Opinion: Five things we learned from win over Liverpool

Roma ran out 2-1 victors against Liverpool in St. Louis in what was their first real test of this summer's pre-season tour of North America.

Edward Stratmann highlights five things that stood out...

Dzeko in good form

After a difficult 2015-2016 season, it was great to see Edin Dzeko continue his impressive pre-season form against Liverpool in St. Louis. The scorer of four goals against Pinzolo and one against Terek Grozny in Roma's two previous friendlies, the Bosnian frontman added another against the Reds to bring his tally to six in three matches.

Aside from his well-taken goal, his physicality, instinctive movement in the final third and exemplary hold up work provided further reasons for positivity. Dejan Lovren, who covered him for most of the night, struggled immensely as Dzeko lead the line authoritatively for the Giallorossi. Both Dzeko and Roma will be desperately hoping to translate this terrific summer form into the Serie A season.

Midfield looking strong

It's imperative that Roma hold onto their starting midfield three from the match against Jurgen Klopp's men. Kevin Strootman, Radja Nainggolan and Leandro Paredes showed what a fearsome unit they are. Miralem Pjanic may have left for Juventus but in these three, Roma have a mixture of aggression, fight and dynamism. Their skillsets may be different but they appear to complement each other.

Paredes a vital piece

To focus on Paredes specifically, he once again demonstrated why he looks set to become an integral member of Luciano Spalletti's siquad by putting in a fine shift against Liverpool. The set-piece specialist's energy, crisp passing and athleticism shone brightly throughout.

Spalletti keeping the squad sharp

Considering Roma's injury issues, Spalletti deserves plenty of credit for the way he's galvanised his squad in pre-season. After only playing friendly matches against lesser competition, the fact that Roma came away 2-1 victors against a Liverpool side that had already played six friendlies serves as a testament to his ability to keep his squad focused and motivated.

Although he admitted playing in such a prestigious venue was a real thrill, Spalletti made a point of noting he wasn't entirely satisfied with the performance.

“It was a big pleasure to play in this stadium, it was a great, breathtaking venue,” he explained. "In the first half, in my opinion my team did not show enough personality, we could have moved the ball more quickly because a team like Liverpool can hurt you quickly if you do not take your chances."

Alisson looks the part

It was little wonder why Spalletti was full of praise for his Brazilian goalkeeper during his post-match press conference, for he was outstanding in goal against the Merseysiders. Alisson commanded his area competently and exuded confidence throughout the night in a performance where he barely put a foot wrong. While his spectacular saves to deny Daniel Sturridge and Danny Ings were unquestionably the highlights of his night, his excellent distribution also provided reason for excitement.

"Obviously he must still adapt to our style of play, he must still settle in,” Spalletti said. "But it is true he made some good saves, he showed personality and impressed from a physical standpoint. He is definitely a player of the quality of Roma, and a player we can count on.”