben Doak, Vitezslav Jaros, James McConnell, Luke Chambers, Marcelo Pitaluga, Kaide Gordon, Owen Beck, Amara Nallo, Lewis Koumas, Tyler Morton, Harvey Blair, Luca Stephenson, Harvey Davies and Trey Nyoni to impress Slot in the US.
Jaros is seemingly Liverpool’s third choice goalkeeper right now but he could be promoted to No 2 on that list if Caoimhin Kelleher leaves in search of first-team football.
Vitezslav Jaros, 23, is one of Liverpool’s young players who are keen to impress this summer
There will also be plenty of eyes on 17-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni, who was held in high regard by Klopp.
Nyoni made his first-team debut in the FA Cup last season. If he has a decent summer, do not be surprised to see him get some Premier League minutes in the coming months.
