2 giorni fa
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Iraola's Reds reign begins with internal unrest, squad emergencies and few new signings: the situation
The scene quickly went viral. New York, Yankee Stadium, a friendly against Wrexham had just concluded. Kostas Tsimikas, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Curtis Jones were bickering over who should wear the captain's armband: the midfielder targeted by Inter tried to assert his 'seniority', while the Greek former Roma player threw the symbol of the Reds' leadership to the ground. That dispute was one of many difficult moments during Liverpool's complicated US tour, which also included a string of injuries (the usual Joe Gomez and Jeremie Frimpong), a sluggish transfer market, and a collapse in their last friendly, conceding four goals in 25 minutes against Leeds. Andoni Iraola, the new manager, quickly understood how complicated it would be to piece together the team he inherited from Arne Slot. Liverpool has many dreams for this new beginning, but what they've shown in the early stages of the 2026-27 season are primarily their problems.
INCOMPLETE SQUAD
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Iraola's squad is, to say the least, incomplete, and not just because key players like Virgil Van Dijk have not yet returned after the World Cup. The transfer balance sheet is currently in the red, as leaders like Mo Salah, Andy Robertson, and Ibou Konaté have not been replaced either on the pitch or in the dressing room. The chronic lack of central defenders, already the Achilles' heel of last season, was made even more apparent in the US, not only by Van Dijk's absence but also by the fact that Jeremy Jacquet, signed from Rennes a year ago for €65 million, is not yet ready to play. The same applies to Giovanni Leoni, the 19-year-old Italian, sidelined since tearing his cruciate ligament last year in his only Liverpool appearance to date. Joe Gomez's injury (out for at least a month), Conor Bradley's long recovery, and Frimpong's setback ('We hope it's just fatigue,' Iraola said) have only amplified the problems of a department desperately in need of reinforcements and fitness. Among the first-team players, Iraola has only worked with Milos Kerkez so far. The problem isn't just in defence: Liverpool are also short in attack, where Hugo Ekitike is still recovering from injury, and Victor Muñoz, signed for €40 million from Osasuna, is on holiday after winning the World Cup with Spain.
MINDSET
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Liverpool's problems are not limited to the squad. The dressing room also seems fractured, with that Yankee Stadium bust-up emblematic of something already broken within the group. This has been the case since last year, since the end of the Slot era, which, after winning the title in his first season at the helm, saw the team implode in the second despite a record transfer spend of over half a billion euros. Liverpool need leaders: Van Dijk and Alisson represent the past and can convey what it means to play for the Reds, but the group needs new ones. Szoboszlai is one of those ready to step up (the Hungarian put himself forward for the vice-captaincy left vacant by Salah), but that poor showing at Yankee Stadium doesn't help him. 'When there's a change of manager, it always takes time,' Iraola tried to explain. 'It's difficult to build a team when there's so much uncertainty, partly due to the transfer market, but the situation is what it is, and we'll have to adapt.'
TRANSFERS
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The transfer market is another problem: the dream target is Bradley Barcola, who has already hinted at a move to Liverpool, but PSG value him at €170 million, with the Reds unlikely to go above €120 million. However, Iraola must also be wary of departures: discontent is filtering from Argentina regarding Alexis Mac Allister, who is still on holiday after the World Cup and has a contract expiring in 2028 with no sign of renewal. Salah needs replacing, the defence needs fixing, decisions need to be made on Federico Chiesa (who wants to fight for his place) and Cody Gakpo (Tottenham are interested in him), and they need to figure out how to allow Iraola to best utilise the 4-2-3-1 formation with which he led Bournemouth into Europe. The new Liverpool debut in the Premier League in less than 20 days, on 23 August at St. James' Park against Newcastle: this US tour has told Iraola that the task ahead of him is enormous. And that the path to restoring Liverpool's greatness is fraught with problems, transfer decisions, unhappy players, a defence to rebuild, and leaders to find.
This article was originally written in Italian by La Gazzetta dello Sport editor. The English version has been generated using AI translation tools. If you notice any translation errors or have suggestions, please contact us at iniziativegazzetta@rcs.it
