Liverpool's Centre-Back Crisis Ahead of Premier League Season

Andoni Iraola will take Liverpool into the new Premier League season with the squad looking worryingly thin in key areas, and nowhere is that more obvious than at the heart of defence.

The campaign starts with a daunting trip to Newcastle next weekend. Right now, Virgil van Dijk is the only fully fit senior centre-back.

Centre-back crisis bites

New £60million signing Jacquet has barely been seen. An unspecified issue kept him out of the recent 3-2 defeat to Monaco, continuing a frustrating pattern after his final season at Rennes was cut short by a shoulder injury. He has yet to feature in pre-season.

There is, at last, a glimmer of progress. Jacquet is back in full team training and is thrown straight into the XI against Como. Iraola clearly wants him integrated, but he is not taking any chances.

The club has already moved to reinforce. Ronald Araujo has arrived on loan from Barcelona, a heavyweight addition on paper and a badly needed one in practice. For now, the Uruguay international starts on the bench at Anfield, waiting for his first taste of action in red.

Giovanni Leoni remains sidelined, still working his way back from the ACL injury he suffered on debut a year ago. Joe Gomez is another blow: he limped off during the 4-2 win over Sunderland in the USA last month, replaced by youngster Ifeanyi Ndukwe. That muscle injury looks set to wreck his hopes of starting the season.

On top of all that, Iraola has already had to absorb the loss of Ibrahima Konate, who left on a free at the end of his contract and joined Real Madrid. One experienced defender out, several more unavailable. The margin for error is shrinking fast.

Midfield knocks and late returns

The problems do not stop at centre-back. Curtis Jones has been managing a hip issue while speculation continues over a possible move to Inter Milan. He returned to training this week after missing the Monaco defeat, but he is not involved again here.

Victor Munoz and Alexis Mac Allister are at least back in the building after their post-World Cup breaks. Both eased themselves in on Sunday, starting with Liverpool’s second string in a behind-closed-doors 70-minute friendly against Como at the training ground. That game finished goalless, more fitness exercise than spectacle.

Munoz steps up to the bench for the second meeting with Como at Anfield and will be eyeing more minutes as a substitute.

For Iraola, every one of those minutes matters. With Newcastle looming and his defensive options stretched to the limit, these last pre-season outings are less about fine-tuning and more about simply getting enough bodies ready to survive the opening storm.