Liverpool has touched down in the US as Arne Slot begins his first pre-season tour with the club. CEO Billy Hogan has told him what he needs to achieve .
Naturally, there will be a focus on performances and results as fans get a first glimpse of what Liverpool under Slot might look like, after so long with Jurgen Klopp at the helm. But the priorities among the Anfield hierarchy look a little different.
The Reds even got sign-off from an unlikely department before finalizing its USA plans, with Hogan underlining the true purpose of the trip. He also touched upon the difficulties of missing key stars like Alexis Mac Allister and Trent Alexander-Arnold following international commitments.
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Liverpool begins its pre-season tour of the US in Pittsburgh, where the squad has already touched down. It will play Real Betis on Friday evening.
Those lucky enough to be in attendance will give Slot a Liverpool welcome for the first time. The new boss has already seen his team in action in a behind-closed-doors defeat to Preston , but this will be his debut in front of fans. He will no doubt want to put on a show. But Hogan has issued a reminder about what needs to be achieved in the US:
"This is called pre-season for a reason, it is about getting the team in shape and as Arne said, it's really about building upon the fitness levels," said Hogan, speaking to Liverpool's official website . "Obviously due to the fact there has been a number of tournaments this summer, we have players who are coming back at various times and that's a challenge, getting everybody up to a fitness level. But this is incredibly important from our standpoint, it's something that goes into a lot of the thinking around the facilities that we go to.
"The three venues we're playing in – Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and South Carolina – are phenomenal venues. But the training venues themselves are really top-class.
"Most importantly, the groundsmen have given it their seal of approval. We're really excited about the training facilities. This is about getting the team in shape; so it's important to bring them out to our supporters around the world but it's also to make sure they have time to build upon their fitness."
After playing Betis in Pittsburgh, Liverpool will face Arsenal in Philadelphia, before taking on Manchester United in South Carolina. It returns to Anfield to play Sevilla before the Premier League season gets underway at Ipswich Town.
Liverpool.com says: It sounds like Hogan and Slot are in agreement. Fitness will be the name of the game this summer, just as it has been in previous years.
Much like Klopp, new boss Slot favors an intense style. The players will need to be ready to execute those demands, and it's interesting to hear that the groundsmen have given the venues their seal of approval.
At Feyenoord, Slot had an unerring record for keeping players fit and healthy while still playing his high-energy brand of football. Liverpool will hope this carries over to Anfield.
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