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New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Liverpool are playing football again – so what did we learn?
Liverpool played a match for the first time since last season on Sunday, although football was far from most people's minds. The focus of the squad, staff and supporters at Preston North End was on remembering Diogo Jota and his brother Andre, just as it had been all week at the Kirkby training base. Advertisement Phased fitness testing was delayed and some training sessions cancelled, so even as Arne Slot and his coaching team try to keep things moving forward sensitively, their time to implement any new ideas has been restricted. The friendly at Deepdale had been circled on calendars for very different reasons until Jota's passing. It was supposed to provide a first glimpse at new club-record signing Florian Wirtz and begin to answer questions about how he fitted into the starting XI. In the event, the 22-year-old was not risked. He was instead tasked with individual fitness work at the training ground along with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, although there was a first sight of new goalkeepers Giorgi Mamardashvili and Freddie Woodman, who played 45 minutes each, and full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, who came on at half-time. So what, if anything, did we learn? Whether they start the first game of the season together remains unclear, but the dynamic of having two attack-minded full-backs — and whether both would be allowed to get forward at the same time — has been a point of discussion. Both were given the licence to get forward and express their attacking qualities and did so in a balanced manner. When Kerkez, who was the more prominent attacking figure in the second half, went forward, Frimpong would be more reserved in his positioning and vice versa. Kerkez looked like he had already formed a solid partnership with Cody Gakpo, proving a willing underlapper and overlapper. His commitment could not be questioned, either, as he once tried to head the ball when lying on the floor. Frimpong was used in a variety of ways. He was comfortable being involved in Liverpool's initial build-up phase, while also drifting forward on other occasions. We did not see his pace used much in an attacking sense, but we did when he was recovering. Advertisement There were occasions where both were very advanced around the Preston box. While that may be opposition-related because their opponents were a Championship outfit, it offered an insight into the creative variety they have that should help Liverpool break down low blocks this season. There was a warning sign when both were positioned so high. In the 56th minute, it left Liverpool two-vs-two at the back and when Andy Robertson misread a clearance, Preston were immediately in on goal. That can be put down to teething pains, and Andrew Robertson was standing in at centre-back, when it will actually be Virgil van Dijk in that position. Another counter-attacking opportunity appeared to present itself but on this occasion, Frimpong accelerated to win back possession and keep his side on the front foot. Following Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure and the unique way he played the right-back role, Frimpong is a very different profile, and so too is Conor Bradley as we have seen since he broke into the first team set-up a couple of years ago. The Northern Ireland international was also given licence to get forward and frequently took up advanced positions in the inside right channel, which paid off with his goal. Both he and Frimpong made runs beyond their winger, and darted towards the penalty spot to add another dynamic to the attack. The No 9 position has been a talking point all summer, but has become a fraught topic to discuss following Jota's death. Federico Chiesa and Darwin Nunez shared the duties on Sunday. Both had been expected to leave this summer but events have left Liverpool's transfer strategy on pause for the time being. Both players were involved in goals, with Chiesa's quick feet earning him space to cross for Dominik Szoboszlai to help it on to Bradley at the back post for the opener. Advertisement Nunez anticipated a poor backpass well in the second half and rounded goalkeeper Daniel Iversen to slot home Liverpool's second. He then cleverly dummied Ben Doak's low cross, allowing it to run through to Gakpo, who sealed the victory. It remains to be seen how Liverpool address their No 9 situation this summer. Wirtz and Luis Diaz can also play there but were not involved at Deepdale, and speculation persists about the latter despite Liverpool's 'not for sale' stance. As ever with pre-season, there is just as much interest in seeing the young talent emerging from the club's academy than in the first team squad. Supporters got their first proper glimpse of Rio Ngumoha when he was a surprise selection for the FA Cup third round tie against Accrington Stanley in January. It didn't take him long that day to showcase his potential with his direct running and quick feet, and his return to a first-team line-up was no different. In the first half, Ngumoha was a consistent threat and was the source of several of Liverpool's key chances. He laid down the gauntlet early to his opponent Pol Valentin, putting him on the back foot in the fourth minute. Ngumoha repeatedly drifted out wide and was given the ball. On 17 minutes, he drove into the box and skipped past a few challenges but saw his shot blocked. Six minutes later, a slightly fortunate one-two with Trey Nyoni saw him in the centre of the box, but again his effort was blocked. He played a role in the opening goal, too, as he danced into the box and managed to direct the ball into Chiesa's path despite being crowded out. He was not the only youngster to impress, with 18-year-old Nyoni looking very comfortable in the left-sided No 8 role and 21-year-old Luca Stephenson, who spent last season on loan at Dundee United, impressing at centre-back, an unfamiliar role for the midfielder. Advertisement Doak, 19, was instrumental in Liverpool's third goal, winning the ball back and providing the assist for Gakpo. On a day when football was secondary, it was individual performances rather than collective tactics that provided more insight. As the players head off on tour, the latter will become more prominent. (Top photos: Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong; Getty Images)
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Liverpool salute Diogo Jota through songs, strength, solidarity
Each rendition was louder and delivered with greater feeling than the one that preceded it. For seven minutes after the final whistle at Deepdale, Liverpool players and staff stood on the edge of the penalty area applauding the 5,600 away supporters amassed in the Bill Shankly Kop as one song remained on loop. Emotion was writ large on their faces. Some wiped tears from their cheeks. 'Oh, he wears the No 20, He will take us to victory, And when he's running down the left wing, He'll cut inside and score for LFC, He's a lad from Portugal, Better than Figo don't you know, Ohhh, his name is Diogo.' Advertisement It was repeated over and over again in the late afternoon sunshine. One banner being held up read: 'Diogo Jota 1996 to 2025. Forever Red'. Eventually, the poignant and sustained vocal tribute was replaced with the booming chant of 'champions' and then, fittingly, the club's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' rang out. Those words ring truer than ever at times like this. Players and staff stand and applaud as the Jota chant goes on and on after the final whistle — James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) July 13, 2025 After the anguish of the previous 10 days, there was comfort to be taken from such a heartwarming show of togetherness. The road back to anything resembling normality will be long and winding for everyone associated with Liverpool, but the first tentative steps were taken at Preston North End on Sunday. Arne Slot's depleted squad kicked off their pre-season schedule with a 3-1 victory over the Championship outfit thanks to goals from Conor Bradley, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo. Summer signings Jeremie Frimping, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Freddie Woodman all took their bows. But this was a day when events on the field were completely inconsequential for Liverpool. You can't win when you're still grappling with such an immense feeling of loss. Just fulfilling the fixture felt like an achievement given the deaths of Jota and his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain on July 3. Captain Virgil van Dijk, new boy Florian Wirtz, Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson were among those not involved after all the upheaval with pre-season testing and some training sessions being shelved. It was decided they would be better off doing some individual work at Kirkby earlier in the day with no risks taken over their fitness. Understandably, Slot and his players didn't conduct any post-match media duties at Preston, but the head coach spoke openly to LFCTV prior to the game about the challenge of dealing with the fallout from such a tragedy. 'Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened, but we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not,' he said. Advertisement 'It's very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate. Can we train again? Can we laugh again? Can we be angry if there's a wrong decision? I've said to them maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota. And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself. It didn't matter if he was talking to me, to his team-mates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well. 'If we want to laugh we laugh, if we want to cry we're going to cry. If they want to train they can train, if they don't want to train they can not train. But be yourself, don't think you have to be different than your emotions tell you.' Slot showcased his coaching acumen to the world when he led Liverpool to Premier League title glory in his debut season at Anfield. The leadership he's shown in the face of such heartache since has arguably been even more impressive. It was there in the immediate aftermath of the shock news when players and staff descended on the small Portuguese city of Gondomar for the wake and the funeral. It was there in the first meeting back at Kirkby when most of the devastated squad reassembled last Tuesday and someone had to plot a route back to playing again. Rather than head home after such a difficult day, Slot drove to Anfield with wife Mirjam to visit the shrine created by the thousands of supporters who had descended on the stadium to pay their respects and leave flowers, cards, shirts, scarves, banners, flags, hats and even PlayStation controllers. Slot was back there again on Friday as the players and staff were joined by Jota's wife Rute and parents Joaquim Silva and Isabel Silva, who wanted to see the outpouring of love for themselves. Each Liverpool player laid a white rose and a red rose in memory of their team-mate and his brother. Rute also paid a visit to the 'Forever 20' wall on the corner of nearby Sybil Road and added a message to the hundreds which had been left on the side of a house. A short walk away a mural of Jota has already been completed outside the Halfway House pub. There are plans in place for another one too after street artist Paul Curtis set up a crowdfunding page to cover the £2,000 costs and by Sunday had received £26,000 in donations. The excess will be donated to charity. 'If you play for this club it's unbelievable when you win things, but in moments of tragedy I think it's also unbelievable what these fans are doing,' Slot added. 'The fans cannot have better players to play for them but us as players and staff can't have better fans to support us. To represent this club in this city now even means more to me and to my wife than it did before. Advertisement 'It had a lot of impact on us but nothing compared to the loss that is felt by his parents, his wife Rute and his children and his other family. The first feeling we all have is of sadness. The second feeling that comes to my mind is pride. I think his parents and Rute can be so proud of the player and the person he was.' On Friday evening, fittingly at 20:20, Liverpool announced that the No 20 shirt was being permanently retired in Jota's honour. It's a gesture unprecedented in the club's history and underlines not only the immense contribution he made to the club as a player during his five years on Merseyside, but also the personal impact he had on team-mates, staff and supporters. The decision was made after liaising with Jota's family. 'By retiring this squad number, we are making it eternal – and therefore never to be forgotten,' said Fenway Sports Group CEO of football Michael Edwards. 'Diogo joined us in 2020, he won us number 20, and he wore – with honour, distinction and affection – the number 20. As far as Liverpool Football Club is concerned, he will be forever our number 20.' Forty miles north of Anfield on Sunday, Preston proved to be the classiest of hosts. The black and white cover of the matchday programme featured Jota holding the Premier League trophy. Prior to kick-off, Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the away supporters while singer Claudia Rose Maguire performed 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. There was a minute's silence, tributes on the advertising hoardings and both sets of players wore black armbands. It was emotionally charged, not least after 20 minutes when the Jota song started and then carried on continuously for 10 minutes as a 21,289-strong crowd all stood and applauded. At one point Mohamed Salah buried his head in his hands. Bradley pointed to the heavens after opening the scoring at the far post following good work from Federico Chiesa before the break. In the second half, Slot fielded a completely changed line up. Nunez pounced on a slack backpass and went around the goalkeeper to make it 2-0. Much to the delight of the away end, the Uruguayan frontman did both the baby shark and PlayStation celebrations so closely associated with Jota. After Liam Lindsay had halved the decifit, Gakpo had the final word late on with a cool finish from Ben Doak's cross and then held up '20' with his fingers. This is a group mourning a much loved team-mate and friend. In those touching scenes after the final whistle they felt the collective arm of the fanbase around them. Advertisement 'We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go,' Slot said. 'I think what I take comfort in is that in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything. 'A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married. A champion for his country because he won the Nations League, with a country that he cared about so much And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League.' (Top photos: Getty Images)
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
David Lynch's 5 Key Takeaways from Liverpool's 3-1 Win Over Preston
Lynch's 5 Takeaways from Liverpool 3-1 Preston: Ngumoha, Slot and More Liverpool began their pre-season with a composed and promising 3-1 win against Preston North End at Deepdale, and David Lynch, in his post-match podcast, offered a detailed, grounded analysis that sheds light on what fans can take from this early fixture under manager Arne Slot. Ngumoha's Talent Clear to See Lynch did not hesitate in identifying Rio Ngumoha as the standout performer. 'He's just an incredible talent,' he stated. 'I thought everything he did today oozed class… brilliant on the ball, quick, strong, direct.' Lynch praised not only Ngumoha's technical ability but also his confidence at such a young age: 'He didn't look like a kid playing with men.' The excitement around Ngumoha's development will surely grow if he continues in this vein. Advertisement Full-backs Show Slot's Tactical Identity Liverpool's full-backs played a crucial role in the match, and Lynch highlighted their involvement as a sign of tactical change. 'You could see the full-backs coming in narrow and looking to overload midfield,' he explained. Lynch pointed out that such positional play 'gives you control in midfield and stops counters.' This early sign of system implementation is an encouraging takeaway for supporters eager to see how Slot evolves Liverpool into the next season. Depth in Goalkeeping Still Strong Despite changes in the goalkeeping department, including the departures of Caoimhin Kelleher and Vítězslav Jaroš (on loan), Lynch reassured fans about the quality available. 'He's not a kind of a no-mark of a goalkeeper,' he said about one of the deputies. 'He was playing at a very high level as first choice up until last season.' Lynch emphasised that the second and third options remain 'very, very good despite the changes.' Advertisement This point of stability could prove vital over a long season with multiple competitions. Trey Nyoni Impresses with Composure Trey Nyoni earned specific praise for his maturity and control. Lynch was emphatic: 'He completes 100% of his passes, 29 out of 29… he just looks so composed on the ball.' The youngster's defensive contributions were also noted: 'Gets about a bit as well… can put his foot in, wins duels.' Lynch believes Nyoni has a 'chance for some games for him this season,' and that his impressive performance should 'be enough to get him on the tour.' These are encouraging signs for Liverpool's academy pipeline. Photo: IMAGO Advertisement Emotional Undertone Marks Start of Pre-Season While the match itself provided tactical insight and player highlights, Lynch acknowledged the emotional backdrop following the recent tragedy involving Diogo Jota. 'It's been… the tragedy that happened prior to this… is going to define the summer,' he said with evident gravity. Still, Lynch encouraged fans to appreciate 'aspects of the football that we should cling on to and really appreciate,' noting both the tributes and the joy the game can still offer. His final message summarised the sentiment well: 'A lot to like about this start to pre-season and more to come from Liverpool, I'm absolutely sure.'
Arab News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Liverpool honor Jota in return to action at Preston
LIVERPOOL: Diogo Jota was hailed 'a champion' on Sunday by Liverpool manager Arne Slot as the Reds returned to the field for the first time since the Portuguese's death by beating Preston 3-1 in a pre-season friendly. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Father of three Jota died alongside his brother Andre Silva on July 3, 11 days after marrying his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, after their car came off the road and burst into flames in northern Spain. A rendition of Liverpool's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was played before kick-off at Deepdale and Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the away supporters. A minute's silence was then observed and both teams wore black armbands. 'I think what I take comfort in is that in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything,' Slot said in an interview ahead of the match. 'A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married. 'A champion for his country because he won the Nations League with a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. 'And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League.' Mohamed Salah was among the Liverpool starting lineup and captain for the day as Virgil van Dijk was left out of the playing squad but was still in attendance. Three of the players who traveled to Gondomar, just outside Porto, for Jota's funeral last weekend, Conor Bradley, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo scored the goals in Liverpool's first steps back toward normality. Multiple renditions of Jota's song, proclaiming him to be better than Portugal legend Figo, were belted out by the Liverpool support before a ball was even kicked. In the crowd, flags emblazoned with 'forever our No. 20' paid tribute to the man who died aged just 28. Liverpool announced on Friday that the club will retire Jota's No. 20 in his memory. 'It's just hit the city hard,' said Liverpool fan and security officer Thomas McAllister, 48. 'Once a Liverpool player you become part of the family and we take you to our hearts. It's like someone in the family has died.' Earlier this week, Slot and his wife joined several players in attending the tributes that have appeared to Jota and his brother outside Anfield. 'We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go,' added Slot. Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez made their Liverpool debuts as Slot named two entirely different sides for each half. Liverpool had spent big in the transfer market prior to Jota's passing, breaking the club's record fee for Florian Wirtz as well as recruiting Frimpong and Kerkez in a bid to retain the Premier League title. 'It must be devastating for his family, his teammates but I think it will really unite and galvanize them to try and win the league for him,' said another supporter Diggy Anderson, 60.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Liverpool players pay emotional tribute to Diogo Jota as fans left in tears
Liverpool have paid a touching tribute to Diogo Jota at their first time back on the field since his tragic death. Supporters had been asked to be in their seats by 2.45pm, but the travelling Reds filled the Bill Shankly Kop at Deepdale long before. And 10 minutes before the pre-planned tributes were officially set to get underway, they made sure to kick things off themselves with a rendition of the Portuguese's chant. 'He's a lad from Portugal, better than Figo, don't you know? Oh, his name is Diogo!' READ MORE: Small plane crashes at UK airport with 'huge fireball' seen after take off READ MORE: ''It's very, very sad what's happened, my heart goes out to Blackpool... it's a real shame' Jota's chant was always going to be ringing in ears at Deepdale. That rendition might have been the first from the entire stand, but it was not the last, writes the ECHO. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here Singing on loop, Liverpool's travelling support started chanting in honour of Jota again before the official tributes at 2.50pm. Claudia Rose Maguire – wife of former Preston player Sean - kicked things off with a rendition of Can't Help Falling In Love, briefly stopping the Jota chants in the process. The Liverpool supporters would join in with the line itself, 'can't help falling in love with you,' as the emotions took hold at Deepdale. The Jota chants then briefly resumed before Maguire started singing a hugely emotional rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone. Supporters were left shedding tears during the club's anthem as an emotional Preston captain Ben Whiteman then walked out with a wreath in honour of Jota, and his brother, Andre Silva, walked the length of the Deepdale pitch to lay it in front of the away supporters. The sight of that alone was greeted with thunderous applause, never mind the completion of the gesture as Whiteman bowed his head to the wreath before rejoining his team-mates at the other end coming out the Deepdale tunnel. Further applause followed once Maguire had finished the song, before Jota's chant again took over as the players walked out. With both sides then taking part in a minute's silence, Liverpool players couldn't hide their emotions, along with head coach Arne Slot, as the Reds and Preston paid tribute to the Portuguese brothers. The ECHO was in attendance at Deepdale on what was always going to be a highly emotional occasion. And it's fair to say there were goosebumps during the aforementioned tributes as the Reds were joined by the Lilywhites in honouring one of their own. There were dozens of banners in the away end in honour of the Portuguese, while Jota's chant would continue to be sung. Forever Liverpool's number 20, after the Reds announced their decision to retire his shirt number on Friday, he will never be forgotten. This was a fitting and moving first public way to honour Jota and Silva. But it will not be the last.
