It's only been a few months, but new Liverpool manager Arne Slot is already shaking up the team with some brilliant new tactics.
And so far, fans are loving it.
He Reds won their second straight preseason game in Philadelphia by defeating Arsenal 2-1.
But there was one moment in particular that really captured fans' attention.
Almost two-thirds of the game had elapsed and Liverpool were leading by a goal thanks to Mo SalahThe team's first goal came when they won a valuable corner.
But what happened next took many by surprise.
As Kostas Tsimikas took his place by the corner flag, ready to launch a shot into a dangerous position, the rest of his team took their places for what appeared to be a carefully planned set-piece formation.
A total of eight Liverpool players took their places on the edge of the penalty area, grouping near the top right corner of the area.
As Tsimikas prepared his cross, all the players quickly scattered around the area, looking to cause chaos within the ranks of the Arsenal defence.
Some headed straight for the near and far posts, while others stayed back and scattered around the penalty area.
While the unusual strategy did not result in any goals, it did appear to make it difficult for Gunners goalkeeper Karl Hein to control the ball.
Instead he was forced to punch the ball away, before Arsenal were eventually awarded a free kick.
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And what do Reds fans think of this vision of what the Dutch manager could bring to the team?
“Liverpool's new corner routine. I love it,” said one fan on X.
Another added: “Finally, the curves will be interesting to see.”
And one joked: “This is so funny but so sexy.”
Pre-season is a time for high hopes as fans look forward to the gruelling season ahead, with one even jokingly predicting: “We're about to score 50 goals from corners alone this season.”
“I like to call it the snooker ball break, because it goes all over the place. I like it,” said another.
Meanwhile, Slot We had plenty of positives to take from the win, although Arsenal posed a much bigger threat in the second half.
“I think that even if it's a friendly match, you always have to aim for victory,” he said at a press conference. “You have to aim for victory even if you play a match with a reduced team during a training session.”
“You need to win your games, you try to do everything you can to win. So it's good that we did that today, but I'm more satisfied with the way we did it.”
“Of course, I saw that in the second half we had a hard time playing against Arsenal, they dominated possession completely. But we defended very well and I was very happy to see that because there were a lot of players behind the ball every time they came into our box. I think they didn't create very clear chances in the second half.
“In the first half, after the first ten minutes, the match was even, and both teams could have scored a few more goals. That's why I'm satisfied with how we played in the first half and how we defended in the second half.”
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The corner tactic was reportedly borrowed from American football, where it is known as the “sugar huddle” and is designed to make scoring exceptionally difficult.
While this strategy has certainly been used by other teams besides Liverpool in football, former Reds manager Jurgen Klopp I never used tactics much.
This is one of the first distinctive innovations that Slot seems to have brought to the club for the 2024/25 season. Premier league season, leaving fans excited to see what else he could bring to the team.
Liverpool kick off the new season with hosting newly promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday, August 17th.
