Liverpool have enjoyed a reasonable pre-season under Arne Slot, having beaten both Arsenal and Man United on their tour of the United States.
There should arguably be enough positives already for the Dutchman to take away from those matches, and he has one more fixture – against Sevilla on August 11 – before he makes his first Premier League selection.
Though there will be names from the Jurgen Klopp era that will still be a shoo-in for Slot’s starting XI, it’s arguable that one or two places might be up for grabs.
Arne Slot zeroing in on new signing for Liverpool
A new manager can often wipe the slate clean too, and give every member of the squad a fresh start, so it’s effectively every man for himself in terms of jostling for position and being foremost in the manager’s thoughts.
Given that the Reds have been one of the quieter teams in the this summer’s transfer window too, it’s entirely possible that Slot has left things until now to give himself time to understand what he has in front of him in terms of squad depth, and where he would like to improve.
For Ryan Gravenberch, who has done well in the US, the game could soon be up.
‘Despite Slot praising Gravenberch’s performance in the friendly against Manchester United, Liverpool have now identified a target in that position,’ David Ornstein wrote in The Athletic (subscription required).
‘It is worth keeping an eye on that situation this week, with Liverpool pursuing a specialist No 6 from outside of the Premier League. They have turned down bids for Endo this summer, in part because of the tricky market in that position, but are now moving ahead with a signing for that role.’
Slot’s way of working has certainly kept the first team on its toes, and as long as his players don’t compare that with his predecessor, and move forward as one, there’s every chance that success will follow.
If new players are soon added too, that adds an extra element of competition for those already in situ – exactly what every manager would surely profess to wanting given the chance.
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