Iraola’s Liverpool Win Over Sunderland Tells Us Everything About Their Biggest Pre-Season Problem

Liverpool won 4-2 in Nashville and there was plenty to enjoy. But the scoreline flatters to deceive, and for anyone with money on Liverpool this season, the real story from that game has nothing to do with goals.

The Gomez Problem Nobody Wanted

Eight minutes. That's how long it took for Liverpool's pre-season to get complicated.

Joe Gomez went down injured in the eighth minute and that was that. Gomez had started as captain and centre-back, which already tells you something about how stretched this squad is at the back. Virgil van Dijk isn't in yet after Netherlands duty at the World Cup. New signing Jeremy Jacquet is being eased in carefully after months out. And Giovanni Leoni is still doing individual work following a severe ACL tear.

What that left Iraola with, from the eighth minute onwards, was two eighteen-year-olds holding the back line. Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe both made their debuts and, to be fair, they did well for teenagers thrown in at the deep end. But nobody is seriously putting either of them in the first-choice defensive setup for Premier League week one.

Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes was in Nashville watching all of this. Iraola had already said his squad was 'very thin' defensively before a ball was kicked. Seeing Gomez limp off within ten minutes must have made that conversation feel very urgent.

What the Goals Actually Told Us

Four goals is good. The manner of some of them was encouraging too.

Kieran Morrison, nineteen, was brilliant all night. He cut in from the right and finished with his left foot for the opener, looking sharp and direct. Liverpool still need a quality winger to replace Salah, and Morrison showed he could at least be a genuine option off the bench if he stays rather than going out on loan.

Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a belter from outside the box was no surprise. He looked exactly like the Szoboszlai we saw at his best last season, picking up the armband in the second half and immediately bossing the game. That kind of form going into a new season under a new manager is a strong sign.

Federico Chiesa making it 3-2 got the Liverpool fans inside the stadium buzzing, and Lewis Koumas wrapping it up capped a good night for some of the fringe players. Sixteen-year-old Josh Abe also came on and showed glimpses of why he's so highly rated.

The concern is how the goals were conceded. Sunderland were allowed far too much space for both of their strikes. Enzo le Fee had the freedom of Nashville to fire one past Giorgi Mamardashvili, and the second goal came after Liverpool were opened up with worrying ease. For a side that Iraola wants pressing aggressively and controlling shape, those moments of defensive sloppiness are something to watch.

What Iraola Actually Needs Before August

Wirtz, Isak and Gravenberch arriving in Chicago for training is the exciting news. The spine of what Iraola wants to build is starting to take shape going forward.

But the defensive situation is the one that could genuinely cost Liverpool early in the season. Right now, with Gomez injured and van Dijk not yet back, there isn't enough experienced cover at centre-back. Jacquet needs time. The teenagers are promising but raw. Leoni is months away.

From a betting perspective, Liverpool's early fixtures are worth watching closely. If van Dijk comes back fit and sharp and Gomez recovers quickly, the clean sheet markets look interesting. If either of those timelines slips, backing opponents to score against Liverpool in August becomes a more reasonable play than it normally would be.

Iraola pressing his side not to relax after a 4-2 win tells you he sees it too. The result was good. The bigger picture is still being written, and Liverpool's defensive transfer activity between now and the window closing could end up being the most important piece of their season.