Andoni Iraola opened his tenure at Liverpool with a 4-2 triumph over Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium on Saturday, prompting a close look at what his first appearance as the club's head coach revealed. The match offered several take‑aways about the new manager’s tactical preferences, the squad’s injury landscape, and the potential direction of the team under his guidance. One of the immediate concerns heading into the preseason was the uncertainty surrounding Liverpool’s back‑line.
With questions lingering over the fitness of Jeremy Jacquet, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni, it was unclear who would partner Virgil van Dijk at centre‑back. Leoni, who arrived from Parma only last summer, is still months away from returning after a season‑ending ACL rupture suffered on his debut for the Reds in September.
Jacquet, meanwhile, has just recovered from a shoulder injury sustained shortly after finalising his move to Liverpool in February, and he missed the Sunderland game after picking up a minor knock. Consequently, the captaincy and defensive duties fell to the injury‑prone Joe Gomez, who started the match and wore the armband in Tennessee. His involvement was short‑lived; after just ten minutes he was forced off with what Iraola described as “the worst news of the day.” While the problem appeared to be a muscular issue for the 29‑year‑old, it underscored Liverpool’s reliance on a player whose availability has become increasingly unpredictable.
The club will likely need to act in the summer transfer window, which closes on September 1, to secure another reliable centre‑back. The atmosphere at the stadium was charged with the usual pre‑season excitement, but the underlying narrative was more about transition than celebration.
The boos that greeted Liverpool’s lackluster 1‑1 draw with Chelsea in May had signalled the end of Arne Slot’s era, and the club was eager for a fresh approach. Slot’s tenure had been defined by a slow, possession‑heavy style that saw the ball shuffled from flank to flank, a method that eventually alienated a portion of the Kop as results dipped. Iraola, by contrast, promised a more energetic and dynamic brand of football.
In his first press conference he declared, “I want my team to be energetic. I want to be dynamic, to play in the opposition half as much as we can, sometimes on the ball, sometimes without the ball, and try to suffocate the opposition.” It is still premature to draw definitive conclusions after a single 90‑minute performance involving a rotating squad of 22 players, yet several promising moments emerged in Nashville.
The opening goal, scored by Kieran Morrison in the 13th minute, originated from a fluid sequence that showcased the abilities of James McConnell, Rio Ngumoha and Harvey Elliott in the build‑up. The final strike, a late winner from Lewis Koumas, resulted from an effective counter‑press that highlighted Liverpool’s renewed emphasis on aggressive recovery. Dominik Szoboszlai’s influence was another bright spot. The 25‑year‑old midfielder, recently secured on a five‑year contract, demonstrated why the club fought hard to keep him.
He not only equalised with a thunderous volley from distance but also displayed a relentless pressing intensity that aligns perfectly with Iraola’s philosophy. Szoboszlai’s versatility and work rate make him a pivotal component of the three‑man midfield that the new coach envisions.
His ability to create chances—he set up Koumas’s winner—further cements his status as a vital cog in the Reds’ machinery. Iraola’s admiration for German‑style gegenpressing, which he mentioned in an interview with The Times, suggests that Szoboszlai will be central to executing that high‑press system. The midfielder’s willingness to chase the ball, win duels and quickly transition from defense to attack mirrors the approach of coaches like Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, both of whom have left a lasting imprint on the Premier League. A notable difference between Slot and Iraola lies in their treatment of young talent.
Slot was often criticised for hesitating to trust the academy graduates, particularly the promising England forward Rio Ngumoha. Iraola, however, appears more inclined to give youngsters a chance, a stance that was evident when he fielded players such as Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas, Kieran Morrison and James McConnell. Nyoni, an England U20 international, and Koumas, who represents Wales, both stood out in the second half—Nyoni with composure in midfield and Koumas with relentless energy up front. Harvey Elliott also shone in a central attacking role, marking his first appearance for Liverpool since a brief loan spell at Aston Villa.
At 23, Elliott could benefit greatly from Iraola’s guidance, much as Alex Scott did during their time together at Bournemouth. The blend of experience and youthful exuberance suggests a squad that could evolve quickly under the new regime.
Overall, for a first‑ever preseason outing, Iraola could not have asked for a better start—aside from Gomez’s untimely exit. Securing a win builds confidence and offers a foundation on which the 44‑year‑old can build. He himself acknowledged the early stage, saying, “It’s the first day. You could feel the heavy legs, the players have been training.
So, we lacked some freshness. But it will give us a good starting point to improve things.” Liverpool also entered the match without several World Cup participants, including finalists Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz. These players are set to join the travelling party in Chicago on Sunday, along with Alex Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch, who will begin training with the squad the following day. Iraola expressed optimism about integrating these talents, noting, “I hope we use them properly and we go forward improving slowly, slowly the things that today didn’t work.” In summary, Iraola’s debut offered a glimpse of a more pressurising, high‑tempo Liverpool side that values youthful ambition and relentless work‑rate.
While injuries remain a concern and the squad will need reinforcement at centre‑back, the early signs point toward a refreshed identity that could reignite the passion of the Kop and set the stage for a competitive season ahead.