Liverpool’s pre-season under new head coach Andoni Iraola has hit a bump, with a 4-2 collapse against Leeds United following two opening wins, while a centre-back injury crisis and formal talks over Bradley Barcola dominate the club’s build-up to the new campaign. Here’s the full picture from Anfield.
Liverpool Blow 2-0 Lead to Lose to Leeds
Liverpool led 2-0 at half-time in Chicago courtesy of a Chambers header and a well-worked Florian Wirtz equaliser-turned-opener, only to concede four unanswered goals in the second half as Leeds — inspired by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s brace and a costly Milos Kerkez error — completed a 4-2 comeback win. It was United’s first defeat of pre-season.
Iraola said afterwards that he took plenty of positives from the game despite the result, describing it as the most useful friendly of the tour given how much the second-half collapse exposed for the coaching staff to work on. He also said he didn’t believe Jeremie Frimpong’s late substitution — the right-back asked to come off 13 minutes from time — was serious, putting it down to fatigue rather than a fresh injury concern.
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz noted the defeat echoed patterns from last season, with two of Leeds’ goals stemming from Ethan Ampadu long throws — a continuation of Liverpool’s well-documented set-piece frailty — and another arising from uncertainty at full-back, both recurring issues from the previous campaign. On the positive side, Wirtz looked sharp in his first appearance of the summer, while teenager Trey Nyoni continues to impress and could push Ryan Gravenberch for minutes this season.
Szoboszlai: Set-Piece Fixes Are Non-Negotiable
Liverpool conceded a league-high 20 set-piece goals last season, with more than a third of their total goals conceded arising from dead-ball situations — the worst such ratio in the Premier League. Dominik Szoboszlai admitted after the Leeds game that unless those issues are addressed, Liverpool risk repeating last season’s fifth-placed finish, stressing that set pieces require a collective defensive effort and that individual mistakes need to be dealt with head-on. He did, however, point to a genuine uplift in overall intensity under Iraola compared to recent form, saying the mentality the club had been missing feels like it’s returned from both the coaching staff and the players.
Centre-Back Crisis Deepens
Joe Gomez is expected to miss the start of the Premier League season after suffering a muscle injury against Sunderland, with Iraola declining to give a precise return date but suggesting a recovery period of roughly a month is the norm for this type of issue, ruling him out of the opening fixture against Newcastle on 23 August.
With Virgil van Dijk only returning to training this week after his post-World Cup break, and Giovanni Leoni still recovering from an ACL injury, Liverpool could realistically start the season with only Van Dijk and new signing Jeremy Jacquet as recognised senior centre-back options. Iraola acknowledged the squad is thin in that position but praised the composure shown by 18-year-olds Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who have stepped in during pre-season, along with makeshift option Luke Chambers.
Despite the defensive concerns, Liverpool’s recruitment priority remains a wide forward rather than a central defender, with the club preparing to formalise interest in Bradley Barcola.
Barcola Talks Move Forward
Liverpool are set to open formal talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a move for winger Bradley Barcola, having already held preliminary discussions with his representatives and prepared an opening offer. Barcola, who has two years left on his PSG contract and is not expected to sign an extension amid frustration over limited game time, is said to find a move to Anfield appealing.
Valuations vary, with reports suggesting PSG want anywhere between £128.5 million (€150m) and £145 million (€170m) for a player they signed for around £40 million back in 2023. Arsenal also retain an interest in the 23-year-old, who has won nine major trophies in the past two seasons, including two Champions League titles. Elsewhere in the winger market, PSG themselves are closing in on a deal for Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche — a player Liverpool had also made contact over — while Yan Diomande edges closer to Real Madrid.
Not everyone is convinced Barcola solves Liverpool’s biggest need, however. Pundit Jamie Carragher argued Liverpool already have several options who can play from the left in Rio Ngumoha, Cody Gakpo and Wirtz, but nobody recognised on the right — saying the club needs a right winger urgently rather than another left-sided option. Sky Sports analysis has also questioned whether Barcola’s underlying output — fewer chances created, crosses and final-third passes per 90 than Mohamed Salah managed last season — makes him the ideal fit to succeed Salah, particularly given Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike’s own need for a genuine creative outlet on the wing.
Elliott Eyes a Fresh Start Under Iraola
Harvey Elliott says he’s viewing Iraola’s arrival as a genuine opportunity to re-establish himself at Anfield after a difficult season on loan at Aston Villa, where he made just nine appearances — one short of a clause that would have triggered a £35 million permanent transfer. Elliott said his connection to the club as a boyhood supporter has never faded, and that he sees the new coaching staff’s arrival as a fresh chance to fight for his place, despite ongoing speculation about his long-term future.
Slot Weighing Up Next Move
Former Liverpool boss Arne Slot is reportedly prioritising a return to one of Europe’s major leagues in the near term, despite fresh links with Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli — speculation that has emerged as their current coach Matthias Jaissle edges closer to replacing Eddie Howe at Newcastle. Slot is also considered a candidate for the Netherlands national team job following Ronald Koeman’s departure, and while open to that path eventually, a return to a top European club appears to be his more immediate ambition.
Quick Facts: Liverpool’s Pre-Season
- Pre-season record: 2 wins, 1 defeat (Sunderland, Wrexham wins; Leeds defeat)
- Key absentee: Joe Gomez (muscle injury, ~1 month, misses Newcastle opener)
- Barcola valuation: £128.5m–£145m (€150m–€170m)
- Set-piece goals conceded, 2025/26: League-high 20 (37.7% of total conceded)
- Season opener: Newcastle, 23 August
- Also interested in Barcola: Arsenal
