Liverpool clearly has a lot to improve on after their first game under Arne Slot.
The Reds looked good for much of Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Real Betis, controlling the game with their passing.
However, Liverpool’s attacking threat was somewhat missing, and there will undoubtedly be much more to come in this area.
Nonetheless, it was great to finally see the new head coach on the sideline. Hopefully, Arne was able to enjoy the game and appreciate the situation a little.
He certainly took use of the opportunity to get a good look at many of his Liverpool teammates. Overall, 23 players were employed, with some performing better than others.
Arne Slot highlights Stefan Bajcetic’s performance.
Most Liverpool fans who watched the game against Betis will have come to the same conclusion: Trey Nyoni is just superb.
Dominik Szoboszlai commended Nyoni after the 17-year-old delivered an impressive performance.
He wasn’t the only young player that impressed. Vitezslav Jaros performed admirably in goal in the second half, while Ben Doak demonstrated flashes of the electrifying talent we all know him to be.
With 13 of Slot’s 23 players being 21 or younger, there were certain to be a few who couldn’t keep up with the game’s tempo.
Stefan Bajcetic was one person to whom this may have applied. Bajcetic, who entered the game in the 64th minute, was originally caught in possession several times.
However, the Spaniard improved as the minutes passed, and he is still recovering from a serious injury. Interestingly, at his post-match press conference, Slot was specifically asked how he thought Bajcetic got along.
“I think you have to take into account with Stefan that he was out for a year, one-and-a-half years almost,” explained the head coach. “So, if a young player is out for so long, you must give him some time.
“But I’ve already seen a few good moments from him today, as well as a couple times when he was caught because he behaved too slowly. But I think that’s typical when you’ve been out for so long, and you need rhythm and gaming time to grow even more.
“But I think he showed some good moments during the half-hour that he played.”
Liverpool are looking for Stefan Bajcetic to step up.
Although Bajcetic had one or two poor moments on Saturday, it should be noted that the 19-year-old also had several strong points in his game.
After missing so much football recently, Bajcetic requires time to regain his genuine form. You can still see that he is a truly talented young player.
However, football does not wait for anyone, and with Nyoni already making an impact, Bajcetic must step up once more.
It’s worth noting that when Curtis Jones went down injured after half an hour, Slot switched to the younger Nyoni rather than Bajcetic.
That could simply be a matter of managing the Spain U21 star’s minutes more carefully. However, with Slot’s system suiting a player like Bajcetic, it is critical that he maintains that form during pre-season.
