Dominik Szoboszlai reveals mood in Liverpool locker room after Arne Slot change

Liverpool's most fascinating pre-season in years is now well underway. The first under a coach not named Jurgen Klopp in almost a decade, things are bound to be a little different, and Dominik Szoboszlai has lifted the lid on some of the changes .

Circumstances have not been especially kind to Slot , who has had to begin pre-season training without a raft of first-team stars. Alexis Mac Allister , Luis Diaz , Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez all reached the final of an international tournament over the summer, and will not link up with the squad until it returns from the US next month.

But Szoboszlai is among the senior pros already in attendance, having travelled out to Pittsburgh as part of an initial 28-strong group. He's shed some light on the mood in the camp.

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"It's a little bit different – the style of playing, how we play, how we are with the ball and also against the ball," Szoboszlai told Liverpoolfc.com . "Everybody's in from the training staff [and] we are getting to know them.

"I think everybody is happy with it and we are looking forward. It's quite intense but we have a lot of things to do and we need to be intense in the season as well."

In appointing Slot, Liverpool has certainly sought to keep change at manageable levels. This focus on "intensity" is certainly nothing new, with Klopp's long-time assistant Pep Lijnders adopting the phrase "intensity is our identity".

But Szoboszlai's comments on what has changed are intriguing. He says there are differences both with the ball and against the ball — after so long under Klopp with a relatively consistent style, this will be a bit of a shock to the system.

For the Hungarian, who only worked with Klopp for a year, this won't be especially daunting. But someone like Alexander-Arnold could have a lot to get his head around when he returns from his holiday, having never worked with another manager at club level.

Still, it's encouraging to hear that those already in the camp appear to be taking to the changes well. Relationships with the new coaches are growing, and everyone is pulling in the right direction as Liverpool looks to put together a good campaign.

Supporters will get a first look at Slot's methods on the pitch in the coming days. Liverpool plays its first friendly against Real Betis on Friday evening in Pittsburgh (the early hours of Saturday morning for UK fans), and we'll be on the lookout for signs of the changes Szoboszlai has referenced.

Liverpool.com says: Naturally, nobody wanted Klopp to go. But there is something exciting about seeing some genuinely new tactical ideas.

Certainly, more UK Liverpool fans than usual will be deciding to stay up for the first friendly, hoping for a glimpse of what the coming months (and hopefully years) will look like. Judging by Szoboszlai's comments, there are exciting times ahead.