The teenage sensation has shown precisely why the Reds had no issue letting Luis Diaz move to Bayern Munich this summer
The champions of England are ready to return to competitive action, with Liverpool off to Wembley this weekend to battle it out with Crystal Palace for the Community Shield.
It doesn't feel that long ago that the Reds were lifting the Premier League trophy in front of a delirious Kop – but so much has changed in the interim, with entire club still coming to terms with the tragic death of Diogo Jota.
“It has, of course, been a very challenging time," captain Virgil van Dijk write in his programme notes ahead of Monday's friendlies against Athletic Club. "It is still a bit surreal, to be honest, but we are coping in the best way possible as a team, and we are all trying to do the best job we can in order to get through this really difficult time."
The outpouring of love for Jota during pre-season – particularly during the 20th minute of every game – has been a joy to behold and has clearly helped the squad in their efforts to "honour Diogo each and every day".
Just looking at the base numbers, Liverpool have dealt well with a pre-season shrouded in sadness, winning five of their six friendlies, scoring 20 times in the process, and their only setback came in Hong Kong, where they lost 4-2 to AC Milan.
However, while there were plenty of positives for Slot, there were also some negatives. Below, GOAL runs through all of the big winners and losers from Liverpool's pre-season…
WINNER: Rio Ngumoha
Liverpool fans got a first proper look at the much-hyped Rio Ngumoha back in January when the 16-year-old became the youngest player ever to start a senior game for the club and, as Slot said after the FA Cup rout of Accrington Stanley, "The fans liked what they saw."
It would prove Ngumoha's only first-team appearance of the 2024-25 campaign, but one can already be sure that he's going to feature several times this season. Indeed, it's now clear why John Terry was so disappointed to see the left winger leave Chelsea for Liverpool.
Ngumoha was the undoubted star of the Reds' pre-season programme. After netting in the behind-closed-doors rout of Stoke City, the youngster played less than half an hour of the game against Yokohama F. Marinos, but Ngumoha's was the name on everyone's lips after repeatedly turning the Japanese side's defenders inside out before capping a scene-stealing cameo with a stunning solo goal.
He then required just over 60 seconds to send Anfield into a frenzy with another sweet strike in the first friendly against Athletic on Monday:
Slot is wisely trying to play down all of the hype surrounding the England Under-17 international, but Ngumoha's made that absolutely impossible with his scintillating pre-season showings. Luis Diaz may be gone, but Rio is ready to step up – and everyone knows that now.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Slot's centre-back options
Joe Gomez may not have got off the bench in Liverpool's final game of last season, but everyone connected to the club was just delighted to see the injury-plagued defender make the matchday squad for the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield. The hope was that with a full pre-season under his belt, Gomez would be back challenging Ibrahima Konate for the right to start alongside Van Dijk in Slot's back four.
However, the 28-year-old, who was sidelined by a hamstring problem in January, was sent home early from the tour of Asia with an Achilles problem that also kept him out of the double-header with Athletic. Slot now says that Gomez faces a race against time to be fit for the Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday week – which is not good news at all for Liverpool, who are still short on proper centre-backs following Jarell Quansah's sale to Bayer Leverkusen – as evidenced by the use of Trey Nyoni and Wataru Endo in defence on Monday.
Consequently, one cannot help but wonder if we'll yet see the Reds make a late-window move for Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, who is out of contract next year, or Parma teenager Giovanni Leoni…
AFPWINNER: Cody Gakpo
The potential arrival of Alexander Isak would obviously change things for several Liverpool players, including Cody Gakpo, as it might mean Hugo Ekitike being pushed out wide to accommodate the Swedish striker. As it stands, though, the Dutchman couldn't be in a better position going into the 2025-26 campaign after a very positive pre-season.
Gakpo scored four goals in total, including a brace in the 3-2 win over Athletic at Anfield, while he also saw his principal rival for the left-wing berth in Slot's starting line-up, Diaz, leave for Bayern Munich. So, while Gakpo scored 18 times in all competitions last season, don't be at all surprised if he betters that haul this year.
Getty ImagesLOSER: The defence
As Slot acknowledged, Liverpool played some fantastic attacking football during their six friendlies – but their defensive work left an awful lot to be desired. The Reds were torn to shreds on the break by a mediocre Milan side on July 26, and they weren't much better against Yokohama F. Marinos four days later, with the J.League strugglers opening them up on more than a couple of occasions with swift counter-attacks.
Meanwhile, in the second game against Athletic, Liverpool displayed a worrying vulnerability at set-pieces. The unavailability of defensive leader Van Dijk, who missed out through illness, was obviously a major contributing factor in that regard, while the effects of a general lack of match sharpness should not be downplayed.
However, while all eyes will be on the star-studded forward line in Sunday's Community Shield clash with Crystal Palace, how the defence holds up will probably be of greater interest to Slot – because the suspicion remains that Liverpool's season would unravel if Van Dijk were to pick up a serious injury.
