As Liverpool return to the AXA Coaching Centre for the beginning of pre-season coaching underneath their head coach, the Arne Slot period brings new potentialities.
The Reds are again for pre-season on July 5, with plenty of change behind the scenes since they final skilled on the AXA.
With Jurgen Klopp and lots of of his workers now departed and Slot appointed on the helm, there could possibly be a really totally different really feel about preparations for 2024/25.
Liverpool’s first of solely 4 friendlies isn’t till July 27, that means there are over three weeks for Slot to easily work along with his gamers on the coaching pitch as he builds on the profitable facet Klopp left behind.
And with a brand new head coach in place, it presents a chance for various gamers to stake their declare and common starters to show their value once more.
Listed below are 5 issues we need to see from Liverpool this pre-season.
New-look Salah firing
Mohamed Salah will return to Merseyside having undergone a drastic makeover, with the No. 11 shaving his head to spark rumours of a hair transplant.
With a brand new look may come a chance to reset, as if Salah got here away with 25 targets and 14 assists final season, it was undoubtedly a troublesome finish to the marketing campaign following one of many worst accidents of his profession.
Among the many gamers who will report back to the AXA Coaching Centre for day one, Salah can look to make an early impression earlier than flexing his muscle within the warmup video games.
As he enters the ultimate yr of his contract at Liverpool with no assure of an extension, it’s attainable that that is the final season with the Egyptian at Anfield.
What higher time to show he’s nonetheless top-of-the-line on the earth?
Bajcetic lastly again in control
Stefan Bajcetic will be a part of Salah within the first crop of gamers again in coaching, having missed a lot of the final 15 months resulting from numerous health points.
He was not concerned in pre-season this time final yr, and after a short return in September was sidelined once more and took in what Klopp described as “his pre-season.”
The 19-year-old ought to now be absolutely match and prepared to participate once more, with the summer season’s friendlies an ideal alternative to search out his ft.
Slot will start pre-season with out the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch resulting from internationals, which suggests there could possibly be extra vacancies in midfield.
Seeing Bajcetic again and settling in once more can be one of many large positives of pre-season.
Gakpo in his favorite function
Although Cody Gakpo won’t be concerned till late in pre-season resulting from his commitments with the Netherlands on the Euros, Slot’s arrival is an intriguing one for the Dutchman.
Klopp was determined to get the deal over the road with PSV Eindhoven firstly of 2023, however proceeded to make use of Gakpo in quite a lot of roles away from his pure place.
At PSV, and this summer season with the Netherlands, Gakpo was massively efficient as a left winger, reducing onto his proper foot as a continuing menace.
It’s a function that Gakpo finally took up within the closing weeks of Klopp’s farewell season, however now it must be his everlasting residence underneath Slot.
That might, after all, have ramifications on Luis Diaz – however with the Colombian’s future nonetheless doubtful, it might present a welcome resolution.
Extra kids step up
This pre-season is a step into the unknown, however one certainty is that it ought to function a chance for the subsequent group of children to interrupt by means of.
Final summer season noticed Jarell Quansah, Bobby Clark, Ben Doak, James McConnell, Conor Bradley and Lewis Koumas amongst these to characteristic often, they usually went on to play a invaluable function within the marketing campaign correct.
That ought to proceed in Slot’s first pre-season, with the likes of Trey Nyoni, Amara Nallo, Carter Pinnington, Kieran Morrison and Trent Kone-Doherty maybe in with an opportunity of minutes.
Even when they’re merely concerned in coaching periods it might profit the Reds in the long term, with Slot introduced in partly resulting from his personal religion in youth.
Who is aware of, we may even see a Quansah-sized leap from academy to first staff once more.
Slot’s new formation revealed
The brand new head coach arrives with the expectation being that he adopts the identical setup he used for almost all of his time in command of AZ Alkmaar and extra lately Feyenoord.
For essentially the most half, Slot has used a 4-2-3-1 system all through his managerial profession, with the choice of switching this to a extra attacking 4-3-3 relying on the scenario.
That may doubtless have been a key issue within the membership’s choice to nominate him within the first place: in contrast to fellow candidate Ruben Amorim, who depends on a 3-4-3, Slot’s tactical beliefs already swimsuit the squad in place.
The likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott may even be a greater match for a formation constructed round a No. 10 than their earlier function as No. 8s.
It stays to be seen, nevertheless, whether or not he sees the gamers out there to him in another way – and it received’t be till the friendlies get underway that we get an thought of his plan for the marketing campaign forward.
