Andoni Iraola is already set to make a huge Liverpool decision

Andoni Iraola is already set to make a huge Liverpool decision Andoni Iraola begins Liverpool pre-season with defensive decisions already looming Andoni Iraola is through the door and straight onto the training pitch. Liverpool’s new head coach has officially started work at the AXA Training Centre, with the first phase of pre-season now under way ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. It is early, the group is small, and nobody sensible should overreact, but first impressions matter when a club has changed direction as sharply as Liverpool have this summer. Iraola has replaced Arne Slot after a poor 2025/26 season ended with his dismissal, and the immediate task is basic enough, get players fit, assess the returning bodies and establish standards. According to BBC Sport, the initial session featured players coming back from injury or loan spells, plus members of Iraola’s revamped coaching staff. Photo Liverpool Echo AXA Training Centre focus shifts to returning talent Jeremy Jacquet was the eye-catching name. Liverpool’s new centre-back signing is back on the grass after shoulder surgery cut short his time at Rennes last season. Harvey Elliott also returned following his Aston Villa loan, while James McConnell and Stefan Bajcetic were involved too. For Bajcetic, this is a notable moment after more than two years without a Liverpool first-team appearance. Elsewhere, Hugo Ekitike, Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni remain on rehabilitation programmes. Ekitike is aiming for a Boxing Day return after Achilles surgery, Endo is working back from the ankle injury that ruled him out of Japan’s World Cup campaign, and Liverpool are optimistic Leoni can play some part in pre-season as he recovers from an ACL injury. Bradley’s recovery from knee surgery is less defined, with no return date confirmed. Defensive partnership could shape Liverpool pre-season This is where it gets interesting. One of Iraola’s early priorities is reportedly to decide whether Jacquet or Leoni can develop quickly enough to partner Virgil van Dijk on a regular basis. Liverpool clearly rate both players highly, but rating young defenders and trusting them from August in the Premier League are two different things. That decision may tell us plenty about how aggressive Liverpool plan to be in the market, and how much authority Iraola has been given to reshape the back line immediately. Pre-season schedule offers Iraola first proper tests Most of the squad are due back on 14 July, while those involved at the World Cup will receive three weeks off after elimination. Iraola’s first press conference is set for Chicago on 21 July, with Liverpool opening their pre-season fixtures against Sunderland in Nashville on 25 July. Wrexham and Leeds United follow in the United States, before friendlies at Anfield against AS Monaco and Como 1907 round off preparations. For now, this is about groundwork. New coach, recovering players, young defenders under review. Nothing is settled, but Liverpool have started moving. Challenges lie ahead for the new manager The most interesting detail is the centre-back situation. If Jacquet or Leoni can genuinely push for a role alongside Van Dijk, that changes the shape of the summer. If they cannot, then Liverpool probably still need another senior defender. That is the kind of decision good coaches make quickly, and supporters will hope Iraola is ruthless enough to do exactly that. Bajcetic being back is encouraging too. At his best, he brings composure and intelligence, and Liverpool have missed that profile. Elliott returning from Aston Villa also gives Iraola another technical option in midfield or between the lines. The injury list is the obvious drag. Ekitike being out until around Boxing Day is a blow, Bradley’s uncertain timeline is not ideal, and Leoni’s recovery needs handling properly. Still, pre-season is for building the base, not chasing headlines. There is no need for grand declarations in early July. Supporters just want to see a coach with a plan, players who look sharp, and a team beginning to make sense again. That alone would be a decent start. Source: BBC Sport