Iraola’s Liverpool Takes Shape Ahead of Chicago Clash
Liverpool’s American tour rolls into Chicago on Sunday night, and with it comes the first real glimpse of Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool as something close to the finished article.
Two wins from two – against Sunderland and Wrexham – have eased him into the job. This one feels different. Leeds, a bigger stage, a bigger city, and for the first time, a squad that actually resembles the one he’ll lean on when the Premier League starts.
Iraola’s Liverpool starts to take shape
The headline for Liverpool is simple: the big guns are back.
Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have all reported for duty after their World Cup campaigns and are now available, handing Iraola a level of quality he has not yet been able to tap into on this tour. The Spaniard, fresh from his Bournemouth stint, suddenly has options everywhere.
There is intrigue at the back as well. Jeremy Jacquet, the £60m signing whose move was announced last year but only formally completed in June, could finally pull on a Liverpool shirt in anger after injury. His presence alone changes the feel of the back line – a marquee investment, now ready to be seen rather than just talked about.
Not everyone is ready to go. Spain’s World Cup-winning defender Victor Munoz remains on an extended break after La Roja’s triumph earlier this month. Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk and Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister are in the same boat, still resting after their own summer exertions.
There is bad news too. Joe Gomez, injured in the Sunderland friendly last weekend, is out and may even miss the start of the Premier League season. For a new manager trying to build defensive cohesion, that is a significant early setback.
Rotation, youth, and familiar faces
So far, Iraola has treated pre-season as a laboratory. Only Giorgi Mamardashvili and Harvey Elliot have started both games, everyone else shuffled in and out as he tests combinations and temperaments.
That pattern is likely to continue, but the spine is becoming clearer.
At right-back, Jeremie Frimpong is expected to reclaim his place from Calvin Ramsay. On the opposite flank, Milos Kerkez – a player Iraola knows well from Bournemouth – is set to start ahead of Kostas Tsimikas. That familiarity matters; Kerkez understands the demands of Iraola’s aggressive, front-foot full-back play.
The centre of defence is where Jacquet’s availability looms largest. If he starts, he will probably be paired with one of the academy products: Luke Chambers, Ifeanyi Ndukwe or Talla Ndiaye. It’s a bold blend – a big-money signing alongside a youngster still learning his craft – but pre-season is exactly where those gambles are made.
In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai stands out as one of last season’s bright spots and should feature prominently again. A partnership with Gravenberch from the start would give Liverpool a powerful, technically gifted engine room. If Iraola opts to ease Gravenberch in more gently, youngsters Trey Nyoni or James McConnell are ready to step in and continue their impressive summers.
Wirtz, Isak and the attacking puzzle
Higher up the pitch, the options become even more intriguing.
Harvey Elliot, a constant so far, may finally get a breather, with Florian Wirtz in line to start after Iraola confirmed the German playmaker is available. Wirtz brings a different rhythm, a sharper edge between the lines, and his inclusion would signal a shift towards something closer to Liverpool’s full attacking blueprint.
Rio Ngumoha, who scored the winner against Wrexham, has earned the right to keep his place. Pre-season often throws up a young face who refuses to go away; Ngumoha is making a strong case to be that story this summer.
Then there is Alexander Isak. His first campaign at the club was a struggle, a difficult debut year that never quite caught fire. Chicago offers a clean slate. With service from Wirtz, Szoboszlai or Elliot, this could be the night he starts to look like the forward Liverpool thought they were getting.
A night that will say a little more
Pre-season results rarely define a season, but patterns do. Iraola has already shown he will rotate, trust youth and lean on full-backs to drive his team forward. Against Leeds, with senior internationals filtering back in and a £60m defender finally ready to step out, those patterns will sharpen.
The wins over Sunderland and Wrexham were about fitness and first impressions. Chicago feels like something else: the first real hint of what Iraola’s Liverpool might become when the serious stuff starts.
