Andoni Iraola has spent the summer working with some of his new Liverpool players, with his style of play and some likely key men emerging ahead of the Premier League's return
Andoni Iraola speaks to Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz during Liverpool's friendly against AS Monaco.
Andoni Iraola speaks to Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz during Liverpool's friendly against AS Monaco.(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola has just two more games in which to ready his side for the new Premier League season kicking off — and they both come against Cesc Fabregas' Como next weekend.
Taking on the Italians twice in one day, Liverpool will field entirely different starting XIs in each fixture, with one likely to be a fairly major clue about who could start at Newcastle seven days later.
Even with more signings required before September 1, though, Iraola has options. He will need them, too, if Liverpool is to realistically be able to fight on all fronts in the campaign to come.
Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, who showed signs of linking up nicely against AS Monaco at the weekend, will be the fulcrum of the attack, with various pieces fitting around that duo.
Between them, the front two will be tasked with the bulk of the scoring and the creating, but they will need those around them to generate space.
That is where the additional signings out wide come in, along with some of those already at the club whom Andoni Iraola will hope to develop.
On the flanks, Liverpool still needs more pace and quality, hence the pursuit of Bradley Barcola, while Ibrahim Mbaye is another who is under consideration to bolster the forward line.
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola during the pre-season friendly against Monaco at Anfield on August 9 2026
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola during the pre-season friendly against Monaco at Anfield on August 9 2026(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
But Victor Munoz and Rio Ngumoha possess plenty of speed, and Cody Gakpo — though he has interest from Tottenham — has an eye for goal when he is at his peak.
While Isak and Wirtz will be central, Liverpool will not be able to field them for every minute of every game. When Wirtz went off over the weekend, it was telling that it was Dominik Szoboszlai who moved into the number 10 berth rather than Harvey Elliott.
Plan A will be to have Wirtz behind Isak, but Szoboszlai can play there as well, with Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, say, playing in the deeper roles when the Hungarian is needed elsewhere. Ronald Araujo's arrival will bolster the numbers at the back, where formation-wise, we know what to expect.
But one problem, as things stand, is the lack of alternatives to Isak, who simply cannot be pushed too hard after a season in which he barely played at anything close to his peak levels.
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If the Swede is missing, Federico Chiesa does not look like he has the physical attributes to thrive in the Liverpool forward line, lacking pace and explosivity.
As a result, Gakpo might be needed to step inside and play as a number nine at times, allowing someone else to slot in for him down the left-hand side.
Whether it is Isak and Wirtz with two tricky wingers, Szoboszlai behind Isak, or Gakpo filling in at number nine, Iraola has the options available to be versatile in the months to come.
The necessity before the transfer deadline is to ensure there are both sufficient numbers and enough quality to ensure that a high level of performance can be maintained.