After his Liverpool team lost the Community Shield in a penalty shootout to Crystal Palace, their manager, Arne Slot admitted the difficulty of bedding in the summer’s new signings.
“Sometimes you need some time to adapt offensively or defensively,” said Slot. Two new arrivals in striker Hugo Ekitiké and right-back Jeremie Frimpong got on the scoresheet but Palace, who might have won the game in normal time during their impressive second-half showing, exposed the Premier League champions’ weaknesses.
Florian Wirtz in a No 10 role and Milos Kerkez as an overlapping left-back on the opposite side of Frimpong made for a highly attacking Liverpool lineup. “In the whole pre-season we saw we are able to create more opportunities, chances, we dominate maybe even more,” said Slot. “Now we are better in creating and getting promising situations than we were in the whole of last season but it is also true that we have conceded two against [Athletic Club] Bilbao and two again today.
“We need to be better defensively,” Slot admitted: “It is disappointing of course, if you go in front and you are not able to win the game. It was close and there were points where I thought we could win it but it went to penalties and they were better in that moment.”
Slot refused to panic before his team’s defence of the Premier League title, which kicks off on Friday against Bournemouth. He said: “We are Liverpool, the pressure is always on. Even if we bring 10 players in, or no players in, there is always pressure when you wear a Liverpool shirt.”
He offered measured credit to Wirtz and Ekitiké: “These are players we have brought in for quite a lot of money so they know how to handle the pressure. Both of them played a good game.”
A minute’s silence for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva was disrupted and curtailed by a smattering of chanting Palace fans but Slot responded diplomatically. “I am a positive person and if I look at the respect that has been paid to them both,” he said. “I don’t think he had a bad intention, the guy or guys. The fans of Crystal Palace and everywhere around the world have paid huge respect to Diogo and Andre.”
On the disruption, the Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk added: “It’s disappointing. Disappointed that’s the only thing I can say. There was plenty trying to shush it down, but obviously that doesn’t help them. But it is hard to control – how many fans were here? 50,000 people? So, yeah, it’s disappointing to hear that. If that person or those persons can go home and be happy with that.”
The Palace manager Oliver Glasner was delighted to add further silverware to last season’s FA Cup. He said: “I have to give big credit to the players for this win today, we came back and were able to decide the game on penalties. We were on the same level as Liverpool and it was a big performance.”
Asked whether he would swap victory at Wembley for the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in Palace’s favour on Monday over playing in the Europa League or Conference League, Glasner said: “No, we will accept this. Tomorrow we have no influence so we will celebrate tonight and then meet for lunch at training. Then we will schedule the rest of August. If we play in the Conference League, we have more games in August.”
