Liverpool ran out 4-2 winners over Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday.
Liverpool ran out 4-2 winners over Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday, a result that offered Andoni Iraola early encouragement in his first pre-season fixture in charge.
Yet the scoreline told only part of the story, and the mood afterwards was shaped less by the goals than by an incident inside the opening ten minutes.
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Just eight minutes had elapsed when the afternoon took a sour turn.
Joe Gomez, starting at centre back and the club’s longest serving player, sat down on the pitch with an apparent problem.
He remained on the ground briefly before walking off unaided, replaced by new signing Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
There was some reassurance in his body language, as he appeared to leave the field without too much discomfort and shared a smile with Iraola on his way off, but Liverpool now face an anxious wait to learn the severity of the issue.
Iraola did not hide his disappointment.
Speaking to LFCTV after the match, he described the setback as “probably the worst news,” explaining that the squad had come through training without losing anyone before Gomez was struck down almost immediately.
For a manager still assembling his defensive options, it was precisely the kind of early complication he could have done without.
The concern runs deeper than one afternoon.
At a news conference in Chicago earlier in the week, Iraola conceded that Liverpool’s defence is “very thin.”
Ibrahima Konate departed on a free transfer to Real Madrid this summer, while Giovanni Leoni continues his recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament rupture he suffered last September.
Gomez, with his lengthy injury history, offers little guarantee of availability, and even the slightest hint of trouble would have made any risk in a friendly not worth taking.
There was better news regarding Jeremy Jacquet, the £55 million arrival from Rennes, who was withheld as a precaution before kick off after a minor problem.
Iraola confirmed the club are managing the defender carefully following his months out with a shoulder injury, and expects him to feature in the final game of the American tour.
Mor Talla Ndiaye deputised in his absence, lining up alongside the equally youthful Ndukwe once Gomez departed.
Both teenagers impressed with their composure and physical presence, yet Iraola will be wary of leaning on them too heavily across a demanding campaign.
Virgil van Dijk remains the only senior centre back currently fit, and the captain will begin his own pre-season regime at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby rather than travelling to the United States.
With Conor Bradley also sidelined by a serious knee injury, the depth questions extend across the back line.
Liverpool will hope Gomez avoids anything lasting, because their margins in defence already look uncomfortably slim.
Joe Gomez
Liverpool vs Sunderland