Liverpool: Andoni Iraola activates his emergency plan

Deprived of several defenders, Liverpool will once again have to cope with a decimated backline

Europe Today at 12:30

Add Foot Africa on Google

Liverpool: Andoni Iraola activates his emergency plan

Joe Gomez will miss the start of the season. Faced with a depleted defense, Andoni Iraola is expected to rely on the young talents who impressed during pre-season.

Liverpool's summer preparations are taking a complicated turn. Suffering a muscle injury just minutes into the friendly against Sunderland, Joe Gomez will not recover in time for the start of the Premier League.

"It will be impossible to have him for the start of the season," confirmed Andoni Iraola. The Reds’ new manager, however, believes his defender could return after a few weeks on the sidelines.

Iraola ready to throw in several youngsters

Liverpool currently have very few experienced options at center-back. Giovanni Leoni is still undergoing rehab after rupturing his left ACL in September 2025. Jérémy Jacquet is gradually returning from a shoulder injury, while Virgil van Dijk, being rested after the World Cup, is not injured.

Iraola has therefore used Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye, and Luke Chambers throughout pre-season. The Spanish coach has reportedly been pleasantly surprised by their maturity and performance level. However, Ndukwe is not expected to be eligible for official matches due to work permit issues. As a result, Liverpool could kick off their league campaign against Newcastle with a heavily reshuffled center-back pairing.

The 2025-2026 season marked by 214 missed matches

Liverpool finished last season in fifth place with 60 points, notching up 17 wins, nine draws, and twelve defeats. The Reds scored 63 goals and conceded 53, but still secured their spot in the Champions League.

Injuries took a heavy toll on their campaign. Sixteen players combined to miss 214 matches, a 65.9% increase compared to the previous season. Giovanni Leoni missed 49 games, followed by Conor Bradley (33), Alexander Isak (28), Wataru Endo (26), Jeremie Frimpong (20), and Alisson Becker (19).

Hugo Ekitike, who suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, Joe Gomez, Florian Wirtz, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Alexis Mac Allister were also sidelined at various points. Iraola thus inherits a squad whose physical management will be one of the main challenges of the new season.