Iraola's Liverpool debut ends in 4-2 win over Sunderland; Gomez injury exposes defensive fragility

Image: Andoni Iraola began life as Liverpool head coach with a win over Sunderland

Andoni Iraola kicked off his Liverpool reign with a 4-2 win against Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday. Here is what we learned from the new head coach's first outing in charge of the Reds.

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Defensive Reinforcements Are Needed with Gomez Unlikely to Stay Fit

It already seemed a risk going into the new season having Jeremy Jacquet, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni as contenders to be captain Virgil van Dijk's centre-back partner, given the fitness doubts over the trio.

For a start, Leoni is still "months" away from recovering from the season-ending ACL injury he suffered on his Reds debut last September, having only joined the club from Parma last summer.

Image: Joe Gomez was subbed early on with an injury

Jacquet, meanwhile, has also just returned from a shoulder injury sustained just days after agreeing to move to Anfield in February, and missed the win against Sunderland with a minor knock.

All of which meant the injury-prone Gomez started and captained the team in Tennessee, with the long-serving defender lasting all of 10 minutes before being forced off in what Iraola called "the worst news" of the day.

While it appeared to be no more than a muscle problem for the 29-year-old, it was also a reminder that Liverpool cannot rely on Gomez to stay fit for an extended period. The club needs to enter the market to sign another defender before the summer window shuts on September 1.

Reds Fans Should Enjoy Iraola-Ball More Than Slot-Ball

It was the chorus of boos that rang out around Anfield at the end of his side's tepid draw with Chelsea in May that signalled Arne Slot's time was up as Liverpool head coach.

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Take a look at the best bits from Andoni Iraola's first Liverpool press conference.

That moment came just 12 months after the Dutchman had held the Premier League trophy aloft in front of an ecstatic Kop. But the slow, possession-heavy style of football — with the ball endlessly shuffled from one flank to the other — combined with a downturn in results, had turned the home fans against him.

His successor favours a different type of football. Iraola explained his vision in his first press conference as Liverpool head coach: "I want my team to be energetic. I want to be dynamic, to play in the opposition half as much as we can, sometimes on the ball, sometimes without the ball, and try to suffocate the opposition."

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Andoni Iraola wants Liverpool to play differently to last season under Arne Slot. The head coach has reviewed last year's campaign and is focused on building strong relationships with his players.

While it is impossible to make any firm conclusions after one 90-minute runout using 22 players, there were certainly glimpses of this approach in Nashville — especially for the Reds' first and last goals.

Kieran Morrison's 13th-minute opener came after a free-flowing move involving impressive build-up play from James McConnell, Rio Ngumoha and Harvey Elliott, while Lewis Koumas's late strike came about after some excellent counter-pressing.

Szoboszlai Still Liverpool's Most Dynamic and Important Midfielder

There is a reason Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and the club were so keen to tie Dominik Szoboszlai down to a new five-year contract.