Andoni Iraola's reign at Liverpool began with a 4-2 win over Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday, but the scoreline was secondary to the sight of Joe Gomez, starting as captain and centre-back, limping off in the eighth minute. “Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe,” Iraola said. “We were happy because we were going through training without losing any players and unluckily for us we’ve lost Joe straight away.”
The injury compounded Iraola's defensive crisis: new signing Jeremy Jacquet was rested, Virgil van Dijk is on extended leave after the Netherlands' World Cup campaign, and teenage centre-backs Mor Talla Ndiaye, 18, and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, 18, held the line until the 68th minute. Giovanni Leoni, 19, is still recovering from a severe ACL tear. Iraola had already described his squad as “very thin” defensively earlier in the week; Liverpool's sporting director, Richard Hughes, watched from the stands as Gomez trudged off.
“Joe Gomez injury clouds Liverpool's 4-2 win over Sunderland as Federico Chiesa eyes new start under Andoni Iraola.”
On the pitch, there were positives. Kieran Morrison, 19, opened the scoring with a left-footed finish after cutting in from the right, following Harvey Elliott's surging run. Sunderland levelled through Enzo le Fee and then went ahead via Timur Tutierov before Dominik Szoboszlai, wearing the armband after half-time, equalised with a belter from outside the box. Federico Chiesa then put Liverpool ahead before Lewis Koumas sealed the win.
Chiesa, who scored and helped set up another, said he wants “a new chapter” under Iraola after a frustrating two seasons under Arne Slot. The 28-year-old made 36 appearances last season but only five starts, with his last start coming in the FA Cup on 14 February. “This year, let us say it is a new chapter,” Chiesa said. “He put me striker today and he wants me there.” Despite links to Como and Juventus, he insisted: “Right now, at the moment, I am happy here at Liverpool. I love the club, I love the fans, I love everything.”
But the defensive crisis remains unresolved. With only one fit senior centre-back, Iraola faces an urgent test of his squad's depth before the season begins.
