Pre‑season fixtures often spark debate about how much they really matter. Some fans view them as a vital barometer of fitness and tactical cohesion, while others treat them as mere exhibitions that offer little insight into the upcoming campaign. At Anfield, the excitement that usually surrounds the summer friendlies has been abruptly dampened by a series of disappointing performances, both on the pitch and behind the scenes. There is no scientific equation that translates pre‑season results into league success.
Consider Arsenal’s 2022‑23 summer: they suffered a loss to Thomas Frank’s Tottenham in Hong Kong and later fell to Villarreal at home in a friendly, yet within nine months they were crowned Premier League champions and reached the Champions League final, only missing out after a penalty shoot‑out. By that logic, Liverpool’s recent two‑goal defeats to Leeds United and Monaco could be dismissed as inconsequential.
Moreover, there are encouraging signs for manager Andoni Iraola: new signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, both of whom endured challenging first seasons on Merseyside, have already found the net against Monaco, suggesting they are adapting well. Nevertheless, a broader narrative is emerging, and it has already prompted Iraola to address the issue publicly less than two weeks before Liverpool’s season opener against Newcastle on August 23, live on Sky Sports.
The crux of the concern is fitness. Last season, Bournemouth under Iraola logged more sprints than any other Premier League side, reflecting the high‑pressing, physically demanding style that the Dutch coach insists on. Liverpool, by contrast, recorded the third‑fewest pressures and the second‑fewest opponent‑half high‑presses in the league, highlighting a potential mismatch between the tactical blueprint and the squad’s current conditioning. While Jurgen Klopp’s tenure ingrained a pressing ethos at Anfield and many of his former players remain, the transition to Arne Slot’s system still requires both mental and physical adaptation.
After the Monaco game, Iraola admitted that his players might only be able to sustain his intensity for roughly thirty minutes at a time. "We played well in the first half, especially the first 30 minutes, but right now probably we don't have much more in terms of the level required to play like this," he told club channels.
This candid assessment also underscores the limited minutes many of the Reds have logged this summer. Other top clubs have used their friendlies to build match rhythm. Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa each kept at least five outfield starters on the pitch for 75 minutes or more in their recent warm‑up games.
Liverpool, by comparison, managed just three players for a full hour. Even Newcastle, Liverpool’s first opponent, gave six players at least 67 minutes against Valencia, despite an early injury to Jacob Murphy. The implication is clear: Liverpool must catch up on fitness if they hope to compete with their rivals. Squad depth becomes crucial, yet Iraola faces a double‑edged problem.
Chelsea, for example, rotated seamlessly, with Nicolas Jackson, Georginio Wijnaldum and others contributing to a 3‑0 victory over AC Milan. Liverpool, however, relied on a centre‑back pairing of Wataru Endo and Luke Chambers—both of whom spent the previous season on loan at Charlton—during the second half against Monaco. Beyond the back line, the bench offers limited Premier League experience. Victor Muñoz and Milos Kerkez, likely to start against Newcastle, together amassed only eight top‑flight starts last season, five of which came from 17‑year‑old Rio Ngumoha.
Iraola has already signalled that reinforcement is needed, but the market response has been tepid. The departure of Michael Edwards and ongoing speculation about Richard Hughes’ future add to the uncertainty, and while the surprise signing of Ronald Araújo provides some relief, Liverpool still possess only two fit senior centre‑backs.
Conor Bradley is expected to be "months" away from returning, leaving Kostas Tsimikas and Milos Kerkez as the only fully fit options at left‑back. The midfield and attacking positions are equally thin.
Replacing Mohamed Salah remains a priority, yet Cody Gakpo is linked with Tottenham, and Curtis Jones missed Sunday’s defeat and is still being courted by Inter Milan. After splashing more than £400 million in the last transfer window—excluding outgoing fees—the expectation is that Liverpool would have shored up multiple areas. Some of the gaps are not entirely self‑inflicted; injuries to Jeremy Jansen, Giovanni Lo Celso and now Joe Gomez have depleted the centre‑back pool.
With only Alexis Mac Allister returning from World Cup duty, pre‑season has exposed the squad’s most glaring vulnerabilities: lack of depth on the flanks, a thin midfield bench, and an over‑reliance on a handful of senior defenders. The next three weeks of the transfer window are therefore decisive. If Liverpool cannot secure additional quality players, they risk starting the campaign with a squad that cannot sustain Iraola’s high‑pressing philosophy for the full 90 minutes. Few pundits anticipate a repeat of Slot’s debut season or a Premier League title for Liverpool by next May.
The real question is how far off the club will be from those ambitions and whether Iraola can mould his style with the personnel available. The answer will largely depend on the final moves made before the window shuts, and on how quickly the current squad can build the stamina required for a relentless, press‑oriented approach.
The upcoming fixtures will test both fitness and tactical cohesion, and Liverpool’s ability to adapt could define their season long before the first league point is earned.