Andoni Iraola will take charge of his first game as Liverpool manager on Saturday against Sunderland in Nashville — and he will do so without 12 first-team players. Either through injury or extended holidays after the World Cup, the Reds have arrived in America with a squad stripped of most of its biggest stars.
The absentees include Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch, players Iraola had hoped to work with from day one as pillars of his starting line-up. The Spaniard, who left a settled environment at Bournemouth after three years, now faces the task of building cohesion with less than a month until the season opener at Newcastle on August 23.
“Andoni Iraola takes charge of Liverpool for the first time with 12 first-team players unavailable for Saturday's friendly against Sunderland.”
Iraola’s assistants — Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper, Pablo de la Torre and Tom Webber — have followed him from the south coast to Merseyside, but the lack of key personnel on the training pitch is only making the job harder. The squad was reportedly at odds with how Arne Slot operated during his second and final season, meaning Iraola must quickly win over the dressing room.
Earlier this week, Iraola suggested that Alexis Mac Allister and fellow World Cup finalist Victor Munoz could miss the trip to St James’ Park altogether as they catch up after a long summer. “We cannot only think in the short term and the first game against Newcastle; we have to also understand, especially in the case of Alexis, who played a lot of minutes during the season and a lot of minutes in the World Cup, that they deserve this rest,” the ex-Bournemouth manager explained.
There is some positive news: Gravenberch, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz will join up with their teammates at Liverpool’s base in Chicago next week. Iraola hopes that giving players ample time off will serve Liverpool well over the course of the campaign. “All the others should be fine to arrive in perfect conditions to the first game,” he added.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s recruitment team are working on new signings, with the summer transfer window ticking down and the club’s new era at Newcastle looming on August 23. For now, Iraola must make do with a depleted squad in Nashville.