Liverpool’s pre-season programme got underway on an emotional afternoon at Deepdale, with Arne Slot‘s side offering a few glimpses of what is to come after a 3-1 win.
We all know pre-season results are meaningless, especially under the circumstances on Sunday. Still, the matches offer timely insight when assessing the bigger picture whether the Reds win or lose.
Slot utilised 22 players at Preston, with 10 left out of the squad entirely as they instead focus on their fitness with extra sessions at the AXA Training Centre.
After two different XIs played 45 minutes each, there were several things we noticed watching on at Deepdale.
Frimpong is fast and favours his right
Jeremie Frimpong‘s first 45 minutes in a Liverpool shirt left the impression of pace, and lots of it.
He can cover the ground at incredible speed and that injection on the right flank will be incredibly valuable, going both ways! He also has a decent vertical leap despite his small stature.
What was also noticeable, though, was his clear preference to always use his right foot even if the situation was better suited to taking the ball on his left.
It is not an uncommon sight but two-footed players are always a bonus.
Rio’s shirt name change
Rio Ngumoha was one of three academy regulars named in Slot‘s first lineup, with the 16-year-old the youngest player on the pitch – not that he played in a manner that would suggest as much.
His performance was bright, showing off his pace, skill and trickery to help set up the opener, but just as noticeable as his physical growth was the change on the back of his shirt.
Instead of ‘Ngumoha’, he has instead opted for ‘Rio’ above his number this season – there can be a number of ways to read into that but we wouldn’t mind him being the only Rio discussed in 2025/26!
First Kerkez signs are promising
Sticking his head in the way of the opposition’s boot to get to the ball first told us everything we needed to know about Milos Kerkez, and that is he will put his body on the line for the shirt.
There is a lot more to come and see from him, but first impressions were very positive, he looked assured and comfortable on the ball and was quick to spot runs from those ahead of him.
An option on the overlap or ready to sprint back to defend, Kerkez showed off both sides of his game and Andy Robertson would have had a close look having started alongside him at centre-back.
Mama is a big lad!
Even from the back of the stands Giorgi Mamardashvili‘s commanding stature was abundantly clear, with the 6’6″ giant looming large in Liverpool’s goal.
He was not tested enough to get a proper look at his shot-saving abilities but he was quick to command his box and his size leaves little room for the opposition to negotiate.
It is still hard to see him settling for a place on the bench behind Alisson but the Brazilian remains the clear No. 1.
Woodman has quality
Continuing on the theme of Liverpool’s new goalkeepers, Freddie Woodman caught the eye on his return to Preston.
With the exception of being closed down late in the game, much to the delight of his former club’s fan base, his distribution impressed as did his shot-saving ability and reaction speed.
His long ball pinged to the right wing was a particular favourite on the day, it was inch-perfect.
The 28-year-old will be the third-choice ‘keeper this season but he offered an injection of confidence should Slot ever need to turn to him.
The systems at play
Pre-season is always the time to debate what the manager will do next in their bid to evolve, but we saw Slot retain his 4-3-3 formation and then later shift into a 4-2-3-1, much like last season.
Lewis Koumas‘ introduction led to the second-half shift to accommodate four forwards, but whether this will be the norm when Florian Wirtz is involved remains to be seen.
Liverpool’s start to pre-season has been anything but ordinary and you expect only the deeper we go into the summer will we truly see what the Dutchman has up his sleeve for his side’s title defence.
