A penny for the reactions of Liverpool supporters up and down the land on that fateful day in January, when Klopp confirmed that the 2023-24 season would be his last as Reds head coach, proclaiming that his energy reserves were running on zero after a golden nine years.
While gunning for glory in the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup last season did not work out as intended, Liverpool still managed to send Klopp on his well-earned hiatus with another EFL Cup winners’ medal, in addition to an immediate return to the promised land of the Champions League.
As the in-demand Xabi Alonso remained loyal to Bayer Leverkusen and talks with Ruben Amorim led to nowhere, the new-look Liverpool hierarchy – spearheaded by the returning Michael Edwards as Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of Football – welcomed Eredivisie-winning boss Slot to the chair as Klopp’s successor.
However, the former Feyenoord boss did not enjoy a friendly baptism in his inaugural friendly match, which ended in a 1-0 behind-closed-doors defeat to Preston North End last Friday, as a team comprising Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai failed to stunt their Championship opponents.
The former’s contract situation – as well as those of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk – means that Liverpool have been particularly quiet on the transfer front this summer, but Slot will still have a surfeit of established Reds performers at his disposal in the USA.
From a Premier League managerial novice to one who has already conquered the English game, ex-Manchester City head coach Manuel Pellegrini prepares for his fifth season in charge of Real Betis, whose 2023-24 campaign was nothing to shout about.
Indeed, Los Verdiblancos could only muster a seventh-placed finish in the most recent La Liga campaign, where they were one of the stalemate specialists with 15 draws to their name; only Mallorca (16) were involved in more one-pointers.
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In addition, Betis could only muster a last-32 exit in the Copa del Rey and a third-placed finish in their Europa League group, which landed them in a Conference League-sized safety net, where they were beaten 2-1 over two legs by Dinamo Zagreb.
However, Pellegrini’s men have started as they mean to continue in pre-season with a 5-1 thumping of Austria Salzburg in their opening friendly of the summer, and they will also face Manchester United in the USA, before subsequent meetings with Al-Ittihad, Raja CA and Bayer Leverkusen.
Friday’s friendly sees Liverpool and Real Betis reunite almost 19 years on from their inaugural battles in the 2005-06 Champions League group stage, where the Reds edged a tight contest 2-1 away from home, before the Verdiblancos dug in for a goalless draw at Anfield.
