Liverpool certainly have plenty to work on following their first game under Arne Slot.
The Reds looked good for large parts of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Betis, really controlling the game with their passing.
However, it was a little lacking by way of attacking threat from Liverpool and there’s certainly a lot more to come in that regard.
Nevertheless, it was really good to finally see the new head coach on the touchline. Hopefully Arne was able to enjoy the game and take in the moment a little.
He certainly used the opportunity to get a good look at plenty of his Liverpool squad. 23 players were used in all, with some impressing more than others.
Arne Slot highlights Stefan Bajcetic performance
Most Liverpool fans who watched the game against Betis will have likely come to the same conclusion: Trey Nyoni is absolutely brilliant.
Nyoni has been praised by Dominik Szoboszlai following what was a really eye-catching performance from the 17-year-old.
He was not the only young player to impress, though. Vitezslav Jaros did really well in goal in the second-half, while Ben Doak showed flashes of the electric player we all know him to be.
With 13 of the 23 players used by Slot aged 21 or under, there were always going to be a couple who weren’t quite up to the pace of the game.
One who this could perhaps apply to was Stefan Bajcetic. After coming on in the 64th minute, Bajcetic was initially caught in possession a couple of times.
READ MORE: Arne Slot explains what formation Liverpool really played vs Real Betis
The Spaniard improved as the minutes ticked on, though, and is still working his way back from a huge injury issue. Interestingly, Slot was asked specifically about how he thought Bajcetic got on during his post-match press conference.
“I think you have to take into account with Stefan that he was out for a year, one-and-a-half years almost,” answered the head coach. “So if a young player is out for that long, you have to give him some time.
“But I saw today already a few good moments from him and also a few moments where he got caught because he acted a bit too slow. But I think that’s normal if you’ve been out for such a long time [and] then you need rhythm, you need game time to grow even further.
“But I think he showed some good moments during the half-hour that he played.”
Liverpool looking for Stefan Bajcetic to step up
Although there were one or two moments of poor play from Bajcetic on Saturday, it must also be highlighted that the 19-year-old had some good parts to his game, too.
Having missed so much football recently, Bajcetic needs time to get back to his true level. You can still see that he is a genuinely quality young player.
However, football waits for nobody and with Nyoni already pushing through, Bajcetic now needs to step up once again.
It was perhaps note-worthy that it was the younger Nyoni who Slot turned to when Curtis Jones went down injured after half an hour, not Bajcetic.
That could simply be a case of managing the Spain U21 star’s minutes a little more, of course. But with Slot’s system favouring a player like Bajcetic, it’s vital that he shows that for the rest of pre-season.
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