Nunez has night to forget as much-changed Liverpool beaten - 5 talking points

Liverpool's stuttering pre-season campaign continued with a cagey 1-0 defeat by Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp named a heavily-rotated starting line-up that is most likely because of the upcoming Community Shield clash with Manchester City on Saturday evening at the King Power Stadium.

Club-record signing Darwin Nunez led the line from the off, but the line-up included four teenagers - only one of whom boasts any real first-team experience in Harvey Elliott.

The best chance to open the scoring actually fell to Salzburg but Benjamin Sesko failed to convert with the goal gaping just before the half hour-mark. He ensured the miss wouldn't matter too much however, as the Slovenian slotted beyond Adrian to hand his side the lead.

That strike proved to be enough as Liverpool's persistent pressure was not enough to beat Salzburg shot-stopper Nico Mantl was enjoying a spell of inspired form against Premier League opposition.

Mirror Football has analysed five talking points from a hard fought Salzburg win over a new-look Liverpool.

Darwin Nunez's performance

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The £80million man has been under a white hot spotlight all pre-season due to the astronomical figure Liverpool parted ways with to sign him from Benfica.

While it would be generous to say he looks anywhere near the finished article, at just 23 years of age Nunez has plenty of time to hone his game and be moulded into the kind of centre-forward Klopp craves.

With that being said, this individual display was a difficult one to analyse, especially coming off the back of his last outing in which he netted four goals in one game against RB Leipzig.

Though Nunez never shies away from the action and ensures he is always a target for those looking to find him, his finishing has been careless at times while his inability to get his shot off on time cost the Reds in the first-half.

The Uruguayan struck the bar with one effort, but his best chance of the opening period actually came when he managed to bring the ball down from no more than 10 yards out but cut back in on himself and allowed the moment to pass him by without getting an effort on goal.

He was made to pay as Klopp hooked Nunez at half-time in place of Roberto Firmino.

United target shines

Sesko is the latest name to be touted with a move to Manchester as the Red Devils look to bolster their forward line amid Cristiano Ronaldo's exit demands.

At just 19 years of age, the Slovenian is causing quite the stir with his impressive showings for Salzburg and would have only endeared himself further to his admirers at Old Trafford with a fantastic showing and a goal against United's most fierce rivals.

Sesko, who has been dubbed the 'next Erling Haaland ', has a lengthy list of potential suitors that includes German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich as well as Erik ten Hag's side.

It must be said that while Sesko was guilty of wasting a glorious opportunity minutes before his goal, the mental strength shown to not let that wasteful finish phase him and go and score shorty after will only make him a more attractive proposition to those clubs already interested.

Sesko was replaced at half-time as he continues to be carefully nurtured by Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle.

Community Shield auditions

There were a number of players named in the starting eleven that would have been desperate to impress Klopp considering the Community Shield is less than four days away.

While the test of Manchester City will see some of the more household names return to the fold, there is likely to still be some room for a youngster to play their way into Klopp's plans for the upcoming trip to to Leicester.

17-year-old Stefan Bajcetic was handed a start, as was fellow teenager Isaac Mabaya. The former displayed some impressive passing in the middle of the park to continue his fine form after what has already been a stellar pre-season effort from the Spanish youngster.

Mabaya was operating as a deputy for usual right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and did not disappoint with a combative effort that saw his front-footed style of defending work in Liverpool's favour more often than not and nullify the threat of Salzburg's attack.

Considering he is a midfielder by trade, Mabaya's ability to get forward in rapid time but barely break a sweat when returning to his defensive duties shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, but is sure to have impressed his manager nonetheless.

Fabio Carvalho watch

The highly promising teenage sensation was signed from Fulham earlier this summer in the hopes he could follow a similar path as Harvey Elliot from promising Cottager to Reds first-team star.

The early signs are good, with Carvalho putting in an assured display out on the left flank, with his supreme dribbling ability showcased on a number of occasions, particularly early on.

However, he faded as the first-half draw on and Liverpool found themselves under more pressure. As Salzburg's influence on the game grew, Carvalho's waned dramatically before he was replaced by Luis Diaz just shy of the 60th minute.

Hopes are high that Carvalho plays a part in Liverpool's senior side this term rather than be sent out on loan, though his fellow former Fulham teammate Elliott enjoyed huge success with a temporary stint at Blackburn Rovers.

What Klopp can take from this

Ultimately, there is little cause for concern from Klopp's perspective.

The Liverpool boss named a heavily-changed starting eleven that included plenty of players that so often find first-team minutes hard to come by or are more used to academy level football.

Names such as Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz, Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold were all omitted from the line-up in favour of their deputies.

It is very likely all of the aforementioned players will play much more of a deciding role against Pep Guardiola's side on Saturday and of course the opening game of the Premier League season the following weekend.