Liverpool will go into their Community Shield clash with Manchester City on the back of a defeat, following a disappointing display against RB Salzburg.
Benjamin Sesko scored the only goal of the game in the home side’s 1-0 win as Jurgen Klopp’s squad tonight hinted at who will start against Pep Guardiola’s side on Saturday.
Sportsmail takes a look at five things we learned from the Reds’ disappointing performance in Austria.
Liverpool will enter the Community Shield on the back of a 1-0 defeat by RB Salzburg
Jurgen Klopp would have been disappointed with his side’s display, especially in the first half
Klopp refers to Community Shield squad selection
It was an interesting starting line-up for Liverpool in what was their final friendly before playing for silverware this weekend.
Jurgen Klopp opted to field a largely second-string line-up against the Austrian side before bringing on many of his big hitters in the second 45.
Andrew Roberson came on just after the break, while Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Thiago, Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold all came on the hour mark.
Luis Diaz only played 30 minutes suggesting they will start against Manchester City
The Scotland captain, as well as those who came on after 60 minutes, look set to start against Manchester City on Saturday, due to their reduced playing time against Salzburg.
A big question will be who will play center for Liverpool on Saturday.
Darwin Núñez played the first 45, while Roberto Firmino replaced him for the second half.
There is no certainty that the £85m signing will start this weekend’s game, and Klopp may opt to go with his reliable Brazilian given that he played with the other Reds stars likely to feature against the side by Pep Guardiola.
Núñez still a work in progress
Rarely has a player been judged as quickly as Liverpool’s new £85m signing Darwin Nunez.
The Uruguayan striker looked to lack confidence in front of goal during Liverpool’s opening pre-season friendlies, but followed that up with an impressive four-goal haul against RB Leipzig.
Núñez was the first starter against RB Salzburg and, despite not being able to get on the scoresheet, there were positives to take from his performance and he was the sharpest man to wear red in the first half.
It took Liverpool a while to get going at the Red Bull Arena, but when they did, it was Nunez and Harvey Elliott who were in the middle of the action.
The Reds went into the break 1-0 up, but Núñez could have scored another hat-trick.
He did very well to take a ball under pressure, but couldn’t get it off his feet with the defender in cover before taking it out.
Darwin Nunez was the sharpest man in a Liverpool shirt during the first half on Wednesday
Núñez had a great chance after being found by Isaac Mabaya, who hit the crossbar with a first-time effort on the turn that sent a Salzburg defender to the floor.
The 23-year-old also linked up well with Naby Keita, who played him in before there was a great block from Salzburg defender Bernardo to prevent him from making an effort on goal.
It’s clear that Núñez is still a work in progress and will take some time to fully settle into Anfield, but there will be optimism from his last two performances.
In the matches against both Red Bull teams he has created many chances and has been particularly effective with his runs in behind the defence.
It will be interesting to see if Klopp throws him into the line-up against Manchester City on Saturday.
Núñez (right) is still a work in progress, although there are positive signs of his performance
Elliott continues to impress
Having spent the 2020-21 season on loan with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, many Liverpool fans expected Harvey Elliott to be ready to make the step up and become part of their first-team plans last year.
After several starts early last season, his horrific ankle injury against Leeds in September ruined all that.
The 19-year-old’s performances during pre-season have definitely backed up the argument that he is ready for first-team football and has been one of Liverpool’s best performers this month.
Harvey Elliott makes his case for why he should get more playing time this season
After tearing Crystal Palace apart on the right flank earlier this month, he was again very impressive against RB Salzburg.
While Nunez looked the sharper player, Elliott was the one trying to make things happen and he too could have got on the scoresheet in the first half.
Within a minute he set up Isaac Mabaya for a fine effort on goal before perhaps he should have done better with his own chance soon after.
With the Reds having no shortage of options, it will be difficult for Elliott to become a regular this season, but he’s certainly pushing his case to get a lot more minutes than he had after his ankle injury last season.
Liverpool’s second string is fighting to stake its claim
With the first significant game of the season on Saturday, it was a great opportunity for several players to vindicate themselves when they started against RB Salzburg.
While there were a small handful of starters who impressed, it will be a surprise to see others start in the lineup on Saturday.
Liverpool were particularly vulnerable in defense in the first half, with Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate struggling, not helped by their lack of discipline in midfield.
In particular, Gomez struggled against Benjamin Sesko during the first half.
There was an early sign when he allowed Sesko to shoot home after a poor pass to Liverpool youngster Stefan Bajcetic.
Joe Gomez had a particularly awkward game against RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko
RB Salzburg missed a golden chance to take the lead when Gomez was headed clear before Sesko beat him. Fortunately for the 25-year-old, Sesko’s shot was saved and bounced into the path of Fernando who somehow failed to hit the target.
Gomez recently signed a new five-year deal with Liverpool and will be hoping to get more regular game time this season after making just four league starts last season.
The Reds, however, looked more solid at the back with Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip in the second half, and again look set to be the main pairing heading into the new season.
Naby Keita linked up well with Núñez, but Liverpool looked much stronger in midfield as Thiago, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson replaced the Guinean, Curtis Jones and Bajcetic.
Naby Keita linked up well with Darwin Nunez but the Reds were better defensively when Thiago, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho came on in the second half.
Manchester United’s goal steals the show
It might not have been the night that Jurgen Klopp’s side would have wanted, but rivals Manchester United would have been very impressed by an RB Salzburg player.
Sportsmail this week reported that Erik ten Hag’s side have joined the race for £55m-rated RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko.
The 19-year-old Slovenian, who broke into the Salzburg line-up last season, was a constant threat up front and someone the Reds struggled to deal with.
Manchester United target Benjamin Sesko scored the only goal of the game against Liverpool
Sesko forced a mistake from Joe Gomez and a save from Adrian, which teammate Fernando should have slotted home on the rebound.
A few minutes later he scored the only goal of the game after sprinting away from Ibrahima Konate, playing a one-two with Noah Okafor and beating Adrian.
Before the end of the half, he headed the ball to teammate Fernando, who put the ball into the back of the net only to be ruled offside.
Sesko, who is also wanted by Newcastle, came off at the start of the second half, but not before putting in an eye-catching performance against Liverpool.
The English Bundesliga account in response to a post about United’s interest, joked that they now want a billion euros, Bruno Fernandes and mascot Fred the Red for Sesko.