Andoni Iraola has confirmed Liverpool’s leadership group and explained a dilemma facing goalkeeper Alisson
Andoni Iraola has confirmed Liverpool’s leadership group ahead of his first competitive match in charge, with Virgil van Dijk retaining the captaincy following the summer departures of Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool will begin their 2026-27 Premier League campaign at St James’ Park on Sunday, facing a Newcastle United side also entering a new era after the appointment of Matthias Jaissle.
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Iraola replaced Arne Slot at Anfield during the summer and will take charge of Liverpool for the first time in a competitive fixture against Newcastle. The Reds ended their pre-season preparations with a 2-0 victory over Como.
There had been uncertainty over who would serve as Van Dijk’s deputies after Robertson and Salah left the club.
Dominik Szoboszlai was among the players tipped for a more prominent leadership role after regularly wearing the armband during Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States.
However, Iraola has now confirmed the order within his leadership group.
“Yes, we took a decision,” he replied. “The captains will be Virgil, will be Alisson [Becker], will be Joe Gomez, and Dom Szoboszlai,” Iraola said ahead of Sunday’s match.
The Liverpool manager also explained that Alisson is unlikely to wear the armband despite being second in the leadership order because of restrictions surrounding goalkeepers under the new captaincy regulations.
“But I explained to Alisson especially that it’s not going to be possible that he wears the armband because with the new rule I think there is a big limitation if a ’keeper wears the armband.
“Because basically, if something happens in the opposition box the referee has to explain to the captains what’s happening, all the decisions.
“I had one season with Neto in Bournemouth and then you have to start every game to say a different player that can act as a captain, and this is not viable.
“But I wanted him to feel like we value him. I’ve had enough time and we will have more time to know each other, but I had to explain also the decision about the armband to Ali because he is a ’keeper and, unfortunately, they are putting the rules in a way that there is a lot of disadvantages to having a ’keeper as a captain,” Iraola added.
The explanation relates to the “Only the Captain” protocol, which has been introduced in football to limit discussions with match officials to team captains in certain situations.
Under the protocol, players are expected to avoid surrounding or confronting referees, while captains are given greater responsibility for communicating with officials.
The rules create a practical problem when the designated captain is a goalkeeper.
If an incident occurs at the opposite end of the pitch, Alisson could be forced to make a long journey from his goal to speak with the referee, potentially leaving Liverpool exposed defensively.
As a result, Iraola’s decision allows Alisson to remain part of the club’s leadership hierarchy without necessarily making him the player who wears the armband during matches.
Gomez and Szoboszlai provide alternative outfield options who can take over captaincy duties when Van Dijk is unavailable.