Forgotten Liverpool pair show true colours in Real Betis friendly to send Arne Slot clear message

Liverpool got their pre-season tour of the United States up and running with a comfortable 1-0 win over Real Betis. Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the game for the Reds to give them their first victory of the summer after losing to Preston in a behind-closed-doors friendly last week.

It was an impressive performance the Reds, with Slot ringing the changes and giving minutes to 23 players. Among those that shone in Pittsburgh were forgotten duo Sepp van den Berg and Stefan Bajcetic.

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Van den Berg, who spent last season on loan at Mainz, has been back with the Reds in pre-season and was handed a chance to excel under Slot. And it's safe to say the Dutchman took that opportunity with both hands. He looked comfortable on the ball and composed in possession.

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In fact, he completed the most passes (80) on the pitch against Betis. Van den Berg also won all his duels (1/1) and tackles (1/1) while making two interceptions and five recoveries - the third most for the Reds.

Fans were impressed with Van den Berg. One said on X, formerly known as Twitter: "I think Sepp van den Berg has been absolutely class. He has immense presence at the back. Not in a Virgil 'aura' type way but he has a lot of energy and electricity about his play. Looks assured and confident after his loan at Mainz."

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A second wrote: "Anyone else really impressed with Sepp van den Berg that half? Seems to have matured bucketloads since he was last with us." A third said: "Honestly, if we can convince him to stay, we don’t need another centre-back if we keep Van den Berg. He deserves a chance and was faultless there. He’s got the talent and I want to see it." A fourth added: "We should keep him and see how he fits in this season. It doesn't hurt, but I get that he wants more game time."

Meanwhile, Bajcetic, who endured a horror campaign with injuries, looked back to his destructive best against Betis. Despite only playing 26 minutes, the midfielder won the most duels (five). He also won 2/2 tackles and looked impressive in possession, completing 13/15 passes.

Speaking on Bajcetic's performance, Slot said: "We need to remember that Stefan hasn't played for a year. In fact almost a year and a half. If a young player experiences that, then we need to give him time."