Liverpool Still a Work in Progress, Slot Says, despite Perfect Pre-Season Tour

Liverpool's Japanese midfielder #03 Wataru Endo vies for the ball during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, August 3, 2024. (AFP)
Liverpool's Japanese midfielder #03 Wataru Endo vies for the ball during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, August 3, 2024. (AFP)
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Liverpool Still a Work in Progress, Slot Says, despite Perfect Pre-Season Tour

Liverpool's Japanese midfielder #03 Wataru Endo vies for the ball during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, August 3, 2024. (AFP)
Liverpool's Japanese midfielder #03 Wataru Endo vies for the ball during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, August 3, 2024. (AFP)

New Liverpool manager Arne Slot said his side still have room for improvement despite wrapping up their pre-season tour of the United States with a 3-0 win over Manchester United in South Carolina on Saturday.

Slot, who replaced Juergen Klopp in May, also guided Liverpool to wins over Arsenal and Real Betis. They face Sevilla next at Anfield before visiting promoted Ipswich Town for their Premier League opener on Aug. 17.

Asked if he was pleased with his side's performances so far, the Dutchman said: "Yes, I was but not with all of them. We are very happy with the result, we scored some really nice goals ... very positive tour.

"But I don't think we had enough control over the game, I think we gave away too many chances. United deserved more than a 3-0 loss but it's also our quality that we do score our own chances.

"We will see how players (returning from holidays) fit into the team. We need to work hard in the upcoming two weeks to be ready."



Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Clinches Medal at Paris Olympics

Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria (The AP)
Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria (The AP)
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Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Clinches Medal at Paris Olympics

Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria (The AP)
Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria (The AP)

Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria clinched a medal Saturday at the Paris Olympics following days of sharp scrutiny and online abuse as misconceptions about her gender have exploded into a larger clash about identity in sports.

Khelif defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s 66-kilogram bout, The AP reported.

Khelif will win at least a bronze medal after defeating Hamori for the second victory of her tumultuous second trip to the Olympics.

Khelif has faced international scrutiny after the banned International Boxing Association claimed Khelif failed an unspecified eligibility test for women’s competition last year. She then won her opening bout Thursday when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.

The unusual ending became a sharp wedge to drive into an already prominent divide over gender identity and regulations in sports, drawing comments from the likes of former US President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender.

IOC President Thomas Bach on Saturday defended Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. Khelif and Lin were disqualified in the middle of last year's world championships by the International Boxing Association, the now-banned former governing body of Olympic boxing, after what it claimed were failed eligibility tests for the women's competition.

"We are talking about women's boxing. We have two boxers who were born as women, raised as women, who have passports as women and who have competed for many years as women and this is a clear definition of a woman," Bach told a press conference.
"There was never any doubt about them being women."