Liverpool’s Andoni Iraola Era Begins: Key Centre-Back Decision

Liverpool’s new Andoni Iraola era begins at one of the Premier League’s most unforgiving arenas, and one question dominates before a ball is kicked at St James’ Park: who stands next to Virgil van Dijk?

Centre-back call defines Iraola’s first team sheet

Joe Gomez is out after picking up an injury in pre-season. Giovanni Leoni is already a long-term absentee. Strip it back and Iraola’s choice is brutally simple: Araujo or Jeremy Jacquet.

Both were given a half each in the final friendly against Como last weekend. Jacquet, the summer signing from Rennes, seized his moment with a goal on his Anfield bow just before the break, a neat headline for a defender still bedding in.

But the story behind the scenes is less straightforward. Jacquet has been playing catch-up for months. Shoulder surgery in February at Rennes stalled his momentum, and his pre-season has been fragmented, short on the sharp, competitive minutes Iraola’s system demands. Throwing him straight into one of the league’s most intense away days would be a bold call.

Araujo offers something different: familiarity with the chaos. He has already felt the noise and hostility of St James’ Park and shown he can cope with it. For a manager taking charge of his first competitive game, that kind of experience can look very reassuring on a teamsheet.

Right now, all signs point to Araujo getting the nod alongside Van Dijk, with Jacquet held back, at least initially, as a powerful option to grow into the season.

A largely settled side around the big decision

Beyond that central defensive dilemma, Iraola’s first Liverpool XI almost picks itself.

Alisson will anchor the side in goal. In front of him, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are set to complete a back five that should give Liverpool pace and aggression in wide areas, key ingredients in Iraola’s high-energy blueprint.

In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch is expected to start, with Dominik Szoboszlai alongside him. Trey Nyoni turned heads over the summer with mature, confident displays, but for this opening test Iraola is likely to lean on the greater experience and physical presence of Gravenberch and Szoboszlai in the engine room.

Curtis Jones will not be involved. The midfielder has travelled to Italy to finalise his move to Inter Milan, removing another established option from Iraola’s first selection. Alexis Mac Allister, meanwhile, has barely featured in pre-season, clocking just 54 minutes after an extended post-World Cup holiday. That lack of rhythm makes a starting role on Sunday improbable.

Out wide, the situation is shaped by the market as much as the manager. With Liverpool not expected to complete deals for Bradley Barcola or Ibrahim Mbaye before Friday’s registration deadline, the responsibility falls to Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo to attack from the flanks. Between them, Florian Wirtz is set to operate as the No10, the creative hinge in Iraola’s structure.

Isak’s return adds extra edge

And then there is the centre-forward. Alexander Isak leads the line for Liverpool on his first return to St James’ Park since that seismic £125million move last summer.

The fee alone guarantees noise. The manner of his departure from Newcastle ensures the volume will be turned up even higher. A frosty reception awaits, and Isak knows it.

For Iraola, that edge might be no bad thing. A hostile crowd, a marquee striker under fire, a new manager trying to stamp his identity on a reshaped Liverpool side. The backdrop is volatile, the margins thin.

His first big call, though, remains simple on paper: Araujo or Jacquet next to Van Dijk. At St James’ Park, on opening weekend, he will discover very quickly if he has chosen right.