5 things learned vs Real Betis as Harvey Elliott plays new Liverpool role and Trey Nyoni shines

ACRISURE STADIUM, PITTSBURGH — Liverpool got its pre-season off to a winning start by beating Real Betis in Arne Slot's first official match in charge of the Reds .

Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the game in the US as the Reds kept a clean sheet and were largely dominant against Manuel Pellegrini's La Liga outfit. Liverpool played well and plenty of youngsters were handed a chance to impress.

This is what Liverpool.com learned from the game as Harvey Elliott played a new role and Trey Nyoni did really well. It was also a chance to see what Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho were capable of producing.

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Formation hint... of sorts

It took a few minutes to work out what exactly the Liverpool formation was, but it could perhaps best be described as either a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-4. Carvalho was on the left and Mohamed Salah on the right, with Elliott and Szoboszlai acting as a makeshift front two, dropping deep more often than not.

It is important not to read too much into that, however. The reality is that the Reds are missing Darwin Nunez , Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo at the moment, while Diogo Jota wasn't on the teamsheet even though he has now linked up with his teammates in the USA. When those players come back, Slot will have the ability to play a completely different way.

Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho standing unchanged

Looking a little nervy at the start of the night, Van den Berg showed why he will only be the fourth or fifth-choice center-back at Anfield next season if he stays put. His distribution is limited, as good as his defensive skills proved to be at Mainz last year. Playing in that role for Liverpool is completely different to a relegation-threatened Bundesliga outfit.

Van den Berg was caught out a couple of times and played risky passes when put under pressure. While he has developed physically since going out on loan, he isn't at the level required at the very top end of the Premier League and the Champions League .

The same can perhaps be said for Carvalho, who was playing on the left flank. By the time Diaz and Gakpo return, let alone Jota, there will be too much competition for him to get minutes, meaning there must be a question mark over his future this summer. Carvalho did little wrong here but he lacks the pace to play wide and didn't do a great deal when he had possession.

Dominik Szoboszlai looking sharp... but Curtis Jones an injury worry

Szoboszlai and Elliott playing as a front two might not be something we ever see again but the pair had their moments. The Hungarian, in particular, looked refreshed having ended his debut season on Merseyside appearing to be running on fumes. That will be a massive boost for a player who has given only a small glimpse of what he can offer at Liverpool so far.

Curtis Jones , too, looked good, even though he was playing a deeper role than he might ideally like. The Liverpool number 17 was alongside Wataru Endo in the middle of the field and was assured in possession. It was all going so well for him until he came off with what is (hopefully) just a minor issue .

Young players involved as Trey Nyoni shines

James McConnell was missing with a slight injury (rather than anything to do with interest from several clubs in a loan move for him) but there were lots of other young talents handed a chance here with so many senior stars absent. By far and away the most impressive, though, was Nyoni. Only just 17, he was excellent in midfield.

Coming on for the injured Jones, Nyoni was cool and calm in the middle of the pitch and almost every pass broke the opposition lines and found a teammate in a good position. The former Leicester City talent won't be a familiar name to many Liverpool fans right now, but that doesn't appear likely to remain the case for long.

Harvey Elliott plays new role

As part of the new-look formation, Elliott, as mentioned, was down the middle. He didn't look quite as comfortable as Szoboszlai in the new role but playing as more of a number 10 than a false nine is definitely something that would suit his skillset.

When more players return, Elliott will be able to fight for minutes in his more favorable positions, but on this occasion, it was needs must. He looked sharp and might have the chance to build on that again in the matches against Arsenal and Manchester United that come before the end of the US tour.