The pre-season friendlies are really picking up now, with another five taking place on Friday.
Any standout Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points are covered in this latest Scout Notes article.
LIVERPOOL 0-1 PRESTON NORTH END
Slot out! Not really, of course, but a defeat for the new Liverpool boss in his first game in charge.
The Dutchman was without numerous key players, including most of who we’d expect to feature in his first-choice defence and all of his senior attackers bar Mohamed Salah (£12.5m).
Salah, in his usual right-wing role, whistled one volley narrowly over and tested Preston’s Freddie Woodman. He also provided a couple of neat cutbacks that went unconverted, one of which came at the end of a fine Liverpool move.
Slot’s fondness for cutback – like old-school, Sane-era Pep – is something that has been observed at Feyenoord. This will be worth watching when the big guns return from their jollies, to see which of their penalty box loiterers looks likeliest to profit.
It’s still early days but there were further signs of ‘Slot-ball’ in action from what highlights exist of this behind-closed-doors game. Kostas Tsimikas (£5.0m) was an interesting watch, inverting into central positions but then overlapping when the winger in front of him got the ball. It’s a role that may be taken up by Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) on the opposite flank when he returns from his post-Euros break.
The quick short passing was impressive, too, culminating in the linked move above.
“We controlled the game completely, we only conceded one shot. The bad thing about it was that that shot went in, [it was] a great goal, though. We had some good build-up moments, had some good chances in the first half as well.
“Second half, I didn’t think we created that much, which is normal because there were a lot of young players in the team who didn’t play in their own positions sometimes as well.
“So, we couldn’t have asked for more from the boys in the first two weeks – [they have] worked really hard, tried to implement ideas and it’s not that we only bring new ideas. There are a lot of things that have been done here that were really good.” – Arne Slot
Liverpool XI (first half): Jaros, Bradley, Van den Berg, Quansah, Tsimikas, Jones, Elliott, Szoboszlai (Endo 33), Doak, Salah, Carvalho.
Liverpool XI (second half): Davies, Stephenson, Nallo, Phillips, Chambers (Beck 75), Endo (Nyoni 75), Bajcetic, Morton, McConnell, Koumas (Blair 75), Gordon.
EASTLEIGH 1-7 SOUTHAMPTON
- Goals: Armstrong x2, Smallbone, Mara pen, Manning, Sugawara, Alcaraz
- Assists: Aribo, Dibling x2, Downes, Amo-Ameyaw x2
“Well done, they’re 13th in the National League”. So might have said Neville Southall to Southampton about this pummelling of fifth-tier Eastleigh.
Saints head coach Russell Martin used the first half of this match to try a 3-box-3 formation, a wing-back system without wing-backs.
The overload in the middle helped with goals two and three, with Adam Armstrong (£5.5m) and Will Smallbone (£5.0m) latching on to passes behind the hosts’ defence to convert. Armstrong had earlier opened the scoring from close range.
The diminutive striker and first-choice penalty taker would have had the chance to complete his hat-trick from the spot had he not been hooked at the break. Instead, substitute Sekou Mara (£5.0m) converted a penalty shortly after half-time.
Saints were in a back four for the second half, with full-backs Ryan Manning (£4.5m) and Yukinari Sugawara (£4.5m) getting forward plenty. Both were on the scoresheet, indeed, with Sugawara going close to more attacking returns. Carlos Alcaraz (£5.0m) rounded off the scoring.
The most eye-catching player was teenage winger Samuel Amo-Ameyaw (£4.5m), who banked two assists. He was barely used in the Championship last season but in fairness, he only turned 18 two days ago. Time will tell if he’s again considered too raw by Martin and if a loan spell beckons.
On the fitness front, Adam Lallana (£5.0m) wasn’t risked because of a niggle – not the first time we’ve said that. Ronnie Edwards (£4.0m) was taken off as a precaution, too.
Southampton XI (first half): McCarthy; Bree, Edwards (Amo-Ameyaw 18), Taylor; Dibling (Robinson 25), Smallbone, Downes (c), Aribo; Merry, Armstrong, Edozie.
Southampton XI (second half): Lis; Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Manning; Dibling, Charles, Alcaraz; Amo-Ameyaw, Mara, Robinson.
SLIGO ROVERS 3-3 EVERTON
- Goals: Holgate, Chermiti x2
- Assists: Chermiti, Harrison x2
The Seamus Coleman (£4.5m) Classic produced an unexpectedly lively game, with six goals shared.
The absence of Everton’s first-choice goalkeeper, left-back and centre-halves partly explains the goal concessions. Unable deputies like Mason Holgate (£4.0m) and Michael Keane (£4.0m) featured instead, the former netting but also guilty of a terrible rick for Sligo’s third.
James Tarkowski (£5.0m) and Jarrad Branthwaite (£5.0m) were both absent due to minor fitness issues.
“[Tarkowski] has got a minor niggle at this stage and we have to be careful. We’ve got some other players we’re just being a bit careful with – they’re okay, just a few niggles that we’re going to monitor but nothing too serious. We’re hopeful with Tarky, hopefully it’s nothing.
“Jarrad is making good progress as are [Nathan Patterson] and Dele [Alli] so we’ll see how those guys go. At this stage it’s nothing too serious so we’re thankful for that.” – Sean Dyche
Branthwaite himself further eased fears.
A more familiar failing from last season reared its head: putting the ball in the net.
The Toffees may have scored three goals but they still wasted chance after chance, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) continuing last season’s ‘form’ with a glaring miss. Dwight McNeil (£5.5m), Beto (£5.0m) and Youssef Chermiti (£5.0m) were also guilty of the usual profligacy.
Chermiti eventually made amends with two excellently taken late goals, having earlier set up Holgate’s header.
Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5m) made his Toffees debut but took up a left-wing berth, rather than a central role. All five of Everton’s FPL forwards got a half each, with Dyche returning to his Burnley days with a 4-4-2.
Everton XI (first half): Virginia, Coleman, Onyango, Keane, Campbell, Gana, Doucoure, Metcalfe, McNeil, Maupay, Calvert-Lewin.
Everton XI (second half): Crellin, Dixon, Welch, Holgate, Young, Harrison, Iroegbunam, Garner, Ndiaye, Chermiti, Beto.
CRYSTAL PALACE 1-1 CHARLTON ATHLETIC
- Goal: Rak-Sakyi
- Assist: Kamada
Palace, like many other teams at this stage of the summer, were missing a lot of their regulars. At least six of those absentees would be definite starters, with a handful of others challenging.
So this friendly told us what we already knew. Odsonne Edouard (£5.5m) is no Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m). Jeffrey Schlupp (£5.0m) and Jordan Ayew (£5.5m) are no Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) and Michael Olise (Olise has now departed, of course). Rob Holding (£4.5m) isn’t Marc Guehi (£4.5m). Joel Ward (£4.5m) is emphatically no Daniel Munoz (£5.0m). We could go on.
The Eagles were low on creativity in the stifling heat. New signing Daichi Kamada (£5.5m) actually began this match in central midfield, rather than as a ’10’. Moved to a more attacking role later in the match, he was more influential.
The Japan international had whistled a shot of his own just wide before he flicked a cute pass to Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (£4.5m), who still had plenty to do before drawing Palace level late in the game.
Oliver Glasner’s side, like Liverpool above, had earlier conceded to a long-range strike.
There was a first sighting of Chadi Riad (£4.5m), who impressed at centre-half.
And there was also a sighting of A. Trialist, who in this case was Ryan Sessegnon. He came on for Tyrick Mitchell (£5.0m) at left wing-back, with the Eagles now set to make a decision on whether or not to sign the former Spurs man.
Crystal Palace XI: Johnstone; Ward (Ozoh 62), Clyne, Holding (Adaramola 80), Riad, Mitchell (Trialist 46); Hughes (Doucoure 62), Kamada; Schlupp (Rak-Sakyi 62), Ayew (Ahamada 62), Edouard (Ebiowei 79)
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1-1 SUNDERLAND
- Goal: Richards
- Assist: Elanga
Pretty much the same group of players that featured at Chesterfield last weekend were on the field for Forest’s clash with Sunderland in Spain.
The exceptions were Matt Turner (£4.0m) and Omar Richards (£4.5m), with the latter scoring within three minutes of his introduction.
There’s little to no chance of Turner being the £4.0m starting goalkeeper he was a year ago, now seemingly third in line between the sticks.
Nuno Espirito Santo seems keen on using a wing-back system more, the set-up he favoured at Wolves. That could give the erstwhile full-backs more attacking freedom in 2024/25. Ola Aina (£4.5m) was inverting from left wing-back before the break, with Eric da Silva Moreira (£4.5m) very high on the opposite flank. Richards, on for Aina at the interval, was just as advanced to score the Tricky Trees’ leveller.
A wing-back system means one less space for Nuno’s array of attackers. The front three that lined up in the first half, Morgan Gibbs-White (£6.5m), Chris Wood (£6.0m) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.5m), would seem to be the first choice on paper. New signing Elliot Anderson (£5.0m) has really caught the eye, however: could he instead be moved back into central midfield and provide driving runs from there?
There are some early encouraging signs from Forest, even if they’ve only encountered Football League opposition so far.
Their one goal concession here was self-inflicted, with Murillo (£4.5m) needlessly giving away a penalty.
Nottingham Forest XI (first half): Miguel; Worrall, Murillo, Abbott; Moreira, Domínguez, Danilo, Aina; Gibbs-White, Wood, Hudson-Odoi.
Nottingham Forest XI (second half): Turner; Omobamidele, Boly, Toffolo; Williams, Yates, Sangaré, Richards; Anderson, Dennis, Elanga.
