Liverpool beat Stoke City 5-0 in a pre-season friendly and there was one interesting combination that Arne Slot deployed.

Kopites will have their mental notepads at the ready when watching Liverpool in pre-season.

Supporters taking in the action as the Reds prepare for their Premier League title defence will be trying to notice every subtle change that Arne Slot makes to his set-up.

There were no wholesale changes in the Dutchman’s maiden season as head coach. There was never going to be. Taking over from the legendary Jurgen Klopp, Slot had no intentions to rip up the German’s outstanding foundations left behind. It was evolution rather than revolution. The face that Slot made just one signing, a fringe player in Federico Chiesa, was further evidence that not too much would change.

It’s why the feat of winning the Premier League in Slot’s first year was more remarkable. By his own admission, the task from owners Fenway Sports Group was to qualify for the Champions League. Slot obliterated that aim.

The former Feyenoord supremo’s second summer at the helm was expected to always be busy. It’s when he would sign some of his own players and begin to put his own stamp on the playing style. Of course, there were some tweaks in 2024-25, such as Mo Salah not being asked to do as much defensively and Ryan Gravenberch deployed in the number-six position to add more control in midfield. But this pre-season is where Slotball is expected to really come to the fore.

It will be intriguing. There wasn’t too much learnt from the 3-1 win at Preston North End. Liverpool’s players had only returned to training five days earlier. But the highlights from the 5-0 triumph over Stoke City in a behind-closed-doors game may be more telling.

Granted, it’s difficult to see any real patterns of play in a short package of the game. Florian Wirtz impressed on his maiden outing since his £100 million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen and 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha’s development is tantalising.

But there was one moment in the second period that caught the eye. It involved two players who many expect will be competing for the same position in Slot’s side. Jeremie Frimpong was signed to fill the void of Trent Alexander-Arnold and compete with Conor Bradley for the right-back berth.

Both featured in the second half against Stoke. Interestingly, Bradley was initially deployed in midfield with Frimpong taking up the spot on the right-hand side of defence. But in the closing stages, when Ben Doak was withdrawn for Luca Stephenson, Bradley switched to the rearguard and Frimpong pushed further up the pitch.

Bradley picked up the ball and Frimpong put on the afterburners, displaying his electric pace to create space and then pull a cross back for Stephenson, who shot over the bar.

It was a salvo that stood out. The speed that Bradley and Frimpong possess made it impossible for Stoke. It adds another major weapon to Liverpool’s already potent attack.

Mo Salah will remain the undisputed first choice on the right flank. After scoring 32 goals last season and signing a new two-year contract, his remit is scarcely going to change. But for all of Salah’s magnificence, there have been - and will continue to be - games when he is subdued. The Carabao Cup final defeat by Newcastle United sticks out.

However, Slot has not had a ready-made replacement. In truth, Chiesa was not fancied by the Liverpool supremo. Harvey Elliott can play out wide but is different to Salah and is better in the No.10 position. Doak, meanwhile, faces somewhat of an uncertain future amid links to Nottingham Forest and Everton,

But now Slot appears to have a way to change things if Salah is having a quiet match. In Leverkusen’s exit statement, they described Frimpong as a ‘Flügelsprinter’ which translates to wing sprinter. That is evidence that the Netherlands international is not limited to playing as a full-back. During his time in Germany, the 24-year-old registered 30 goals and 44 assists in 190 games. He has a rich quality he possesses in the final third.

There is an adage in boxing that speed kills. A partnership of Bradley and Frimpong is capable of blowing away the opposition and can be a backup plan.