Liverpool will ramp up their pre-season preparations with Monaco visiting for the first of two Anfield friendlies on Sunday
Trey Nyoni of Liverpool
Trey Nyoni of Liverpool(Image: Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
View Image
The phony war will soon be over for Liverpool. But the real battles are now becoming clearer than ever for Andoni Iraola.
The new Reds head coach takes charge of a game at Anfield for the first time when his team continue their pre-season preparations with the visit of Monaco on Sunday afternoon.
It's their fourth warm-up game of the summer having returned from a two-week tour of the United States that opened with victories over Sunderland in Nashville and Wrexham in New York.
However, it was the defeat against Leeds United last Sunday - or, more pertinently, the manner of the setback - that will have lingered longest for Iraola and his coaching staff as they jetted home to continue plotting the coming campaign at the AXA Training Centre.
Having impressed when going in at half-time with a 2-0 lead, the eventual 4-2 loss highlighted the lack of squad depth and a struggle to defend set-pieces that was so often an issue last season.
Lack of availability at centre-back hasn't helped, and it'll be interesting how Iraola approaches the position against Monaco given there is just next weekend's main Anfield friendly against Como to compile evidence to finetune matters ahead of the Premier League opener at Newcastle United.
Virgil van Dijk is almost certain to start his first game of pre-season but who lines up alongside him could be instructive. New £60million signing Jeremy Jacquet is still to feature as he recovers from a shoulder operation while Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni are out. Prospective loan arrival Ronald Araujo is expected to undergo a medical on Sunday.
And while Luke Chambers, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye all did well enough in the role in the US, none will be expected to feature in the Premier League with summer arrival Ndukwe in any case ineligible.
Wataru Endo only returned to team training this week after a long-term ankle problem, with Ryan Gravenberch another possible option for a spell in the heart of the defence.
There will be focus on other areas of the field, not least on the flanks with £34.5m winger Victor Munoz primed for a first Liverpool outing after his non-playing role in Spain's World Cup-winning squad.
While versatile, Munoz prefers to feature on the left flank, which could lead to Rio Ngumoha having another stint on the right with Liverpool yet to recruit a replacement for Mohamed Salah.
Munoz's lack of minutes in the World Cup mean that, similar to Jacquet, Reds fans have had limited scope to scout the 23-year-old. The attacker will surely be keen to make an instant impression regardless of how much action he is given.
Iraola will likely give number 10 Florian Wirtz and main striker Alexander Isak more time to build on the partnership that rarely had chance to catch fire last season.
But perhaps of greater interest to what is likely to be a packed Anfield will be the central midfield where 19-year-old Trey Nyoni's performances Stateside have suggested he has moved on to another stage in his development.
Nyoni impressed during his two pre-seasons under Arne Slot - even if he ended up playing at centre-back in the first Anfield friendly against Athletic Bilbao last year - and became a fully-fledged first-team squad member. Further demonstrating he can complete the final step towards more regular minutes will be his aim and give Iraola a welcome selection headache.
The return of all bar Alexis Mac Allister from World Cup duty - Iraola has confirmed the Argentine will be back on Monday - suggests openings will be limited for the raft of youngsters given minutes in the United States, with next week's first friendly against Como at Kirkby their most likely opportunity.
For Iraola, his debut in the home Anfield dugout represents a penultimate chance to finalise his plans for Newcastle a fortnight later. The clock is ticking down towards a new Liverpool era.