Liverpool are starting their Premier League campaign under Arne Slot against newly-promoted Ipswich Town at Portman Road Stadium on Saturday. The new head coach goes into the next season with the team that he inherited from legendary manager Jurgen Klopp.

Slot has affirmed that the team is strong enough and only needs minimum tweaking in the transfer market this summer. However, new sporting director Richard Hughes has failed to add any player to back the new head coach so far.

Liverpool’s failure to secure Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad means they are the only club in Europe without any incoming. Liverpool fans grow frustrated with the poor transfer market performance, now shifting their focus back to on-pitch football.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk highlighted the club’s ambition amid several tactical changes that the new head coach has implemented. The 33-year-old has also urged his teammates to learn from the mistakes they made very late in the last season.

Liverpool suffered a significant dip in form after March which had dire consequences as they crashed out of every competition. The Reds cannot afford to make similar mistakes while the change in Champions League format only adds more football matches.

Speaking to ESPN (via Liverpool’s official site), Van Dijk highlighted the need to learn from last season and current aim. He said:

“I think everyone had to reflect [On the poor form late during the last season], had to think about what happened last season over the summer, and come back with an improved mindset and skillset as well in order to perform until the very last day and hopefully be successful. That’s the aim, we want to be successful, we want to compete until the very last day in every competition that we play in. We know that is very difficult but we are going to try it, and that’s something I definitely can promise.”

Liverpool players cannot control what happens off the pitch with the transfer situation which is dominating social media right now. However, they have to prove that they have learnt from last season and evolved to face the adversities ahead.

Both fans and people associated with the club are hoping that Slot’s tactical style will make the team more efficient. The pre-season tour provided a glimpse of the Dutchman’s methodology and fans enjoyed the new style of play.

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While the philosophy of Slot is similar to Klopp’s, there is more balance in attack and maintaining possession. The balance could cover the vulnerability in defence that Liverpool showed throughout last season while the attack becomes more clinical.