The "Red Army" Liverpool defeated Athletic Bilbao from La Liga 4-1 and 3-2 respectively in two friendly matches at Anfield. In an interview after the game, Slaughter said that he was happy with the way the players created opportunities, but in order to compete with other teams in the Premier League, Slaughter also stressed that the team's performance in all aspects must be improved.

In the first friendly, Liverpool defeated Bilbao 4-1 thanks to goals from Ngumoha, Nunez, and Elliott. In the second friendly, Liverpool defeated Bilbao 3-2 thanks to goals from Salah and a brace from Gakpo.

With this period of pre-season now concluded, Liverpool will travel to Wembley Stadium to face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.

Liverpool manager Slaughter said, "We created a lot of opportunities in both games and scored a total of 7 goals, which is very happy. But we did not convert all the opportunities into goals, especially in the first half of the second game, we could have scored more goals. But what I am most satisfied with is the team's ability to create opportunities, and it is also a good thing to score 7 goals in two games."

"We brought in Ekiti, who will definitely be a very good player for us, and Ngumoha has performed well every time he has played in pre-season. In the previous friendly matches, we actually gave the opponent too many opportunities in defense, but in this game we hardly gave them any space, which I am also very satisfied with."

Slote pointed out, "But in the second game, we conceded two set pieces, which is something we don't want to see, especially when we are going to play against Crystal Palace, who are very strong in set pieces. This is an area we need to continue to improve."

"I think we have room for improvement in every area. We have added attacking power in certain positions. For example, Wirtz brings great creativity in the frontcourt, while we lost some creativity in the backcourt after Alexander-Arnold left. His crosses are very special, and Wirtz has similar creativity in a completely different position. There is also the speed of Ekitik, and the two defenders, Kerkez Miloš and Frimpong, whose speed is also very outstanding."

In addition, after participating in the Community Shield match, Liverpool will host Bournemouth at home in the first round of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Slaughter added: "We need to take a step forward in every aspect because our competitors are not standing still. They are not only improving their own strength, but also signing a lot of players. Therefore, the new Premier League season is destined to be very exciting."