Two of Liverpool’s more high-profile summer signings made their club debuts on Tuesday afternoon as the Reds took on old foes Manchester United in Bangkok.
Exciting prospect Fabio Carvalho, who joined the club from Fulham, was part of the first Liverpool XI who started the clash. He was substituted at the 30 minute mark as Jurgen Klopp opted to play three different sides in the game, with Nunez making his eagerly awaited first appearance in a Liverpool shirt for the final third of the match.
Although predominantly a fitness exercise, it was a disappointing night for Liverpool as defensive errors saw them brutally exposed by United who went into half-time with a 3-0 lead.
The Merseysiders were much stronger in the second period, especially following the introduction of some of their key stars. However, they failed to convert their dominance and actually conceded again let on through a well-worked Facundo Pellistri strike, ultimately going on to lose 4-0.
Here are four takeaways from the first appearances of the Liverpool debutants.
Carvalho’s role
The teenager thrived at Fulham predominantly playing as a number ten in a 4-2-3-1 formation and there was some intrigue with Carvalho coming in as to whether Klopp could be eyeing up a move away from his favoured 4-3-3 formation, especially with the arrival of an out-and-out centre forward like Nunez too.
However in Tuesday’s game, the 4-3-3 remained and the 19-year-old took up a no.8 role. Though it’s an unfamiliar position for Carvalho, he rarely looked out of place. He pressed well, looked positionally sound and proved a key contributor to so many of Liverpool’s dangerous attacks early in the game.
Off-the-post
Despite starting in a deeper No.8 role rather than a No.10, Carvalho remained a real goal threat inside the final third. He made a couple of excellent overlapping runs through the middle when Firmino dropped deep and so nearly marked his Reds debut with a goal.
Six minutes in he forced a great save from United keeper David De Gea after applying a deft flick to a cross, and he then struck a sweet effort that ricocheted off the inside of the post ten minutes later. Though a debut goal evaded him on the day, it’s easy to see why scoring was such a staple of his game for Fulham last season.
Nunez’s role
Nunez was part of a star-studded Reds side that took to the field in the final third of the match. He was joined by the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Thiago and Mohamed Salah.
Despite the changes and introduction of key Liverpool stars, the Reds unsurprisingly maintained the 4-3-3 they started the game with. This meant Nunez played through the middle as the club’s No.9 and the differences in terms of style when compared to Firmino were immediate from the outset.
The big striker battled well in physical duels with defenders and favoured runs in behind the United backline as opposed to dropping into deeper positions closer to the middle of the pitch.
Frustrating start
While he showed glimpses of what he is going to bring to Anfield, for example firing a stinging shot at Tom Heaton from a tight angle shortly after his introduction, it proved to be a quiet start to life with the Reds for Nunez. Opportunities were few and far between for the 23-year-old who, understandably at this stage of pre-season, looked a little off the pace.
He was handed a golden opportunity to open his Liverpool account with four minutes remaining when the ball landed at his feet seven yards out, however, the Uruguayan could only fire his effort well over the bar. He had another half-chance one minute later but failed to get on the end of an excellent whipped Alexander-Arnold cross.
