Arne Slot’s bizarre formation, an exciting display from another young talent and the obvious need for a new midfielder: FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED as Liverpool beat Real Betis 1-0

Liverpool marked the start of the Arne Slot era with a convincing victory over Spanish club Real Betis in Pittsburgh.

Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai scored the game’s only goal as Liverpool fielded 23 players. A good workout for Slot’s troops, who were playing in front of an audience for the first time since losing behind closed doors to Preston last week.

Mail Sport takes you through five things we learned…

Bizarre formation

Given this is a ‘things we learned’ piece, it took the crowd around 15 minutes to work out what formation Liverpool were playing here. Slot was quick to dismiss suggestions that his system was different to Jurgen Klopp’s – but that was certainly the case here.

Liverpool’s formation for most of this match resembled a 4-2-4, with Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott both playing as number 9s, whether you want to call them ‘cheating’ or not. The Hungarian captain got on the scoreboard.

It was far from perfect, but the early signs of this formation, experimental or not, were promising. Liverpool were playing through the lines with powerful, vertical passing, which meant their pressing structure was harder to break down.

Two midfielders would sit in a deeper area to shield the defence but also initiate attacks by collecting the ball. Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho would keep the width and let the two No 9s exploit the spaces as the Real Betis defence was unsure of who to mark.

As the wingers came in, the full-backs – Kostas Tsimikas and Conor Bradley from the start – provided bundles of energy on the overlap, with Northern Irishman Bradley in particular a shining example for the Reds in the first half.

Jones’ kiss of death

Curtis Jones spoke candidly on Wednesday and was full of confidence for a new era at Liverpool. The midfielder said he saw Slot’s arrival as a clean slate and that he was ready to move on with his career after a solid pre-season.

But his comments seemed to be the kiss of death as Jones lasted just 30 minutes with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. It was a sad sight to see him leave the pitch in pain, although it didn’t look too serious.

Liverpool will be hoping he doesn’t suffer any major setbacks, but given that Jones had only 24 hours ago said he was keen to start the new season, it was a worrying end to his first public appearance of the summer.

Nyoni shows a great performance

Jones’ departure, however, opened the door for youngster Trey Nyoni, who only turned 17 last month. The former Leicester lad, who was signed by Liverpool around this time last year, made his debut as a substitute in the FA Cup last season and was given another taste of first-team action there.

Nyoni was positive in possession and played a crucial role in the opening goal when he played a fine pass through the lines to Szoboszlai, who then scored with Salah. He was also a lively source of energy in midfield.

By the time he left the field midway through the second half, Nyoni had already established himself as a sure thing for the man of the match award. Every time the ball came to him, the teenager seemed to make something positive happen.

Since being snapped up from the Foxes 12 months ago, Liverpool’s coaching staff have been delighted with Nyoni, who was rewarded with a wealth of first-team experience in the second half of last season.

Slot said several young players surprised him during training in his first month and Nyoni is undoubtedly one of them. A diminutive figure in midfield who looks his age, but a player with enormous potential if coached with care and patience.

Let’s talk about six

It’s hardly a groundbreaking development that Liverpool need a No.6, given their defensive midfield woes have been well-documented for over a year. But can the Reds win the Premier League without upgrading in that area?

This was a disappointing outing for Wataru Endo, who was caught in possession a worrying number of times. If Real Betis had not finished poorly, Liverpool would have fallen behind in this match.

Endo, the Japan captain, was signed for £16.2m last August after Jurgen Klopp required a massive rebuild of his midfield. He was a reliable performer last season but feels as though he is not quite at the elite level that the Reds’ Premier League rivals have at their disposal.

He was replaced in the second half by Tyler Morton, who spent last season on loan at Championship Hull City. Morton, who also had a trial at Everton as a child, told Mail Sport in an interview last year how he modelled his game on Xabi Alonso.

“I used to go to the park with my dad and practice my ping. I loved Xabi Alonso so I tried to copy him,” he said in January. “Stevie Gerrard was my idol but I loved watching Xabi play. He was just in a different class.”

Morton had a solid second half performance – not quite Alonso yet, but he did play some nice passes. It was also good to see Stefan Bajcetic get some minutes after a terrible injury spell in the last 18 months.

The backroom staff fits in nicely

As this was Slot’s first public appearance for Liverpool since taking the job, it was interesting to watch the warm-up from the sidelines and see the actions of the new coaching team on the touchline.

At the home team of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Slot was as animated as an NFL coach, waving his arms and constantly barking orders and advice at his players. The Dutchman regularly called people over for a chat.

Before the match, Slots’ newly hired assistant Johnny Heitinga was very hands-on in leading the warm-up drills. His new colleague Sipke Hulshoff was also constantly talking to players and rarely sat down during the match.

New performance manager Ruben Peeters is said to be meticulous in managing the workload of the players. Liverpool deployed a total of 23 players, with young defender Amara Nallo the only man in the matchday squad not to get any playing time.

James McConnell missed out with a minor injury but is expected to be back soon, while Andy Robertson will not take part in the tour despite being here with a minor ankle ligament injury. The Scot did individual work at Liverpool’s Pittsburgh base on Friday.

Diogo Jota underwent fitness tests yesterday after flying to Pittsburgh on Thursday. The Portugal international is unlikely to play in Philadelphia but will play in South Carolina if all goes well.