Liverpool's American Tour: A New Era Under Iraola

Liverpool’s American tour rolls into Chicago on Sunday night, and with it comes the first real glimpse of what Andoni Iraola wants this team to be.

Two games, two wins so far. Sunderland and Wrexham beaten, systems tested, fitness sharpened. Now comes Leeds, a step up in intensity, and a night where the new Liverpool manager finally has some heavyweight options back at his disposal.

Iraola’s squad starts to take shape

The headline for Liverpool is simple: the cavalry has arrived.

Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak are all available again after returning from World Cup duty with their national teams. Up to now, Iraola has been working with a trimmed group, leaning on academy talent and a handful of established names. Chicago should feel different. Stronger. Closer to what August might look like.

There is another significant boost. Jeremy Jacquet, the £60m signing whose transfer was announced a year ago but only formally completed in June, is in contention after injury. Liverpool have waited a long time to see him in their colours. This tour could be his launchpad.

Not everyone is ready to join in. Victor Munoz, the Spain international and another key new signing, remains on an extended break after La Roja’s World Cup triumph earlier this month. Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister are in the same boat, still recharging after their own exertions on the biggest stage.

The one major concern is Joe Gomez. The defender, injured in the friendly against Sunderland last weekend, is unavailable and may miss the start of the Premier League season. For a coach who likes his back line aggressive and mobile, that is a significant early headache.

Rotation, rhythm and a new defensive look

Across pre-season so far, Iraola has refused to settle. Only Giorgi Mamardashvili and Harvey Elliot have started both matches, a clear sign that the manager is probing his squad, searching for combinations, testing responses.

That rotation will continue, but the shape of Sunday’s side is coming into focus.

At right-back, Jeremie Frimpong is expected to reclaim his place from Calvin Ramsay. On the opposite flank, Milos Kerkez – a player Iraola knows well from Bournemouth – is set to start ahead of Kostas Tsimikas. The left-back role under Iraola demands energy and bravery on the ball; Kerkez fits that brief, and the coach trusts him.

The centre of defence could be where it gets intriguing. With Gomez out, Jacquet is not just an option, he is a likely starter. The question is who partners him. Iraola may turn to the academy, with Luke Chambers, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Talla Ndiaye all in the frame. It would be a bold call, but this is pre-season: the ideal time to see which youngster can handle the stage, the travel, the pressure.

Midfield craft and attacking sparks

In midfield, Liverpool have a blend of power, control and promise, and Iraola will want to start knitting that together.

Dominik Szoboszlai, one of the club’s brightest performers last season, is in line to start and could be paired with Gravenberch. That combination offers drive, vertical passing and a goal threat from deep – exactly the kind of profile Iraola’s high-tempo style demands.

If the staff decide to manage minutes for the returning stars, the door opens again for youth. Trey Nyoni or James McConnell are ready to step in from the first whistle, as they have already done on this tour. Every touch for them is an audition, every press a chance to convince the new boss they belong in his plans beyond July.

Further forward, there is a likely change in the creative role. Harvey Elliot, ever willing and industrious, could make way for Florian Wirtz, who Iraola has already confirmed is available. Wirtz brings a different kind of threat: subtle movement between the lines, quick combinations, the ability to unlock a packed defence with one disguised pass. If he starts, Chicago might be treated to the first real glimpse of a partnership with Isak.

Out wide, Rio Ngumoha has earned his shot. He scored the winner against Wrexham and should keep his place. Young players don’t just need minutes; they need to feel that performances matter. Iraola appears to be sending exactly that message.

Up front, the spotlight falls on Alexander Isak. Last season was a difficult debut campaign, stop-start and short of rhythm. Now he has a fresh start, a new manager and a pre-season platform. Leeds in Chicago is not a competitive cauldron, but for a striker, goals in July can still change the mood in August.

Chicago as a proving ground

So this is where Liverpool find themselves: a new coach, a slowly reassembling squad, and a third straight pre-season win within reach.

The result will not define their season. The patterns might. The intensity off the ball, the chemistry between Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, the first steps of Jacquet in the back line, the sharpness of Isak in front of goal – these are the details Iraola will care about when the lights go out in Chicago.

He already has two victories. Now comes the bigger question: can this Liverpool side start to look like his Liverpool side, before the real tests begin?