Iraola’s First Big Call for Liverpool at St James’ Park
A new manager, a hostile ground, and one huge call at the heart of defence. Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool tenure starts with a decision that could shape his first afternoon in English football: who stands next to Virgil van Dijk at St James’ Park.
Iraola’s first big call
Joe Gomez is out after a pre-season injury, Giovanni Leoni is a long-term absentee, and the options narrow quickly. It leaves two names on the team sheet for one spot: Araujo or Jeremy Jacquet.
Both were given a half each in the final warm-up game against Como, a gentle dress rehearsal before the real thing. Jacquet marked his Anfield introduction with a goal just before the interval, a sharp reminder of his threat in the opposition box and a timely statement in front of the home crowd.
But the story of his summer has not been as smooth. The defender has wrestled with fitness issues through pre-season and is still building back after shoulder surgery in February during his time at Rennes. Six disrupted months, limited minutes, and the intensity of a Premier League opener at St James’ Park: it is a demanding combination.
That is why the safer choice points towards Araujo. He has already felt the noise and pressure of this stadium and shown he can handle one of the most unforgiving away fixtures in the league. Newcastle have had their own problems over the summer, but this remains a brutal place to start a new era.
A side that almost picks itself
Beyond that central defensive dilemma, Iraola’s first Liverpool XI looks largely settled.
Alisson anchors the side in goal. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are set to complete the back five, offering pace and aggression on the flanks to match Iraola’s front-foot instincts.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch is expected to line up alongside Dominik Szoboszlai. Trey Nyoni’s lively pre-season has pushed him closer to the conversation, but this feels like a day for experience and physical presence in the centre of the pitch.
Alexis Mac Allister is unlikely to be risked from the start. He has played just 54 minutes this summer after an extended post-World Cup break and is still short of the sharpness Iraola demands. Curtis Jones, once a natural rotation option in that area, has departed for Inter Milan, trimming the manager’s choices even further.
Attacking puzzle without new arrivals
Out wide, the transfer market has left its mark on selection. Liverpool have yet to land Bradley Barcola or Ibrahim Mbaye, and negotiations continue over Yankuba Minteh. With those deals unresolved, Iraola turns to what he knows he has.
Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo are expected to operate from the flanks, tasked with stretching Newcastle’s back line and feeding the new creator-in-chief between them. That role belongs to Florian Wirtz, who should take up the No 10 position and dictate Liverpool’s attacks in the pockets of space behind the striker.
On the bench, Victor Munoz will be watching closely, hoping that the rhythm of the game offers him a window for a debut under the St James’ Park lights.
Isak’s return to Tyneside
And then there is the centre-forward. Alexander Isak walks out at St James’ Park for the first time since his British record £125 million move from Newcastle last summer, now wearing Liverpool red.
The reception will not be warm. The manner of his exit still stings on Tyneside, and the home crowd rarely forgets. Every touch will be judged, every miss seized upon, every run jeered.
For Iraola, that edge might be useful. For Isak, it is the perfect stage to show why Liverpool pushed so hard to bring him in.
A new manager, a reshaped squad, and a defining first selection. Liverpool’s new era does not ease itself in. It walks straight into the noise.
