Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola
View Image
After landing in the United States, Andoni Iraola and his Liverpool players acclimated themselves with a walk around Downtown Chicago on Monday evening.
The Reds were inevitably greeted by a number of fans during their stroll around the city but the real scale of the club he has joined will likely be felt later this week for Iraola, when they fly to Nashville for the first of their three friendlies, against Sunderland at GEODIS Park.
That game with the Black Cats will be followed by what is expected to be a hugely publicised meeting with Championship side Wrexham, whose popularity has surged this side of the Atlantic since Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and the creator and star of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Rob McElhenny, took them over in February 2021.
After that game at Yankee Stadium on July 30, Iraola and his team finish their tour back in Chicago, against Leeds United on August 2. As ever, it promises to be an action-packed couple of weeks for the club on what is their fifth tour of the United States in the last decade.
For now, training sessions are the order of the day and Iraola and his players will utilise the facilities of the Endeavour Health Performance Centre - where Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire train - during their stay here.
Unlike previous years, no open training session is on the reporters' docket for this trip, meaning Iraola will look to whip his players into shape away from the glare of external media, with gruelling sessions planned while temperatures soar in Illinois.
The new head coach will also speak to the media at 3pm local time (9pm BST) as he continues to get used to his new surroundings and role at Liverpool.
Perhaps one of the topics on the agenda will be when his World Cup contingent will report for duty and whether or not the likes of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and the Dutch trio of Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo will play a part in the United States.
All five exited the World Cup in the round of 32 across June 29 and 30. Since the club grants those at the tournament three weeks off after their international exertions, there is the possibility of them all joining up for the second week of this pre-season tour. Iraola will be poised to offer further clarity on that.
One player who will no doubt be keen to make an impression early on this pre-season is Dominik Szoboszlai, fresh from signing a new contract that ties him to the club until 2031.
Talks began with Liverpool and his EM Sports representatives in October of last year before resuming at the end of the campaign. Both sides were always determined to find an agreement and talks accelerated last week after positive negotiations with sporting director Richard Hughes.
The agreement is viewed as hugely positive all around, considering Szoboszlai was one of the few whose level didn't dip last season and talk of the Hungary captain being promoted into a leadership role within the squad has been floated to reflect his growing importance and stature within the group.
Iraola will have to name a vice captain to club skipper Van Dijk at some point and Szoboszlai could be one of the front runners as he approaches his fourth season. The player's agent, however, has steered clear of making those calls, insisting leaders grow organically within squads.
"I don't believe in talking about leadership roles because they evolve naturally," Szoboszlai's agent, Matyas Esterhazy, tells winwin.com. "I don't believe in talking about it too much because a leader remains a leader even when you don't talk about it.
"We know that Liverpool's leadership is one of the best in the world, with Virgil van Dijk as captain, and that's the reality. Who will be deputy commander does not occupy much of our thinking.
"Whatever happens, Domi is ready for it. But the most important thing is to play football, perform on a daily basis, and then everything else comes. I think he's ready to step up and take over on the leadership side as well. But we're not really focused on that, there are a lot of other factors that we're interested in.
"Did Dominik agree to a new deal on the condition he would be vice captain? Certainly, these are reports from people who know nothing about football and who know nothing about the atmosphere of the dressing room.
"A great leader does not ask for leadership, that's for sure. Leadership comes to you when you are a leader. Dominik has a great personality, and we are not discussing leadership in this regard. It doesn't matter, because it comes on its own."
Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool announced Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike in their 31-man squad list for this tour on Monday afternoon, leading many to immediately speculate that both players' long-term injuries had improved significantly.
However, it's understood the duo - alongside Stefan Bajcetic and Wataru Endo - will simply continue their respective rehabs on the tour. The feeling is that all four will benefit from being around the group rather than sessions alone at an empty AXA Training Centre over the next fortnight.
FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page
Get YOUR Liverpool FC Newsletter
Get the best Liverpool FC news and analysis straight to your Inbox courtesy of the Echo!
It's as simple as 1-2-3.