Anfield has seen for the first time what the £300 million investment has brought. This seems like a big number and in fact, Liverpool need to bring an outstanding performance with that scale.
In the end, the home debut of the 5 glamorous new recruits brought the first look at Liverpool in the new season.
Goals still came from familiar faces, when Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo scored to help Liverpool beat Athletic Bilbao 3-2. But real attention is on the new recruits - the people who represent the new chapter being written at Anfield.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike made their Anfield debut, despite only being an unofficial debut.
Jurgen Klopp once called the squad he left behind "Liverpool 2.0". And now this is Liverpool's version 2.0 under Arne Slot, with a significant difference compared to the team that won the Premier League and Champions League.
The explosive first half against Bilbao brought a clear positive signal, along with first suggestions for a change in playing style. The Kop may play at a higher pace than last season.
"Florian Wirtz has a lot of creativity in the opponent's half and we have just lost a lot of creativity from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Arnold's crosses and ability to choose runners-up are special, and Wirtz possesses this quality in a completely different position.
He brings that creativity. Other new recruits also showed that they have integrated well. Jeremie Frimpong coordinated well with Salah, full-back Milos Kerkez played solidly and Hugo Ekitike showed flexibility in attack" - Arne Slot said.
If Ekitike quickly made an impression, it was thanks to his most outstanding quality: speed. The defenders will definitely have to hold their breath every time he accelerates. In this match, the £69 million striker showed off his terrible speed with a breakthrough and assisted Salah to open the score.
This could be a perfect combination. Although the 22 goals that Ekitike scored for Eintracht Frankfurt last season were part of the Frenchman's appeal, he has also shown that he is a quality setter with 12 assists.
While Ekitike is booming, Wirtz is full of mystery. The £100 million player could go through seemingly "disappearing" stages in a costly way, then suddenly shine brilliantly.
The German international possesses flexible mobility and always appears surprisingly in the penalty area. He created two clear chances from the start of the match, and showed that he has the potential to become one of the top 10 scorers to compete with Dominik Szoboszlai - who is being dragged further back.
There were times when Liverpool's squad looked like an unbalanced 4-2-2-2 system. Salah has often worked in the right wing, while Frimpong has been able to move higher and more wide.
Currently, Liverpool tend to use two full-backs in an asymmetrical role. One player is wide and actively pushes up, while the other player holds a low position to ensure balance.
Kerkez is often more cautious, sometimes caught in the middle to support the midfield, creating a flexible tactical structure under Arne Slot.
