Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool: Centre-Back Decision at St James’ Park

Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool step into a new era at St James’ Park this afternoon with one question looming larger than the rest: who stands next to Virgil van Dijk?

Centre-back call defines Iraola’s first big decision

Joe Gomez is out after picking up an injury in pre-season. Giovanni Leoni is a long-term absentee. That strips the options down to two senior contenders alongside the captain: Araujo and summer signing Jeremy Jacquet.

Both were given a half each in the final friendly against Como last weekend. Jacquet even marked his Anfield introduction with a goal just before the break, a neat moment in front of the home crowd and a reminder of his threat in the opposition box.

But the story of his summer is more complicated than one header and a cheer.

Jacquet has been chasing fitness for weeks. Shoulder surgery in February at Rennes left him short of minutes over the past six months, and his pre-season has reflected that stop-start rhythm. With that in mind, Iraola has every reason to be careful rather than romantic on opening day.

Araujo, by contrast, brings familiarity. He knows the noise, the hostility, the sheer intensity of St James’ Park. He has already shown he can handle one of the Premier League’s most unforgiving away grounds, even with Newcastle dealing with their own summer turbulence. That experience could tip the balance when Iraola finally puts pen to paper on his first league teamsheet.

A side that almost picks itself

Beyond that central defensive dilemma, the rest of the XI feels largely locked in.

Alisson is immovable in goal. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are set to complete the back five, offering pace and aggression on the flanks to suit Iraola’s front-foot approach.

In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch is expected to line up alongside Dominik Szoboszlai. Trey Nyoni caught the eye in pre-season, showing composure and personality, but this is a brutal away opener rather than a gentle introduction.

Alexis Mac Allister is unlikely to be thrown straight in. He has only 54 minutes under his belt this summer after an extended post-World Cup break and is still playing catch-up. Curtis Jones, once a natural option in that area, is no longer in the frame after his move to Inter Milan.

That leaves the creative burden in advanced areas to a familiar core and a few emerging faces.

Wide options in flux, Wirtz at the heart

Liverpool’s transfer work in attack remains unfinished. Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye have not arrived, despite ongoing negotiations that also involve Yankuba Minteh. The deals are still in motion; the season is not waiting.

So the responsibility on the flanks should fall to Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo, both expected to start out wide. Between them, Florian Wirtz is set to occupy the No10 role, the central conduit for Iraola’s attacking patterns and the man tasked with threading passes into the spaces Newcastle hate to defend.

On the bench, Victor Munoz will be watching closely. He is in line for a possible debut if the game state allows, a potential first taste of English football in one of its most charged arenas.

Isak’s return to a hostile Tyneside

Leading the line for Liverpool will be Alexander Isak, back at St James’ Park for the first time since his British record £125 million move last summer.

His departure from Newcastle was long, messy and emotional. The fallout lingers. He can expect little warmth from the home support, only noise and needle. Every touch will be judged. Every miss, amplified.

For Iraola, that hostility is a tool. For Isak, it is a test. For Liverpool, it is the backdrop to a new chapter that begins with a single, crucial choice at centre-back and a striker walking back into the storm he left behind.