"He acted a bit too slow" - Arne Slot identifies Liverpool star who got caught a few times in pre-season clash vs Real Betis
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has given his verdict on Stefan Bajcetic's performance in their first pre-season friendly of the summer against Real Betis. The Dutchman acknowledged the 19-year-old had some good moments but criticized him for losing possession multiple times.
Bajcetic showed glimpses of greatness, playing as the Reds' No. 6, but his progression has been hampered by injuries over the past two years. He only made six appearances across all competitions last season due to a calf injury, which led to him missing 41 games across competitions.
The Spaniard made his first appearance under Slot against Real Betis, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 64th minute. During Liverpool's post-match press conference, Slot gave his take on Bajcetic (via Rousing the Kop):
“I think you have to take into account with Stefan that he was out for a year, one-and-a-half years almost. So if a young player is out for that long, you have to give him some time."
He added:
“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.”
Bajcetic completed 13 out of his 15 passes with an accuracy of 87 percent. While he was dispossessed twice, he won both his tackles and won five duels, showing some decent moments in his cameo.
"I like him a lot" - Dominik Szoboszlai hails Liverpool youngster for performance against Real Betis
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has praised Trey Nyoni after the 17-year-old impressed in their pre-season friendly win against Real Betis. The Reds won their first game under Arne Slot, securing a 1-0 victory on Friday, July 26.
Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the game in the 34th minute, finding the bottom-left corner from Mohamed Salah's assist. However, Nyoni stole the show with a brilliant outing after replacing the injured Curtis Jones in the 30th minute.
Nyoni featured on the pitch until the 72nd minute, completing 42 out of 46 passes with an accuracy of 91 percent. He also made eight passes into the final third and made three recoveries.
Szoboszlai was impressed as well as he told LFCTV (via Rousing the Kop):
“I like him a lot. He is a really offensive player. I just told to Quansah on the bench that you can’t even foul him because of his movement."
Liverpool will next face Arsenal in a friendly on Wednesday, July 31.