The Paul Gorst verdict from Anfield as new head coach Andoni Iraola sees his Liverpool side go down 3-2 to Monaco in his first home game in charge
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Florian Wirtz of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammates during the pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco at Anfield on August 09, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak celebrate the goal they both believe they scored in Liverpool's pre-season friendly against Monaco at Anfield (Image: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
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If Andoni Iraola is to enjoy any measure of success as Liverpool's head coach, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz must deliver on the club's enormous investment.
So this - in the Basque's first taste of Anfield in his new role - was a more than encouraging 45 minutes for the duo.
Goals from both players in the first half were the main positive takeaways from what was the first of two pre-season friendlies here before the Premier League starts, but it was more than that.
It is still early days for Isak and Wirtz as a partnership given how little they were able to get on the field together during last season's tumultuous campaign under Arne Slot.
But there were enough flashes here to suggest the £241m duo can, in time, showcase exactly why they are first and second on Liverpool's list of most expensive players.
Isak took his goal with the sort of class that must become routine. The Sweden international's protracted and controversial move from Newcastle United last summer hugely impacted his entire debut campaign in Red. The four-month absence with a broken leg didn’t help either.
At times, the £125m striker looked weighed down by expectations and the biggest fee in British football history acted as a millstone around his neck while he was unfit and desperately trying to reach 100%.
But the way he controlled Ryan Gravenberch's pass - which came to him at an awkward height - before turning and finishing past a helpless Lukas Hradecky here was a timely reminder of Isak's gifts.
The No.9 was then pushing for a second when the classy Wirtz made the most of the chaos during a goalmouth scramble to double Liverpool's advantage. Isak, like any self-respecting goal machine, tried to claim the finish as his own when he swiped at the ball while on the floor. The dubious goals panel will have to settle that one.
Wirtz's troubles were not as pronounced as Isak's last season but the Germany international didn't meet the expectations of a £116m playmaker either. He has looked reinvigorated so far in the limited time he has worked with Iraola, however.
Unlike last week's 4-2 loss to Leeds United in Chicago, the attacking pair stayed on beyond the break as the new head coach made just two changes at the interval, giving Wataru Endo a first appearance since February and replacing Alisson Becker with Giorgi Mamardashvili. But the hour mark saw a raft of further changes including new signing Victor Munoz.
That was the limit of Isak and Wirtz's involvement but there was enough at this early stage of the summer to suggest their dovetailing will be critical for Iraola.
Monaco grabbed a foothold when Aleksandr Golovin dribbled into the area before captain Virgil van Dijk fouled him on his return to club duty.
The Russia captain dusted himself off and scored the resulting penalty before half time and the Ligue 1 side levelled after the restart when Mamardashvili was unable to make a second save after initially stopping Mika Biereth.
For the second Sunday in a row, defensive frailties and a lack of real depth at the back cost Iraola's team as they once more conspired to throw away a two-goal lead. Substitute Paris Brunner headed in the late winner for Monaco from a corner, condemning the Reds to successive friendly defeats.
It's easy to swat aside results and concerns at this point of the year, but the impending arrival of on-loan Ronald Araujo from Barcelona simply has to provide the necessary quality to help out a centre-back department that is down to the bare bones just now.
The changes inevitably stunted the momentum but the introductions of Rio Ngumoha and new signing Munoz were enough to maintain interest. And despite not turning 18 until later this month, Ngumoha's star is irreversibly on the rise where Liverpool fans are concerned. He was greeted and serenaded like a long-serving veteran here.
Stationed on the right side, the England international caught the eye with a number of trademark darts and if there had been serious debate about the amount of game-time he should have been afforded during last season's difficulties, the teenager now appears poised to become an important first-team figure for Iraola.
But this squad is still a work in progress and even the expected confirmation of Uruguay international Araujo will do little to alleviate the issues Iraola has faced since starting the job. It's a start but more is undoubtedly needed to improve on last season.
For all the signs of progress evident in recent weeks under their new boss, the Reds' biggest improvements and their most sizable gains will now come from the transfer market.
In that regard, what happens off the pitch - on sporting director Richard Hughes's watch - is more important than what takes place on it under Iraola this month. The clock is ticking.