Two games into pre-season and Liverpool are looking good under the guidance of Arne Slot.
It is always a fool’s game to read too much into the friendlies that take place before the real thing kicks off in August.
However, when there’s a new head coach at the helm, you’d much rather win those games than lose them.
In days gone by, you would never catch Liverpool playing a fellow Premier League side in the summer warm-ups. But times have changed and the Reds are now regularly involved in money-spinning matches with their domestic rivals.
The latest of these came on Thursday, with Liverpool and Arsenal facing off in Philadelphia. With the teams finishing second and third in the league last season, it was an early chance to see the lay of the land.
Gabriel Agbonlahor makes Liverpool prediction
Liverpool initially struggled to get going against Arsenal. The Gunners are a brilliantly drilled outfit under Mikel Arteta and it showed in those early stages of the game.
After weathering the storm, though, the Reds found their feet and went 2-0 up. Kai Havertz pulled one back but it eventually finished 2-1.
Arteta praised Slot after the game and was clearly impressed, while there was a good performance from Jarell Quansah, among others.
We also got the chance to see Liverpool’s new set-piece routine as the Reds signalled that they will still be a force under Slot.
Given the high profile nature of the clash, predictions have now started to come in about the Reds title chances for next season. Speaking to TalkSPORT, pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor gave his.
READ MORE: Dominik Szoboszlai’s display vs Arsenal has proven Arne Slot right about him
“I still think for Liverpool, top four,” said the former England striker. “I really don’t think I see them fighting for the title.
“It’s his first season. If he does it’s an outstanding season, but I don’t think the pressure is on the manager to go out there and battle Manchester City and Arsenal for the title,” Agbonlahor added.
“He’s got a free run to a certain degree. You’ve still got to have a good season in the sense of minimum top four. But I don’t think if they don’t fight for the title that there’ll be too many arguments from the hierarchy at Liverpool.
“I think he’s got a season to get his methods across and how he wants to play to this group of players. I think Liverpool will finish in third place, I really do.”
Should Liverpool be happy with third?
This is a surprisingly reasonable take from Agbonlahor. The Aston Villa legend has at times felt like he’s being deliberately provocative when it comes to Liverpool and especially Jurgen Klopp.
With Klopp now gone though, perhaps Agbonlahor will change his tune.
In terms of his prediction, some Liverpool supporters will disagree. They were close to the title last season and the first-team squad is virtually the same.
Liverpool will make some additions in the final weeks of the window and so, in theory, may even have a better group of players.
But it absolutely has to be taken into account that Slot is not Klopp. He will need time and for that reason, we’d be happy with a third place finish and a big challenge in all three cups competitions.
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