Slot sees "good things" but semands defensive improvement ahead of Community Shield

Liverpool lost in a friendly against AC Milan on Saturday, but despite the defeat, Slot saw positives from his side.

Arne Slot said there were positives to take from the game but admitted his side needed to improve before their first competitive match, the Community Shield against Crystal Palace on August 10.

"I saw a few good things," he told reporters, referring especially to the first half when a largely first-choice Liverpool created a host of chances but only converted one. Slot made nine changes at the break and a largely makeshift defence was caught out time and again.

"We wanted to give 20 players some playing time. So as a result of that, too many players didn't play in their own position. We were a bit too open. "We have to improve in certain areas, because we were counter-attacked too much today."

Loftus-Cheek, who also had spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham, said it was special to score against Liverpool. "It's nice to play against a Premier League team again," said Loftus-Cheek, whose side had lost 1-0 to Arsenal in a friendly on Wednesday.

'Lot to improve on'

"Liverpool are one of the best teams in the world. It was a good test for us tonight. "It's just about feeling better physically, gelling as a team, and there's a lot for us to improve.

"So we'll take that and move on." Liverpool's Hong Kong fans vastly outnumbered those supporting AC Milan in the 49,704 sellout crowd.