Andoni Iraola took charge of his first Liverpool game against Sunderland. This is what we spotted with Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe among those to impress.
00:57, 26 Jul 2026
Jeremie Frimpong fights for possession during Liverpool vs Sunderland.
Jeremie Frimpong fights for possession during Liverpool vs Sunderland.(Image: Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola oversaw a Liverpool win in his first match as head coach, with the Reds beating Sunderland in Nashville to kick off an important pre-season this summer.
It was Kieran Morrison who became the first Liverpool player to score under Iraola, but Enzo Le Fee equalized before the half-time break with a sensational strike from distance. Joe Gomez also limped off with an injury just minutes in.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Federico Chiesa scored on either side of a second leveler from Sunderland's Timur Tuterov. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded at GEODIS Park, Tennessee, where Lewis Koumas got in on the act late on.
Andoni Iraola hint
There will, of course, be many more familiar names on the teamsheet when it drops at St James' Park next month for Liverpool's opening game of the season.
Virgil van Dijk will be there. Alisson Becker will be back. Ideally, Liverpool would have a couple of new signings — at least one being a winger — to add into the mix as well.
This was just the first glimpse, then, of what Iraola and his coaching team have been working on behind the scenes. Formation-wise, it was a 4-2-3-1, as expected. Clearly, there was a desire to press.
Iraola spoke pre-match about wanting to see the first signs of his style, even though he admitted there would be plenty of mistakes in the early weeks.
Deepest was Curtis Jones, with James McConnell often breaking forward to his left. Harvey Elliott, out of possession, was almost as high as number nine Will Wright.
Can we read much into this? It was only 90 minutes, but the formation and basic set-up were evident. So too, as we will come to, were the gaps in the squad that need filling.
Curtis Jones' new role
In another parallel universe, Jones might be playing for Inter Milan right now. There was certainly interest from the Serie A giant in the midfielder in the winter and earlier this summer.
Iraola spoke in his first press conference about wanting to keep Jones, though, and he does seem like the right fit for his system. Here, he was given the chance to prove it.
If Jones were given the choice, he would stay at Liverpool. The only reason he would leave his boyhood side is if there are limitations placed on his minutes.
Nothing can ever be 100 per cent guaranteed on that front, but he has a pre-season head-start on the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.
In Nashville, it was interesting that he was used as a number six, despite McConnell, who was just ahead of him, being more than capable of filling that role.
He certainly has the skillset to do it, and it could be a route into the team more often. That was one clear difference from last season, with Iraola seemingly keen to make Jones central — at least until other midfielders are available again.
Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe impress
McConnell and Mor Talla Ndiaye were among the young talents in the starting XI, while Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Trey Nyoni were two of those to come off the bench.
Though Arne Slot's supposed reluctance to use academy prospects was overblown — and it isn't like Iraola had much choice here, given the lack of senior depth — fans always like a glimpse of the next generation.
Will Wright is perhaps the youngster — Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha aside — who has the best chance of forcing his way into the thinking at the start of the season, given he plays as a number nine (where there is a vacancy) and he has previous senior experience.
Here, however, Wright was unable to get that involved, struggling to hold things up and bring others into play. But Ndiaye and Ndukwe, both signed in 2026, were excellent.
Both young center-backs came away from the game with lots of credit. Calm, composed, and strong on the ball, they looked right at home against Premier League opposition.
They were the stand-outs on the day, and 16-year-old Josh Abe showed a few glimpses of his immense talent too.
Trey Nyoni's timely reminder
Nyoni was one of the few to really showcase what he can do at his best here. Effortless in possession, one of the youngster's first touches was a backheeled pass over about 15 to 20 yards.
That summed up his confidence and quality on the ball as he glided around the field. Liverpool doesn't have unlimited numbers of bodies in any position, but in midfield, there should be a route to minutes.
Ngumoha will get more chances than last season as he is a year older. Nyoni shouldn't be forgotten as another who can take on the mantle of a squad player with a genuine role to play.
Liverpool transfer need glaring
Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez were the more experienced players in the team, but this was generally a youthful side.
Gomez, the skipper, was another, though he only lasted eight minutes before he was replaced by Ndukwe. At center-back, Liverpool now looks even lighter, even if the issue may not keep him out for long, and Jeremy Jacquet was only missing as a precaution too.
For all the positives, there was one glaringly obvious point: Liverpool needs more numbers. Some will come when holidays come to an end. Others will need to arrive in the transfer market.
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On the right wing and in defense, as Iraola said last week, Liverpool simply cannot afford to leave itself light.