Liverpool Pre-Season: Key Players Arrive in Chicago
Liverpool’s American tour rolls into Chicago on Sunday night, and with it comes the first real glimpse of Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool with something close to its full armoury.
Two wins from two in pre-season – against Sunderland and Wrexham – have given the new manager a clean start and a little early momentum. This, though, feels different. Leeds in a major US city, a bigger stage, bigger names back in the fold, and a clearer look at what Iraola wants this team to be.
Big guns arrive in Chicago
The headline for Liverpool is simple: the cavalry has finally arrived.
Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak are now available after returning from World Cup duty with their national teams. They have reported in, trained, and put themselves in contention for minutes that will matter for their sharpness and for Iraola’s thinking.
There is also the long-awaited sighting of £60m defender Jeremy Jacquet on the horizon. Signed a year ago but only officially completed in June and then sidelined by injury, he is now in line to feature. For a fanbase that has known his name far longer than they have seen his face on the pitch, Chicago could be the night he finally steps into the frame.
Victor Munoz, the Spain international and another new signing, will not be involved. Fresh from La Roja’s World Cup triumph, he remains on an extended break. The same applies to Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk and Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister, all still being eased back after a heavy summer of international football.
One notable absentee is Joe Gomez. The defender, injured in the friendly against Sunderland, misses out and is a doubt for the start of the Premier League season. For Iraola, who is still learning his squad, that is a significant early complication.
Iraola’s rotation game
Across the opening friendlies, Iraola has made it clear that no one owns a starting shirt yet. He has rotated heavily, changing systems and personnel, testing combinations. Only Giorgi Mamardashvili and Harvey Elliot have started both matches, a sign of their current standing but also of the manager’s willingness to move pieces around them.
That theme will continue against Leeds, but this time with a stronger spine.
At right-back, Jeremie Frimpong is expected to return to the XI in place of Calvin Ramsay. On the opposite flank, Milos Kerkez – a player Iraola knows well from their time together at Bournemouth – is set to start again at left-back, preferred over Kostas Tsimikas. It is an early hint at the kind of full-backs Iraola trusts: aggressive, quick, comfortable playing high and wide.
In the centre of defence, Jacquet could go straight in from the start. Who partners him is more open. Iraola may turn to one of the academy products – Luke Chambers, Ifeanyi Ndukwe or Talla Ndiaye – as he continues to test the club’s next generation under real pressure. Pre-season or not, Leeds will ask questions.
Midfield mix and creative sparks
Midfield is where Liverpool’s shape under Iraola starts to get interesting.
Dominik Szoboszlai, one of last season’s few consistent bright spots, is in line to start. His energy and range of passing make him a natural fit for Iraola’s front-foot style. Gravenberch could join him, giving Liverpool a powerful, technically sharp pairing that can both carry the ball and press high.
If Iraola decides to manage their minutes more cautiously, youngsters Trey Nyoni or James McConnell are ready to step in from the off. Both have already had a taste of pre-season action; Chicago would be a sterner examination of whether they can handle the tempo and physicality Iraola demands.
Further forward, there may be a change in the creative hub. Harvey Elliot, ever-willing and industrious, could make way for Florian Wirtz. The German playmaker has been cleared to play, and his inclusion would instantly lift the technical level between the lines. Wirtz has the vision to unlock defences and the quick feet to thrive in tight spaces – exactly the sort of profile that can turn a pre-season friendly into a statement performance.
Ngumoha’s moment and a chance for Isak
Higher up the pitch, one of the standout stories of Liverpool’s summer so far has been Rio Ngumoha. He scored the winner against Wrexham and did more than just find the net – he played with purpose, confidence and a fearlessness that tends to catch a new manager’s eye. He is expected to start again, and this time against stronger opposition, his audition grows in importance.
Then there is Alexander Isak. His first campaign in Liverpool colours was difficult, disrupted and never quite in rhythm. Here lies an opportunity to reset. With creators like Szoboszlai and potentially Wirtz behind him, Chicago offers a platform: a good pitch, a lively crowd, a Leeds side that will not sit deep. If Isak starts, this is the kind of game where a centre-forward can finally feel the ball where he wants it – early, often, and in dangerous areas.
A friendly with real questions
On paper, it is another pre-season outing. In reality, it carries weight.
Iraola is still in the early days of reshaping Liverpool, but the pieces available to him in Chicago are far closer to the group that will open the Premier League season. His choices – Jacquet or an academy defender, Elliot or Wirtz, protection for Isak or trust from the first whistle – will offer a clearer view of his hierarchy.
The wins over Sunderland and Wrexham were about rhythm and fitness. Leeds, with a stronger Liverpool squad and a sharper edge, is about something more: structure, identity, and a sense of where this team is heading under a demanding new coach.
By the time the lights go out in Chicago, we will know a little more about who Iraola really trusts – and which players are ready to push Liverpool into a new era.
