Liverpool enter the 2026-27 season at the beginning of a fascinating new era, with Andoni Iraola replacing Arne Slot as head coach.
The Spaniard arrives at Anfield after leading Bournemouth to three successive seasons of progress, culminating in a sixth-place Premier League finish and the first European qualification in the club’s history.
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Iraola built his reputation at Bournemouth with an aggressive, high-energy style based around pressure, direct attacking and winning the ball close to the opposition goal.
Liverpool already possess many of the athletic and technically gifted players needed to execute that approach, but the change from Slot’s more controlled football will still require adjustment. Iraola has repeatedly spoken during pre-season about wanting to see greater intensity, intent and energy from his new team.
The scale of Liverpool’s transition extends well beyond the dugout. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté all departed the senior squad at the end of last season, removing three players who had been central to the club’s recent success.
Salah’s departure creates the most obvious challenge: Liverpool must redistribute the extraordinary supply of goals and assists he provided from the right side of the attack.
There is nevertheless plenty of attacking talent left at Anfield. Alexander Isak gives Liverpool an elite focal point, while Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch provide a technically outstanding midfield core.
World Cup winner Víctor Muñoz adds another option after joining from Osasuna.
Liverpool’s summer recruitment has otherwise concentrated heavily on the defence. Jérémy Jacquet has formally completed his move from Rennes, while Ronald Araújo has joined on a season-long loan from Barcelona.
The experienced Uruguay international can operate at centre-back or right-back and should immediately compete for a starting position alongside captain Virgil van Dijk.
Those additions are particularly important because Iraola begins the campaign with several fitness concerns.
Joe Gomez suffered a muscle injury during pre-season, Giovanni Leoni remains in recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained on his Liverpool debut last September, and Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitiké have also been managing longer-term issues.
Jacquet only recently returned from a shoulder injury, although he completed his comeback by scoring on his first Anfield appearance.
Pre-season produced mixed performances but ended on an encouraging note. Liverpool struggled to sustain their desired intensity across the full match in a 3-2 defeat to Monaco, before finishing their six-game preparation schedule with a 2-0 victory over Como at Anfield.
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Gakpo and Jacquet scored, Araújo made his first appearance and Liverpool kept a clean sheet in their final outing before competitive football begins.
The immediate task is a difficult trip to Newcastle United for Iraola’s first competitive match, but Liverpool’s ambitions will extend well beyond securing another Champions League place.
The squad retains enough quality to challenge near the top of the Premier League; whether it can mount a genuine title push may depend on how quickly Iraola’s methods take hold, how effectively Salah’s output is replaced and whether Liverpool can navigate their early defensive injuries.
**Goalkeepers:** 1 Alisson Becker; 25 Giorgi Mamardashvili; 28 Freddie Woodman; 56 Vítězslav Jaroš; 95 Harvey Davies.
**Defenders:** 2 Joe Gomez; 4 Virgil van Dijk; 5 Jérémy Jacquet; 6 Milos Kerkez; 12 Conor Bradley; 15 Giovanni Leoni; 21 Kostas Tsimikas; 30 Jeremie Frimpong; 33 Ronald Araújo; 47 Calvin Ramsay.
**Midfielders:** 3 Wataru Endo; 7 Florian Wirtz; 8 Dominik Szoboszlai; 10 Alexis Mac Allister; 17 Curtis Jones; 19 Harvey Elliott; 38 Ryan Gravenberch; 42 Trey Nyoni; 43 Stefan Bajčetić; 53 James McConnell.
**Forwards:** 9 Alexander Isak; 14 Federico Chiesa; 18 Cody Gakpo; 22 Hugo Ekiteke; 23 Víctor Muñoz; 73 Rio Ngumoha.
**Formation: 4-2-3-1**
Alisson; Jeremie Frimpong, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak.
August 24: Newcastle United v LiverpoolAugust 30: Liverpool v Nottingham ForestSeptember 6: Ipswich Town v LiverpoolSeptember 13: Liverpool v Fulham
September 20: Bournemouth v Liverpool