A second-half stunner from Dominik Szoboszlai was the pick of the bunch as a youthful Liverpool side gave fans their first glimpse into a new era at Anfield in a 4-2 win against Sunderland, writes Jack Burgess.
Liverpool 4-2 Sunderland
Pre-season (1), Geodis Park
July 25, 2026
Goals: Morrison 13′, Szoboszlai 56′, Chiesa 72′, Koumas 85′
Andoni Iraola not shy in using the long ball
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's reacts to conceding the equalising goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's reacts to conceding the equalising goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Of course, it’s important not to read too much into pre-season. But f*ck it, I’m going to break the rules and read far too much into Liverpool’s very first touch of the Iraola era.
Sunderland kick off. The ball finds its way all the way back at Giorgi Mamardashvili’s feet, and what does he do? He kicks it long. It’s a touch that is very telling.
Bemoaning long balls from the opposition became Arne Slot’s favourite pastime last season as the Reds struggled with the increased physicality of the Premier League.
In an attempt to win the moral argument, his Liverpool side stuck to his principles, opting to play it short whenever possible. And the stats back this up too – Liverpool ranked 16th for long passes in the division last season.
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With that in mind, Mamardashvili’s hoof says a lot about the new intentions of this Iraola side – and the long balls didn’t stop there. In total, Liverpool played 41 accurate long balls in Iraola’s first outing, as per FotMob.
To put that into context, they averaged just 21 long passes per game in their final Premier League campaign under Slot.
Just a minute into pre-season, and we can already see Iraola will be way more pragmatic than Slot, which can only be a good thing.
Undone by the predictability of their play last season, in showing a willingness to go long, the Reds already look more willing to meet the Premier League on their terms.
What’s more, with 64 percent possession, Iraola has shown hints that pragmatism and ball dominance don’t have to be mutually exclusive. We wondered whether he could adapt from his basketball approach at Bournemouth.
The chaotic scoreline might say otherwise, but the early signs are promising.
Liverpool’s intensity is back
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Federico Chiesa celebrates with team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai (R) after scoring the third goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Federico Chiesa celebrates with team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai (R) after scoring the third goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
A key criticism of the Reds last season was that they lacked intensity. As the games became more physical, Liverpool seemed incapable of matching the energy of their opponents.
In the end, it’s an observation that cost Slot his job. But in just 90 minutes against Sunderland, Liverpool showed more intent to harry their opponents than they did in the entirety of last season.
He may still be awaiting the return of key players from the World Cup, but Iraola has wasted no time moulding Liverpool’s out-of-possession approach into his image.
The Spaniard’s fingerprints were most visible in the efforts of Will Wright (that lad can run, by the way).
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Will Wright during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Will Wright during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Every time the ball went back to the Sunderland keeper in the first half, Wright was ready to close him down, curving his run to block off one side of the pitch with his teammates waiting in pursuit.
With the pressing triggers already on show, Liverpool only improved in the second half, with Dominik Szoboszlai laying an early marker as the most important player under Iraola this season.
They may not be fit. They may not be sharp. But the intensity is definitely back.
Predictability swapped for a fluid structure
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola (R) speaks to Curtis Jones during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola (R) speaks to Curtis Jones during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Just as the second half was drawing to a close, it was interesting hearing LFCTV co-commentator and former Liverpool player, Ray Houghton’s thoughts on the game.
Such were the rotations in this game, I actually found it hard to pin down a specific shape in possession.
Jones would drop into defence, or go to right-back. In other moments, he would push on; Frimpong would move inside whilst Elliott would go to right-wing.
As a former midfielder, Houghton was keen to point out how he’d like to see Liverpool keep their structure more in midfield instead of moving across the pitch. Stick to your position, he said, and believe the ball will come to you.
LFC First-Half XI: Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Gomez (Ndukwe 10′), Ndiaye, Tsimikas; McConnell, Jones; Morrison, Elliott, Ngumoha; Wright
LFC Second-Half XI: Mamardashvili (Woodman 67′); Frimpong (Ramsay 67′), Ndukwe, Ndiaye (Chambers 67′), Kerkez; Nyoni, McConnell (Scanlon 57′), Szoboszlai; Morrison (Abe 67′), Chiesa, Koumas
However, I think fluidity is exactly what Liverpool need. Watching the Reds last season, one of the biggest issues was that they were very predictable in possession. You knew where everyone was going to stand. You passed it around hoping to pull the low block out of shape.
But everything was far too static for that to happen. What’s more, as teams have become less reliant on zonal marking, there was less chance of creating openings through a patient approach.
Therefore, watching this game was a breath of fresh air – and there were already signs of why this approach can be successful.
It was noticeable how Rio Ngumoha drifted inside to central midfield for Liverpool’s first.
Moreover, as football moves to a more man-to-man approach, forcing your marker to follow you into areas they don’t want to go is key if you want to be an elite side.
Has Iraola found the key to unlocking Liverpool’s full-backs?
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong (R) challenges Sunderland's Romaine Mundle during a friendly match between Liverpool FC ans AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong (R) challenges Sunderland's Romaine Mundle during a friendly match between Liverpool FC ans AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Despite spending £60 million on full-backs last season, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong failed to impress in their debut season at Anfield.
Whilst Kerkez picked himself up after a slow start, Frimpong, in particular, was underwhelming.
When fit, he seemed to be living in purgatory down Liverpool’s right-hand side; not defensive enough to be trusted at full-back, but not creative enough in attack to be a winger.
Part of the Reds’ struggles last season came from not knowing what to do with this pair. With Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah moving inside, they were often tasked with holding the width in Liverpool’s attacks.
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Milos Kerkez (R) is challenged by Sunderland's Jaydon Jones during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Milos Kerkez (R) is challenged by Sunderland's Jaydon Jones during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
This not only left the Reds exposed on the flanks, but it also meant the pair became background noise to Liverpool’s attacks, sacrificing themselves on the ball so our inside forwards could cut in.
However, Iraola may have just found a solution. As mentioned before, Liverpool were very fluid against Sunderland. With a midfielder dropping deep, a centre-back would push wide with the ball.
This allowed Frimpong and Kerkez to push on. But crucially, rather than leaving our wingers high and inside, they actually inverted into the defensive mid position.
As a result, this not only allowed the full-backs to operate in more dangerous areas, but also made the Reds more secure if they lost the ball.
We’ve seen the Spaniard do something similar with inverting wingers into central midfield areas at Bournemouth, so it comes as no surprise. In doing so, has Iraola just found a new way of unlocking the full-backs?
Why Iraola’s system could revive Harvey Elliott
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Harvey Elliott during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Harvey Elliott during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The game also marked the return of Harvey Elliott. After being shipped on loan to Aston Villa last season, Elliott found himself out of favour under Unai Emery.
Arguably, Elliott’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t have a secure position. He’s an all-rounder who can play in the middle of the park or out wide. But this versatility has been detrimental to his first-team chances as he has struggled to pin down a specific position in the Liverpool side.
His future at Anfield remains uncertain. But watching the game against Sunderland, it seems there could be a role for Elliott this season.
With the fluid football Iraola prefers, he may actually turn these weaknesses into a strength for Elliott.
As players are expected to rotate heavily to pull defenders away, the Spaniard could have a preference for players who can cover multiple positions – and Elliott is definitely that.
Furthermore, if Iraola is looking to free up the full-backs more by dropping a winger into midfield, then Elliott seems perfect for this role as he is comfortable playing wide and centrally.
Fringe players will be key for Liverpool this season
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Lewis Koumas celebrates with team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai (L) after scoring the fourth goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Lewis Koumas celebrates with team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai (L) after scoring the fourth goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Whilst his first outing was largely positive, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Iraola. The biggest talking point of the match came just eight minutes in as Joe Gomez went off injured.
This comes after the news that new signing Jeremy Jacquet is going to be managed carefully as he returns from a long-term shoulder injury.
Not even 10 minutes into the season, and the Reds are already having problems with squad depth.
There is still plenty of time to address this in the transfer market, but having splashed the cash last summer, it looks like the Reds will need to utilise what they already have if they are going to challenge for trophies this season.
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates with team-mate Federico Chiesa (R) after scoring the second and equalising goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates with team-mate Federico Chiesa (R) after scoring the second and equalising goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It was only pre-season, but the likes of Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison and Lewis Koumas were particular standouts from the academy. Meanwhile, squad players Calvin Ramsay and Federico Chiesa combined well for the fourth.
Take it with a pinch of salt, but few would have expected that line-up to score four goals against a strong Sunderland side.
It’s only been 90 minutes, but there are subtle signs that Iraola is capable of squeezing everything out of this Liverpool side.
This is a guest article from Jack Burgess (@JackB_2000).