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our years have passed since Liverpool'€™s last visit to Malaysia, but, in soccer terms, it seems like an eternity.

Kenny Dalglish'€™s 2011 side featured the likes of Andy Carroll, Charlie Adam and Alberto Aquilani. Just one player from the squad of 23 who saw game time in 2011'€™s 6-3 victory at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium '€” fullback Jon Flanagan '€” is still with the club.

The 2015 Reds, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur this week ahead of Friday'€™s game against the Malaysia XI, are very much a team in transition. At Wednesday'€™s media conference at the serene Saujana Resort, manager Brendan Rodgers seemed to be asked more questions about players not on the tour than those who actually made it.

How would new signing Christian Benteke improve the squad? What about the future of the absent Mario Balotelli in the wake of his Twitter comments about the departed Raheem Sterling? With Steven Gerrard now with LA Galaxy, how would Jordan Henderson fare as captain?

'€œI'€™m only interested in talking about players I currently have,'€ an exasperated Rodgers said, just a few hours before Benteke'€™s £32.5 million (US$50 million) move from Aston Villa was finalized back in the UK.

The big Belgian will add firepower up-front, plus a much-needed touch of glamour, to a squad lacking the superstars of years past. As much as Henderson and new signing James Milner '€” who sat alongside his manager and captain at the media conference '€” are seasoned England internationals, they are not players to set the pulses racing of local fans.

Indeed, former stars like Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler, Luis Garcia, Didi Hamann and John Barnes are creating more buzz in Malaysia than most of the current squad. The five legends are in Southeast Asia to support the tour, or to work on commercial events on the sidelines of the official schedule.

'€œYou can'€™t live in the past ['€¦] you'€™ve got to move on,'€ Rush, a Liverpool ambassador, told ESPN FC at a promotion for Liverpool sponsor Subway.

'€œFrom my era with Bob Paisley to the 2005 Champions League winning team that Didi and Luis appeared in '€” that'€™s over now. There are a lot of new players over the past season or two. Players come and go, but Liverpool is more about the tradition, the fans and the family atmosphere at the club.'€

Since their penalty shoot-out victory over AC Milan a decade ago, the Reds have lifted just one trophy '€” the 2012 League Cup '€” won on penalties against Cardiff City, under Dalglish. They finished an unsatisfactory sixth in last season'€™s Premier League, but a summer spending spree has fans hoping for a serious title charge.

With the acquisition of Benteke, Rodgers has now overseen three of the four most expensive signings in Liverpool history '€” attacking midfielder Robert Firmino at £29 million from Hoffenheim and Adam Lallana at £25 million from Southampton are the others. Only £35 million man, Andy Carroll, the striker who scored just six league goals in 44 appearances before moving to West Ham United in 2013, was costlier than the current trio.

Liverpool has brushed aside three teams so far on their undefeated Asian and Australian tour, scoring eight goals and conceding just one.

A composite side comprised of locals and imports, the Malaysia XI, aren'€™t expected to pose a serious threat. They'€™ll be missing much of their best talent including former Australia defender Robbie Cornthwaite, one of three players that local club Selangor have refused to release for the game.

In the last major match played at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Dollah Salleh'€™s Malaysians were crushed 6-0 by Palestine in an AFC World Cup qualifier on June 16. A similar thrashing isn'€™t beyond the realm of possibility as members of the Reds'€™ bloated squad try to impress their manager.

Even so, former Liverpool captain Steve McMahon, who works as technical adviser for Frenz United academy at nearby Janda Baik, says the pressure won'€™t ease up on Rodgers.

'€œPre-season results mean nothing ['€¦] we saw that with Newcastle United last season who were looking really good in the summer and ended up having to fight relegation,'€ McMahon said.

'€œLiverpool has appeared to have changed the way they play on tour, with more of a pressing game. But if they don'€™t start the season well, Rodgers could be in trouble.'€

There is still a holiday feel in Malaysia, with the notorious Klang Valley traffic lighter than usual for the visitors from England. Many local families are still on vacation as they continue Idul Fitri celebrations.

Tour organizer, Pro Events, say that ticket sales are picking up, with fans able to watch both the Thursday evening training session and Friday'€™s game for the one price. A crowd of around 70,000 '€” which is 15,000 fewer than in 2011 '€” is expected to click through the turnstiles.

Just a couple of hours before Thursday'€™s training session, defender Mamadou Sakho and winger Jordon Ibe were at the Paradigm Mall, near the team hotel, doing a sponsored meet-and-greet with the public. But if they hadn'€™t been dressed in their Liverpool colors, Sakho and Ibe probably could have walked around the shopping center without being recognized.

One thing that the 2011 and 2015 Liverpool matches in Malaysia have in common is the absence of the iconic Stevie G. Four years ago, he skipped the Asian tour to work on his fitness at the club'€™s Melwood training base after groin surgery.

The previous Kuala Lumpur game saw the long forgotten David Ngog and Maxi Rodriguez score two goals apiece as the Reds saw off a spirited Malaysian side.

As much as getting on the scoresheet at Bukit Jalil on Friday night will bring confidence to Liverpool'€™s recent arrivals, history has proven that success on pre-season tours is certainly no guarantee of longevity.