Liverpool are up and running under Andoni Iraola after beating Sunderland 4-2 in an entertaining match in Nashville.
The Reds are not yet at a full complement, but Iraola still has a good group to work with, and showed that by using 22 players throughout the match.
All eyes were on the new manager and his young Liverpool squad, and having seen a promising display, here are five things we learned from the win.
Who would be your choice of centre-back signing for Liverpool this summer?
The Reds clearly need to do something after fresh injuries to Jacquet and Gomez
Liverpool need a new centre-back
There was disappointing news when the teams were named ahead of the match, with Jeremy Jacquet ruled out with injury.
Things got worse after only seven minutes, when Joe Gomez, captaining the side on the night, went down with a problem.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe came on and did brilliantly, while Mor Talla Ndiaye also made a good impression, but however small the issue is with Gomez, Liverpool clearly need to add a new centre-back in what remains of this summer. Whether they’ll do it or not is another question.
READ MORE: Liverpool’s pre-season player ratings vs Sunderland as Andoni Iraola claims opening match victory
Liverpool’s squad could be deeper than first thought
There has been plenty of angst amongst fans this summer as they worry that Liverpool are set to leave themselves short once again.
While that is a legitimate concern, Saturday’s match showed that Iraola does have genuine options, with fringe players and youth teamers potentially good enough to offer supplementation.
Trey Nyoni was a real standout in midfield, and though many supporters have been calling for a new midfielder to be signed, the 19-year-old is a good example of why Liverpool may hold off.
Calvin Ramsay was another who showed some promise, and as the Reds target a new right-back, you can understand if Iraola wants to see more from him. Elsewhere, Federico Chiesa also stepped up to show his goal threat, with Liverpool looking in good shape even without most of their big names.
Kieran Morrison may get his chance this season
As well as right-back and centre-back, Liverpool have clearly been chasing a new winger this summer.
That will not change on the back of one pre-season game, but it is worth pointing out that in Kieran Morrison, the Reds do already have a young winger who can make a difference.
They need to add another one for sure, but there is no need for two. The door should be left open for Morrison to make his mark in cup games at the very least.
Which Liverpool youngster will make the biggest impact under Andoni Iraola and become a first-team member?
Four really talented young players…
The 19-year-old took his goal excellently on Saturday, and otherwise looked a cut above some of the other young players on the day. A loan move may still make sense, but given the situation in attack for Liverpool, Morrison may yet pick up a bigger role.
Liverpool’s system will not change dramatically
It can be a fool’s errand to try and glean too much from any pre-season match, but it is always worth keeping an eye on things under a new manager.
What Saturday’s win can tell us is that Liverpool will certainly be a little more energetic and willing to press under Iraola, but the basic system will not change too much.
This could be different when the Basque has all of this players available, but for the time being it looks like a three-man midfield and a three-man attack, aside from two sitting in the middle rather than one, there did not look to be massive differences for the Reds.
Iraola is a hard man to please
Given this was their first chance to see him in proper action, Liverpool fans were keen to see how Iraola would look and feel as the new head coach.
The answer to that is that the Spaniard appears to be very much a perfectionist who demands more and more from his players.
Speaking after the match, Iraola looked somewhat downbeat, and though that was in part because of the injuries to Gomez and Jacquet, he also clearly wanted a bit more from certain aspects of the Liverpool performance.
Being hard to please is definitely a good quality in a Liverpool boss, and if it means his players push themselves even further, we should be able to look forward to a good season ahead.
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