Andoni Iraola is officially Liverpool manager, and attention can now turn to what his first starting XI might actually look like.
The Spaniard has a full summer to prepare for next season, although the World Cup will mean some interruption. Several senior players will be away, others will return late, and transfer business may not be finished until the tournament is well over.
Still, Liverpool already have a clear idea of what needs changing. Once most of the market is done and Iraola has had time to work, this is how his first-choice team could look on opening day in August.
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Andoni Iraola’s starting XI for first Liverpool outing
Alisson Becker
Alisson looks set to stay at Liverpool for at least another year, and that is huge for Iraola. Liverpool will still need elite decision-making at the back, especially if they are going to take more risks in possession and defend bigger spaces.
Giorgi Mamardashvili should get more minutes next season to help smooth the long-term transition. But for the first big game of the new era, Alisson still has to be the man between the sticks.
Michael Kayode
This is where the prediction already gets difficult. There are doubts around the long-term future of Jeremie Frimpong, while Conor Bradley’s injury looks worse than initially feared.
Liverpool may need a new right-back, and Michael Kayode feels like the kind of profile that would make sense. The Brentford defender is rumoured to be valued at around £30m, offers physicality, brings elite long throws and could even step inside to help the midfield when required.
Jeremy Jacquet
Liverpool could easily sign another centre-back before the season starts, but it is also possible they decide Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni are enough for now.
With Leoni coming off a longer-term injury, Jacquet feels slightly more likely to start early. Iraola has already shown trust in young centre-backs, most notably with Dean Huijsen at Bournemouth, so age should not be a major issue if the player is ready.
Virgil van Dijk
Van Dijk remains the captain and the obvious defensive leader. Iraola will need him to organise a back line that could be asked to defend aggressively and leave space behind.
The distribution demands should also suit him. Iraola wants fast attacks and brave passing, and Van Dijk is still one of the best centre-backs in the world when it comes to finding early balls into midfield or wide areas.
Milos Kerkez
Kerkez already knows Iraola’s demands from Bournemouth, which gives him a head start. Liverpool did not consistently see the Vitality Stadium version of the Hungarian last season, but his former manager should know how to unlock that player again.
The concern is balance. Kayode and Kerkez would be a very attacking full-back pairing, and Liverpool need more defensive additions to make it work properly. That might not happen in time for opening day.
Alex Scott
This feels like the Bournemouth reunion most likely to happen. Liverpool need legs, energy and tactical intelligence in midfield, and Scott gives them all three.
Reports have already suggested the noise is growing over a possible move, and a fee of around £40m would make sense for a player who knows Iraola’s system. He would not arrive as the biggest name, but he could quickly become one of the most important signings of the summer.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Szoboszlai was Liverpool’s Player of the Season, and he also looks like a perfect Iraola player. He can run, press, cover ground, carry the ball and still produce moments of real quality.
A double-pivot of Scott and Szoboszlai would not be traditional, but it would give Liverpool the intensity they have badly missed. Both can do a bit of everything, and that feels central to what Iraola will want.
Ryan Gravenberch will be rotated in quite often, but the new head coach may prioritise starting Scott — who knows his system — in the early goings.
Florian Wirtz
Wirtz has to be the creative key to Iraola’s attack. Liverpool did not bring him in to be a luxury player — they brought him in to become the man who unlocks games.
There are defensive questions if he plays in a trio with Scott and Szoboszlai, but Liverpool can compensate. A right-back who steps inside, more aggressive counter-pressing and better spacing behind the ball can all help. One thing is certain, Wirtz has to play.
Rio Ngumoha
Ngumoha is heading towards superstardom if his current trajectory continues. He is already loved by Liverpool fans, and his man of the match display on England debut only added to the excitement around him.
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This is also where the overdue axing comes in. Cody Gakpo has had chances, but Liverpool need more threat from the left, and Ngumoha looks ready to take that shirt. Iraola trusts young talent, and the 17-year-old should be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Alexander Isak
Isak’s first season was badly interrupted by injuries. With the same pre-season as his teammates and a proper run of fitness, the goals should come.
He gives Liverpool a proper focal point, but not a static one. Isak can link play, run the channels, and run at defences with the ball at his feet. He will thrive in a fast-paced attacking setup.
Yan Diomande
Diomande is Liverpool’s top attacking priority, and rightly so. The 19-year-old is one of the most exciting wide players in Europe, can play off both sides and looks like the kind of signing who could define the new era.
The fees being mentioned in the £100 million region, which is huge money. But if Liverpool add Diomande, Kayode and Scott, gives Iraola a revitalised squad to work with come August.
Picture Diomande and Ngumoha attacking from the flanks, with Isak through the middle and Wirtz feeding them. It would be absolutely lethal if Iraola gets it right.
We do not know exactly who Liverpool will bring in before the season starts. But if Kayode, Scott and Diomande arrive, this team already looks much stronger than the one supporters had to endure last season.
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