Football is a funny sport. Last year, Arne Slot stepped into the void that Jurgen Klopp left with the mandate of stabilising life at **Liverpool**without the German. He went on to walk away with the Premier League crown, but the Dutchman will not have it all his own way at the second attempt.
The Reds left Wembley Stadium with no silverware in their hands. The action ended with an even split of four goals between the favourites and Crystal Palace after an hour and a half, before the Eagles earned their second domestic title in three months with a 3-2 victory in a penalty shootout.
It is the Community Shield: a curtain raiser for the new calendar in England and not necessarily a marker of how the campaign will go for the two teams that are involved. But even the manager could not ignore two topline patterns that might mean more messy entertainment from the side this year.
Forward thinking arrivals are already bearing fruit
**Liverpool**have shelled out £265 million on signings this summer. In a new era, they continue to frontload the largest share of their spending on their attackers. A guaranteed outlay of £169 million has gone on two top attackers from the **Bundesliga**last term, in Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké.
It only took the two newcomers four minutes to mark their first mark on English shores. Fleet-footed, the Frenchman pulled out **Maxence Lacroix**and Daniel Munoz from their positions before finding the German. Wirtz would angle a pass back to Ekitiké, who drilled a shot into the corner of the net.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was the playmaker par excellence for the champions. From fullback, he had mastered the art of finding runners and opening the pitch with a palette of passes over range. Now, the club have acquired a more conventional ten, as Wirtz will be the man who is tasked to pick the lock.
Flashes of brilliance littered the first half. This is a player who can turn on a sixpence, is brave enough to receive in tight spaces, and will want to get his foot on the ball to connect with other shirts in red.
He has received his flowers for being a creative machine and will feel more at home being in the same locker room as Jeremie Frimpong, who also joined the club from Bayer Leverkusen and bagged the second goal of the game for the Reds. But the best buy of the lot might be the man who led their line.
Ekitiké is on a revenge tour. Cast out by Paris Saint-Germain without too many minutes to his name after breaking through at Reims, he rebuilt his reputation at Reims. A 15-goal **Bundesliga**campaign fired Eintracht Frankfurt into the top three, but the doubters have still been questioning his quality.
The 23-year-old had just racked up 50 career club goals coming into the new campaign. Alexander Isak, the Newcastle United number nine who is still subject to a saga of interest from Liverpool, has hit the back of the net 44 times in the Premier League for the Toon over the last two years alone.
Isak is cranking up the pressure for a departure, but Ekitiké is not intent on playing second fiddle to anybody. His celebration showed he is aware of all the talk, but he trusts his talent to take him to the top. With his speed, agile carrying, flicks, tricks, and more finishes like the one that he pulled off on his debut, the Frenchman has the tools to be the all-around forward to fire the Reds to future glories.
Defensive drawbacks offer a dose of realism
The attack might have won **Liverpool**the game, but will the defence be decisive for their title charge?
Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, and others chipped in, but **Mo Salah**stood out on the offence. At the other end of the pitch, **Liverpool**refined the spine to be even more solid and see out single-goal triumphs.
Last season, the number ten was Dominik Szoboszlai, or it could be Curtis Jones. Both men make their contributions in the final third and might be seen as number tens, but both have learned to do the dirty work and were a third midfielder to support the double pivot in securing the middle of the park.
Behind the ten, Alexis Mac Allister had moved into a more offensive role than his debut campaign under Klopp. However, he has shown he has an eye for picking up second balls and is not just a good passer of the ball. Ryan Gravenberch got to grips with acting as their six to set the tone for the side, and if all else failed, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and **Alisson**could sweep up the danger.
The inclusion of Gakpo left Wirtz to defend in the centre of the park. Szoboszlai sat deeper, and with Gravenberch attending to the birth of his baby, Jones dropped back with him. This composition was not the only reason, but it looks like Liverpool, for the moment, may embrace being a little looser.
The wand of Adam Wharton, who has a desire to go forward when he sees an opening, paved the way to a through ball that cut through the heart of the **Liverpool**block in the buildup to a penalty for Jean-Philippe Mateta. The midfielder grew as the game went on, and counters were more common.
Mateta made the back four earn their pay. He has blossomed under **Oliver Glasner**and is not only a physical presence in front of the goal. His mobility, hold-up play, and street-smart nature forced the Reds to scramble back much more than they would like as he unsettled both van Dijk and Konate.
As the clash got stretched, **Liverpool**could go through the gears. But after Ismaila Sarr pounced on a fault line at the back to level the score for the second time, Palace might have gone ahead for good.
Yokohama Marinos and **AC Milan**made **Liverpool**sweat in July. Athletic Club did not create a lot in the second contest of the double header at **Anfield,**but scored two from set-pieces. Palace might not have conceded twice against Slot's side last year in the league, but they never scored twice either.
Football always asks managers to make the most of their weapons while giving as little as possible to their opponents. Time will tell, but for now, Slot's side seems better set up for shootouts than shutouts.