Andoni Iraola is eager to give Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak their first pre-season minutes against Leeds, viewing the friendly as an opportunity to iron out mistakes.
Liverpool meet Leeds in Chicago for their final friendly across the Atlantic on Sunday evening, leaving only a further three games before the Premier League season begins.
The World Cup trio reported back for training only one week ago, but Iraola plans to give them all minutes so he can correct any mistakes and give them guidance on what he wants from them.
“I think we’ve been cautious in terms of giving them the time to reach the level where the others are, because they’ve been training for two weeks before them,” Iraola told the club’s website.
“But my idea is that the three of them will play the last game against Leeds.
“Probably we’ll have to restrict their minutes. We still have another three weeks before the start of the season where they will play more, we can push them more.
“But I think we need them to start as soon as possible because sometimes they have to make the mistakes now, so we can have time to correct them.”
Andoni Iraola wants “things we can correct” before season starts
CHICAGO, USA - Friday, July 31, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during an open training session at the Endeavor Health Performance Center ahead of their final pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Friday, July 31, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during an open training session at the Endeavor Health Performance Center ahead of their final pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With Liverpool’s head coach having less than three weeks with his full complement of players, the need to have them on the pitch as soon as possible is clear as he looks to mould them in his image.
“We have two or three friendlies, three if we count the double against Como. And then it starts,” the Spaniard added.
“There is a part where you want to start straight away and feel the pressure of the competition, but also you want to use every friendly as good as we can because every friendly gives us things to correct, things that we still don’t have, the timings to improve.
“The more information, the more things we can correct before we start, it’s going to be much better.”
Iraola has used 22 and 21 players respectively in each of the last two friendlies, but the return of senior players will start to reduce the reliance on academy prospects.
Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Final – Spain v Argentina
NEW JERSEY, USA - Sunday, July 19, 2026: Spain's Víctor Muñoz lifts the "Fifa World Cup Trophy" after the FIFA World Cup Final 2026 between Spain and Argentina at the Met Life Stadium. Spain won the World Cup 1-0 in extra time. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
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