Micah Richards says two Liverpool player have really impressed him in pre-season under Arne Slot

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Liverpool are all set to get their Premier League campaign underway this weekend.

The Reds travel to Ipswich Town on – when else – Saturday lunchtime, as they begin their post-Jurgen Klopp era.

It remains to be seen how Liverpool will cope with the loss of one of the greatest figures in the club’s history. Klopp’s legacy may truly never be matched.

But as Arne Slot has settled into life at Anfield, there have been plenty of signs that Liverpool will be just fine. Slot has led the team to an impressive run of form in pre-season.

While implementing a slightly different style of play, it has quickly become clear which members of the Liverpool squad are suited to ‘Slot ball’ and which perhaps aren’t.

Micah Richards highlights impressive Liverpool stars

Liverpool’s pre-season could hardly have been a greater success. Despite the lack of a number of his top players for most of it, Slot has been able to get his ideas across well.

Another real bonus of the summer has been that the Reds head into Saturday’s game against Ipswich with a completely clean bill of health.

For once, Liverpool have absolutely no injury issues before the first game of the campaign. That bodes well.

One player who that applies to more than most is Diogo Jota. Although he’s a really important player for the Reds, Jota’s injury history has been a nightmare over recent seasons.

READ MORE: Jamie Carragher urges Diogo Jota to stop doing something ‘ridiculous’ during games

But after scoring a delightful goal against Sevilla on Sunday, the 27-year-old underlined that he is in good shape and ready to really contribute.

And speaking on The Rest Is Football about Liverpool’s expectations for the season, Micah Richards named Jota as being one of the most impressive performers in pre-season and also gave a shout out to Luis Diaz.

“I’ve got them [finishing] in third,” says Richards. “I think they will be good, though. The football I have watched, the highlights I have seen in pre-season, they look sharp.

“Jota has been playing, he’s been in good form, Diaz has been in good form. He has scored a few goals as well.”

Luis Diaz still attracting interest from Barcelona

Liverpool’s No.20 has indeed been looking really sharp in pre-season and Jota is likely to be picked ahead of Darwin Nunez against Ipswich on Saturday.

If the Portugal international can stay fit for the full season, he’ll give Nunez a run for his money as a regular starter, too.

As for Diaz, Sunday was his first taste of the friendlies. But the Colombian looked like he’d never been away, scoring twice and being a constant threat throughout.

Although Slot has told Cody Gakpo he’ll be a left winger for the season, it seems as though Diaz may have the shirt for now.

How long that lasts remains to be seen. There have been claims that Barcelona are readying a bid for Diaz and question marks hang over his future. In this form, it’s easy to see why Barca want him, but Liverpool should stand firm.