The new season is officially underway after a whirlwind summer, but Liverpool’s campaign began with disappointment as they drew 2–2 with Crystal Palace before losing 2–3 on penalties in the Community Shield. Though the Community Shield may be meaningless in the grand scheme of the season, it still offered plenty of talking points and takeaways from Arne Slot’s new-look Liverpool side.
Starting with the positives, Liverpool’s new signings impressed overall. Hugo Ekitike arguably stood out the most, scoring a well-taken goal and linking play effectively. Jeremie Frimpong’s work rate and blistering pace caught the eye, even if his goal looked more accidental than intentional. We also saw a glimpse of what Florian Wirtz can offer this season, with his combination play with Ekitike particularly exciting. Milos Kerkez brought bundles of energy down the left, though he may still need to adapt to Liverpool’s defensive structure. The defensive discipline on that side, especially in tandem with Cody Gakpo — who was poor today — remains an area for improvement.
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Among the more disappointing performances were those from senior figures Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Van Dijk conceded the foul that led to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty and was partly at fault for Palace’s second goal. Salah, meanwhile, had little to no influence on the game and skied his penalty in the shootout — his second miss from the spot in just six days. It’s also worth noting that the midfield pivot of Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones failed to truly click, further underlining the importance of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch to Liverpool’s balance in the middle of the park.
To sum up the mood, the players will no doubt reflect on their performances, but this was ultimately a meaningless fixture and there’s nothing major to worry about. The focus now shifts to Friday’s Premier League opener at Anfield against Bournemouth, as well as the ongoing pursuits of Alexander Isak and a centre-back — both of which Liverpool clearly need. Encouragingly, those deals appear to be progressing well, but the sooner Liverpool wraps up their transfer business, the better.
