With the coaching staff, players, and all the crew involved returning to Merseyside following the completion of their United States pre-season tour, I thought it would be nice to sit down and share a personal analysis of how it left me feeling about the players, training, and overall impression with an eye to the 26/27 Premier League season under new head coach Andoni Iraola’s leadership.
A pre-season after a World Cup is never an ideal situation for a settled head coach and squad. It’s even worse
when it also involves a newly appointed head coach and a squad in need of recruitment after losing significant players. This is the challenge that Liverpool faced (and continues to, thanks Richard Hughes!) but it has provided various fringe and academy players the opportunity to prove their value to Iraoloa. Some of them have made a strong case for themselves whilst others maybe not so much and with the clock ticking towards the 26/27 opening match away against Newcastle Sunday 23rd August time is precious.
The Top Performers
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool’s best player of the 25/26 season, one who missed out on participating in the 2026 World Cup as Hungry failed to qualify, appears to have returned to pre-season eager to carry last season’s performances into the training and friendlies.
He deserved to be given the captain’s armband and is striving to help the players around him in every aspect from on-pitch leadership to helping players in training understand what Iraola’s demands are. I think I’m safe in saying every supporter isn’t surprised by Dom’s attitude and commitment.
Trey Nyoni
I was particularly keen to see how young Trey would approach this pre-season, and so far he has been the standout for me.
It was in the final match against Leeds when we saw the difference in the midfield from the first half to that of the second. Ryan Gravenberch is quality and only just returned to the squad so his disjointedness was to be expected, therefore I won’t be critical of him, but the understanding between Dom and Trey (and their absence proving it) has been a big plus so far.
That couldn’t happen if it wasn’t for Trey really stepping up and being brave. No doubt encouraged by the bonding during the weeks training and Iraola giving him a role to focus on. Good under pressure, positive ball progression and breaking up opponent’s attacking plays.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe
The tall and imposing Austrian 18-year-old has mostly shown a lot of calm and intelligence during the US pre-season tour, with strong performances showing why Liverpool paid £2.57M for the youngster’s signature. With our CB unit looking thin it would be nice to have Ndukwe available for at least the early domestic cup rounds but that is not possible.
With Liverpool unable to get a UK work visa for him, though, it means a season loan to a club in Europe so the requirements are hopefully fulfilled to the acceptance of the UK laws around young foreign players. Going back to his performances thus far, Ndukwe looked to be very capable of finding a good pass out from the back with confidence in his footwork and recognizing what’s expected from Iraola’s tactics.
Standing at roughly 6’6”, it’s no surprise he should excel at heading away crosses and set pieces which he generally did yet he also showed his inexperience especially during the second half collapse against Leeds. I would add that the weakened midfield and lack of organizationally leadership didn’t help.
Other Players Of Note
Lewis Koumas
The young Welshman, back from a loan with Hull City, hasn’t been able to get many opportunities with the senior squad but his pre-season performances have shown him to be a player who hasn’t been discouraged and looked determined to grab new head coach Iraola’s attention.
There’s much to like about Koumas yet this writer isn’t sure if he would make the bench in the upcoming 26/27 PL season. With Hugo Ekitike out until next year though there could be minutes in the domestic cups but with the transfer window still open and hopefully some attacking signings (even one Hughes) maybe he will be loaned out to keep his development going.
Calvin Ramsay
I thought his time at Liverpool would be ended this summer. A youngster whose career thus far has been greatly hampered by injuries yet with Conor Bradley still returning from a serious injury and only Jeremie Frimpong as a senior RB option (is he a winger or RB?), Ramasy found himself playing a lot of minutes on the US pre-season tour. With one assist to his name and the chance to make a claim for a place in the senior squad he has done pretty well and it will be interesting to see what Iraola decides about Ramsay’s future as a Red.
Giorgi Mamardashvili
Just a quick mention of our Georgian keeper as his biggest criticism has been about his footwork and ball distribution. It would appear from training videos I’ve watched and the US pre-season tour that those two areas have been focused on by the coaching staff. He isn’t close to Alisson Becker (but not many keepers are) in those areas but I do believe he has improved even if only a little so far.
The Disappointments
Harvey Elliott
It hasn’t been a good couple of seasons for Harvey with the player firstly failing to gain Liverpool’s former head coach’s trust followed by a disastrous loan to Villa (not Harvey’s fault). He became a fan favorite when playing under Jurgen Klopp with his youthful energy and love for the club. He seemed to enjoy playing in the sometimes frenetic heavy metal football style but fell short in the more controlled and often laborious style under the last head coach.
From what I’ve seen so far is that I’m not convinced he has what Iraola requires and particularly in the second half against Leeds he brought no presence that impressed upon the game. It’s still early days and Elliott is a good player but it’s possible he has reached his top level and so the question is if that’s enough to earn a spot above bench player for Liverpool.
Curtis Jones
There has been a lot of noise around the Reds only remaining scouser in the senior squad, from speaking out about the quality of Liverpool’s performances during last season and possibly wanting to move on to Italy. He is notoriously slow releasing the ball, wanting a touch or two before passing, but he does have qualities many clubs would value.
The biggest problem for me was again, as with Elliott, during the Leeds match. With Dom subbed off their was Curtis’s chance to lead the players on the pitch yet he failed to keep the midfield solidified and certainly fell short of helping command and organize the players. The collapse to set pieces really emphasized this for me as Dom would be instructing the defensive unit in setting up whereas Curtis stayed within himself.
Am I being too harsh as they are only pre-season matches? Maybe, but it’s crucial for the senior players to step up even in training and friendlies to help unify the squad and even more so when it’s a new head coach with new tactics. Those with real leadership qualities and experience need to be the bridge between coach and players in relaying the demands and being the examples for everyone else to be encouraged by.
Joe Gomez
There wasn’t anything wrong with Gomez’s performance but there is something wrong with his physical issue of always falling victim to non-contact injuries. It’s frustrating and saddening in equal amounts when it comes to Gomez yet if we can see a silver lining to his latest setback then it’s that it should make it abundantly clear we need a reliable experienced CB for Iraola’s squad beyond Virgil van Dijk, new signing Jeremy Jacquet and returning from injury Giovanni Leoni.
A New Playing Style
Andoni Iraola came to Liverpool with a reputation for high energy, positive play, and pacy wingers which has been easy to see taking shape during the US pre-season matches and training sessions. So far all of the players asked to comment on the tour have mentioned the intensity in training and the demand for quick, decisive play as well relentless pressing.
Even though the performances have been, as to be expected, a little disjointed it has become apparent that Iraola will not accept stagnant or negative football. Any sense of controlling games won’t come from slow and side to side passing but from keeping opponents unsettled and unable to impress themselves on a game’s rhythm. This is something we the Liverpool supporters have come to appreciate and demand. Not all results will go our way but if the players are giving everything on the pitch and Iraola continues to push for this intensity then we will be happy to keep cheering on and the love will always be there.
It was insightful having watched some of the training videos to see some of the practices actually take shape in a match. One of those was where players stay with a square (ish) pattern rather than the usual triangle patterns of play and it was in the midfield when transitioning mostly. I could see it unfold and as one such square pattern moved the ball beyond an opponent it then became another square interconnecting as the play progress.
This was also utilized when pressing to regain possession and the other part of this was the necessity for quick one touch passes which doesn’t allow opposing players to set. I learned a lot myself about how training exercises translate into real games and it feels like a whole new level has been opened in my appreciation for what coaching staff do.
There has also been discussions about how Iraola will use certain players of which Florian Wirtz is one of them. It didn’t take long for the new head coach to answer with Iraola stating that he sees Germany’s generational talent’s role as playing centrally behind the striker and we got a very small sample size of how that looks with Alexander Isak as the attacking focal point. It didn’t disappoint, regardless of both players having only just returned to training after their World Cup adventures and short holiday, and on his return Wirtz finished a nice piece of attacking play by arriving onto the ball played into the 18 yard box by Frimpong.
Work to Be Done
Set piece defending in the second half against Leeds was shocking, an issue that I was hoping wouldn’t continue to haunt us but those hopes were dashed as the Reds gave up four goals, two of which were almost identical from long throw-ins. All the players seemed to move towards the incoming ball only for it to be knocked on into space in front of goal where there was an absence of Liverpool players.
The loss of midfield control was also difficult to watch in the same second half and as I mentioned earlier it was a lot to do with Dom and Trey’s substitutions with the responsibility falling on Jones, Elliott and Gravenberch’s shoulders as the seniors. To be fair Leeds strengthened with substitutions whereas Liverpool weakened plus it was Gravenberch’s first minutes since returning yet I was expecting a little more from the other two (am I being too harsh again?)
Transfers and fringe player decisions are a work in progress and time isn’t going to wait so the nerves will start for both the team and supporters. With the rest of the senior squad returning there will be increasingly less chances for the fringe and academy players to play. Especially as there are only three more friendlies, one of those behind closed doors against Como the morning of Sunday 16th August before the evening one against them and preceded by Monaco Sunday 9th August.
In this writer’s opinion the three senior players who may not be around are Elliott, Jones, and Cody Gakpo. Elliott because I’m not totally convinced he can step up another level. Jones because I’m not sure if he is still wanting that move to Italy and Gakpo because Spurs are reportedly getting an offer together and after watching what Iraola asks of his wingers it’s not something that fits with what Gakpo has as qualities. He is very one-sided with heavy reliance on cutting in on his right and shooting (I don’t need to go into anymore detail, we all suffered watching last season). He can score and hold his own which is great, but if Richard Hughes won’t be able to deliver a new winger to replace him then we simply need to hold onto him.
Closing Thoughts
I must add that it’s been wonderful to see Federico Chiesa enjoying the pre-season so far. His smile and overall joyful personality has shone through in videos I’ve watched, and he seems determined to remain a Red. I can see a lot of good from keeping him on and his goal was evidence of that. A goal I really appreciated saw Fede pass the ball to Ramsay and immediately point to the space he wanted the return ball put. Ramsay obliged and Fede scored.
The game can be really that simple sometimes, and as the Legend Bill Shankly once told Ian St John “ If you’re not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we’ll discuss your options afterwards.”
Iraola is a hands on coach who is definitely bringing the intensity, exceptionally supported by his coaching team during training exercises. There is no hint of distance between the coaching staff and squad unlike what seemed to be the case under their former coach. Iraola is openly saying that this level of players is making him improve as a coach and that’s something I for one am excited to hear because he isn’t sitting back as if beyond growing but rather he acknowledges the challenge he faces. This humility can go a long way as can the quiet confidence he will earn an extension to the 3 year contract he asked for.
Of course, it’s still only pre-season so gauging how the Reds 26/27 season is going to shake out isn’t possible or realistic, but it’s fascinating to witness the beginnings of this new chapter in Liverpool’s storied history.
