Snap Slot: Liverpool vs. Real Betis

Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Tracking the evolution of Arne Slot’s Liverpool, one bite-sized take at a time.

It is a time of transition for Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp’s era firmly in the rearview as Arne Slot took his turn in the spotlight with the Reds opening their pre-season tour in the U.S. against La Liga side Real Betis in Pittsburgh. The match ended 1-nil to Liverpool thanks to a well-worked goal from Dominik Szoboszlai.

For fans, though, it was the first chance to gauge exactly how different things will be under the Dutchman. It’s tough to make pronouncements after a single match - especially one where most of the players one might expect to make the match-day 18 still on break following international tournaments. So, for this series, we’ll instead look at five observations from the match and see, if possible, we can start to stitch together some expectations for how Arne Slot’s Liverpool might perform week-in and week-out.

1. The Counter Press is Still Here: Liverpool still look intent to control the ball and to win back possession high-up the pitch. The pressing patterns will take some getting used to, but it was quite thrilling to watch Liverpool remain determined to own as much of the ball as possible. I’m not sure how much of Liverpool’s possession numbers itself are down to how Betis often operates, but it felt quite familiar to see the Reds hold the ball and win it back. It was also nice to see that even with the large number of youth players involved, that style seemed deeply embedded and obvious throughout the match.
2. Harvey Elliott is a 10: The match featured both Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott in a sort of 10-double pivot, taking up space just slightly withdrawn from where you might expect a traditional 9 to operate. This created some interesting scenarios - lots of well-worked balls from the wings, for example, ended up with no where to go as no striker was in the center of the box to focus a pass to. But there did seem to be some openings based on the movement of Elliott and Szobo. This isn’t going to be a formation we’ll likely see based on Slot’s post-match comments, but it was interesting to see Elliott play in a spot that does seem to play to his strengths offensively. Will be great to see how this plays out.
3. Trey Nyoni Hype Train is On Full Blast: The young midfielder had been receiving some praise based on his performances last year and was also part of that terrific run in the FA Cup that saw so many youth etch their name into Liverpool lore. Nyoni saw the pitch with Curtis Jones coming off as a precaution in the 13th minute and immediately asserted himself as one to watch. Trey played a pivotal role in the goal and also played a gorgeous pass to create the big chance for Harvey Blair in the second half. Gonna be fun to watch him and Bobby Clark - once the latter is fully recovered from injury - to see if they might be able to work themselves into the first team picture this year.
4. Sepp van den Berg Looks Intent to Force His Way Into the Center-Back Discussion: Once looking like a talent but surplus to Jurgen Klopp’s plans, the Dutch center-back had an impressive display partnering Jarell Quansah. A questionable pass or two aside, he worked quite well and served to ensure that Real Betis wouldn’t pose much of a threat going forward. Whether he stays or goes, it’s understandable why he looks to be driving the most interest among the players mentioned as possible to depart.
5. Fabio Carvalho Remains an Enigma: Quotes associated with the young attacker mention that his preferred position is the 10 - a spot that former Fulham teammate Harvey Elliott looks set to hold - but he’s been deployed on the wing. It’s a spot that’s loaded at the moment - Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, and Darwin Nuñez all can operate from that position. But his performance out there looked effective both in terms of his possession as well as in his movement and positioning. Similarly to van den Berg, it’s unclear if Liverpool have enough minutes to meet Carvalho’s desire at this stage of his career. But I imagine that he could be a decent attacking option off the bench and a spot starter in the domestic cups.

With that, Liverpool turn their attention to their match-up against Arsenal on Wednesday in Philadelphia. We’ll check-in once more after that match to see about any shifts or new wrinkles as we seek to understand Arne Slot’s philosophy and how it will be implemented on Merseyside.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com