Liverpool fell to its second defeat of the preseason against Monaco, with the Reds collapsing for the second game in a row to raise concerns about Andoni Iraola's squad
Andoni Iraola has been tasked with winning silverware at Liverpool
Andoni Iraola has been tasked with winning silverware at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola has admitted his Liverpool side still has a lot of work to do, with his players not having the energy to get through a full 90 minutes with just two weeks to go until the start of the new season.
The Reds fell to their second defeat of the preseason as Iraola’s first game in charge at Anfield ended in a 3-2 loss against Monaco. Despite taking a 2-0 lead thanks to first-half goals from Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, the hosts collapsed for the second game running.
Monaco pulled one back just before half-time after Virgil van Dijk conceded a penalty, before a raft of changes midway through the second period saw the visitors take control.
Much like the 4-2 defeat to Leeds in Chicago last week, the second-half performance will raise concerns about the depth of Iraola’s squad just two weeks out from kicking off the Premier League season at Newcastle, especially with the Reds’ new head coach admitting his starting players don’t quite look ready yet.
Giving his thoughts on the defeat to Monaco, Iraola told LFCTV: “I think quite similar to the game we played against Leeds.
“I think we played a really good first half, especially the first 30 minutes, but right now, probably, we don’t have much more in terms of the level required to play like this, and then they (Monaco) were much better in the second half in the same way we were better in the first half, and they deserved to turn around the game.”
Andoni Iraola looks on before the preseason friendly match between Liverpool and Monaco at Anfield
Andoni Iraola looks on before the preseason friendly match between Liverpool and Monaco at Anfield(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
He added: “I think we are, right now, we won the first two games, but the last two, we cannot sustain the level that we want for all the game.
"As soon as we made some changes, they start to get tired, we cannot sustain that level, so we have work to do."
Sunday’s defeat saw three more players returning to the line-up for the first time this summer, with Van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Cody Gakpo getting their first game time since the World Cup.
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There was also a first run-out for Victor Munoz following his arrival from Osasuna, but Iraola concedes those returning players still aren’t quite ready yet, with only a double-header against Como next week to come before the 2026/27 campaign gets underway.
“I think they were mostly in a good place,” he reflected. “It was their first game, or even the ones that played in the second game, they had energy.
“The problem right now is they probably don’t have energy for 90 minutes.
"They start to get tired, and it will take time for them, we’ll do more training with them. We can take a lot of positives, but also a lot of negatives from today."