Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the preseason under Arne Slot because they were beaten 4-2 on Saturday by AC Milan in Hong Kong.
In a damp encounter, The Reds thought it was just through Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo But were undone by defensive decay and late errors where Milan capitalized.
The Dutchman turned heavy, with 21 players during the 90 minutes and split the game into two halves to manage the fitness and assessment options. Despite the loss, there were many positives in addition to some clear warning signals about areas that require improvement for the new Premier League season.
Florian Wirtz’s debut
Pre-season Debut can be overhyped, but in just 45 minutes the reigning champions selected summer signature showed why so much excitement surrounded him.
Wirtz was deployed between the lines and immediately stood out for his calmness. Time and again he drove into the space of the room, received the ball on the half bend and dictated the pace. His death was progressive instead of safe, and his consciousness of movement around him was impressive for someone for only a few weeks in a new environment.
What stood out the most was his relationship with Mohamed Salah. More than once, the 22-year-old searched for the Run of the Egyptian and delivered fit accurately. On another day he could easily have ended his debut with two assists, but Salah unusually chose to give the ball back instead of finishing himself during a smooth attack. For now it is just a cameo, but liverpool supporters can be encouraged by how comfortably their new number 10 in a team has been adjusted that he has just met.
Rio Ngumoha’s progression
If Florian Wirtz’s performance met expectations, Rio Ngumoha was an unexpectedly striking one. Now three friendly competitions in the preseason, the teenager makes a mandatory matter for himself with target contributions. After a hand in the opener in Preston and scoring a bent attempt against Stoke City, so far, the 16-year-old makes himself very difficult to ignore the head coach.
Ngumoha operated on the left wing and was directly, confident and daring, not afraid to enter into defenders with sharp changes to the pace that the backline of Milan is restless. His fast movement and sharp pass helped initiate the structure of the equalizer of Szoboszlai, and he later forced a strong rescue from Mike Maignan with his own threatening attempt.
What is most striking at the age of only 16, Ngumoha has demonstrated that remarkable calmness plays alongside senior professionals. There is no hesitation, no sign of it. In fact, he often seemed to accelerate Liverpool’s pace in transition. His fearless approach and the ability to accelerate counterattacks showed adulthood after his years.
Given that the future of Luis Díaz apparently comes to a resolution with an expected step to Bayern Munich, the progression of the teenager could be in time and Liverpool could offer an exciting alternative in the left flank. Although the door of the first team will not be opened wide, ensure performances such as these ensure that Slot keeps him close to the Senior Setup all season.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s new role
Dominik Szoboszlai has been one of the more intriguing talk points of the summer of Liverpool. Used for in experimental right back role against Stoke, there were questions about how Wirtz’s arrival could influence his place in midfield.
Here, back in the engine room, the Hungary captain delivered a thunderous reaction. Although he was deployed further in the midfield of Liverpool as a result of Wirtz who came in and Elliott also started, Szoboszlai Blonk. His equalizer halfway through the first half was just as good as everything that was seen at night, a curly effort from the edge of the box that just dropped within the post. In addition to the goal, Szoboszlai was one of the lively players. He pushed relentlessly in the midfield of Milan, drove forward with the ball and constantly looked to create openings for those who lie in front of him.
There has been a chat in some circles that Szoboszlai could be the man to suffer from the arrival of Wirtz. It is true that he played most of last season as a number 10, but not that his playing time will suddenly be limited. If there is something, it seems to have tightened its determination to remain a key figure. The combination of energy and technical quality in its performance will have taken care of a reassuring lock that, despite greater competition, his influence remains intact and the early evidence is that the midfielder enjoys the challenge.
Defensive weaknesses
If one striking problem was shown in Hong Kong, this was the vulnerability of Liverpool’s defensive means.
With Joe Gomez set aside by an Achilles injury and Ibrahima Konaté still building fitness, Arne Slot had little choice than in the field-back combinations improvised. Virgil van Dijk and Konaté each played 45 minutes, but for the rest of the game Ryan Gravenberch, Kostas Tsimikas and even Tyler Morton were all asked to fill in.
The lack of cohesion was clear. Milan’s attackers consistently found room in the transition, and a late mix-up in which Tsimikas and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili were involved in the Italian side their fourth goal. While Gravenberch is previously familiar with that role, playing him in the middle of his influence on his influence on midfield is robbed.
This has been a recurring theme and the champions are only one injury away from a serious problem in this area. Pre-season is not time to draw radical conclusions, but it has again underlined why an extra senior center-back remains a priority before the transfer window closes.
Fitness and rhythm are still being built
Liverpool leaves Hong Kong with a lot to think. The defeat was a setback in the score, but there were more encouraging signs than caring. Pre-season defeats are rarely reason for alarm, they are checkpoints and in the coming weeks of the transfer market can still shape how well the team can build on these early foundations.
What remains are the lessons that need to be learned and Slot now has a few clear, while the Premier League champions continue their journey to the new campaign.
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