Liverpool's Centre-Back Crisis Ahead of Pre-Season Test Against Como
Liverpool face a nervous wait over Jeremy Jacquet’s fitness as Andoni Iraola’s stretched squad heads into its final pre-season test against Como at Anfield.
The new head coach, preparing for his first Premier League campaign in charge, is already feeling the strain in one area above all: centre-back. Right now, it is Virgil van Dijk holding the fort almost on his own.
Centre-back crisis before a ball is kicked
Jacquet, the £60million signing from Rennes, has yet to kick a ball in pre-season. An unspecified issue kept him out of the 3-2 defeat to Monaco, the latest interruption for a defender whose previous campaign was cut short by a shoulder problem.
He is back in full training ahead of the Como double-header and could feature, but Iraola is treating him with care. Liverpool’s response has already been visible in the market, with Ronald Araujo arriving on loan from Barcelona to bolster the back line.
The problems do not stop there. Giovanni Leoni is still working his way back from the ACL injury he suffered on debut in the Carabao Cup a year ago. Joe Gomez, meanwhile, limped out of the 4-2 win over Sunderland with a muscle issue that is expected to derail his start to the season, having been replaced by youngster Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
With senior options thin, opportunity has opened up for the club’s new generation. Ndukwe and fellow recent recruit Talla Ndiaye have both seen minutes in pre-season, as has Luke Chambers, as Iraola leans on youth to fill the gaps.
Key departures and fitness doubts
Iraola’s defensive headache has been sharpened by the summer exit of Ibrahima Konate, who left on a free transfer at the end of his contract and signed for Real Madrid. That departure stripped away another experienced option from the heart of Liverpool’s defence.
Higher up the pitch, Curtis Jones has been battling a hip problem. The midfielder, linked with a move to Inter Milan, missed the Monaco defeat but has now returned to training, offering a timely boost in central areas.
There is also a close watch on World Cup pair Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz. Both are back at the club after their nations went all the way to the final, but their fitness will be carefully managed as they build back towards full sharpness.
Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike are out for the longer term with knee and Achilles injuries respectively, leaving Iraola without two more useful options as the season looms.
Iraola’s selection puzzle
The positives? Van Dijk is back. So is Alisson, who returned in the Monaco game and will anchor a side that, on paper, still looks strong when everyone is available.
The real question now is how bold Iraola wants to be in Sunday’s back-to-back fixtures at Anfield – an 11.30am behind-closed-doors kick-off followed by a 6pm ticketed friendly on August 16, 2026. Does he roll out what he considers his strongest XI, or spread the minutes and protect fragile legs?
A possible Liverpool lineup in Iraola’s preferred 4-2-3-1 shape reads impressively enough:
Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Ngumouha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
But that XI comes with caveats. Jacquet, Jones, Mac Allister and Munoz are all doubts. Bradley, Leoni, Ekitike, Gomez and Danns are already ruled out.
So Iraola walks into his first season in English football with his defence patched up, his midfield being monitored and his youngsters pushed to the fore. The friendlies against Como will not decide his year, but they may tell him one thing: whether this squad can absorb another setback, or whether Liverpool are one more injury away from a full-blown problem before the real games even begin.
