Liverpool's New Era: Iraola's First Training Sessions

Under low, slate-grey Chicago skies, a new Liverpool era quietly took shape. On one pitch, Andoni Iraola barked instructions through the drizzle. On the other, Robert Lewandowski – now Chicago Fire’s 37‑year‑old marquee name – was rolling back the years, smashing penalties at the far end of the performance centre.

One of them skied high and wild just as Liverpool’s first open training session under their new head coach began. A small, almost throwaway moment. But it set the tone: big reputations, new surroundings, and a sense that careers and clubs are edging into their next chapters.

Szoboszlai, Jones and a storm in a social-media teacup

Earlier in the week, Liverpool’s pre-season had briefly become content for the algorithm. A clip from the win over Wrexham in New York showed Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones in a heated exchange, with Kostas Tsimikas also in the frame. Jones has been linked with Inter Milan; the footage, inevitably, was cast as a sign of deeper tension.

Szoboszlai moved quickly to cool it on Thursday, insisting the players were “in the same boat” and pushing for the same thing – the best for the club and each other.

Chicago offered the proof. Szoboszlai, Jones and Tsimikas strolled out together for training, laughing, juggling the ball between them, deliberately right in front of the cameras. Keepy-uppies, shoulder flicks, a bit of showboating. All smiles. No drama.

The flashpoint is understood to have stemmed from Szoboszlai handing the captain’s armband to Tsimikas instead of Jones. By Friday, the issue looked parked. A burst of competitive edge, nothing more.

But it also carried a message for Iraola. In a world where every gesture can be clipped, slowed down and shared from any seat in the stadium, some things are better handled away from the public eye. And with Andy Robertson gone and the vice-captaincy vacant, the new manager has a decision to make about hierarchy and responsibility.

Big names back, big calls ahead

On the grass, Liverpool’s squad is slowly knitting together.

Record signing Alexander Isak has rejoined training after missing the New York leg of the tour. He, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch all sat out the 1-0 win over Wrexham but are expected to feature on Sunday against Leeds at Soldier Field.

Jeremy Jacquet was absent from the main session, instead working in the gym as Liverpool carefully manage the shoulder injury he picked up in February. Iraola had suggested earlier in the week that the centre-back would be involved at the weekend, but his availability now looks doubtful.

Joe Gomez, already ruled out for the start of the Premier League season, was also confined to indoor work, a reminder that the new manager’s first competitive line-up will be shaped as much by medical bulletins as tactical ideals.

Iraola’s imprint: “Quicker, quicker”

Once the warm-up cones were cleared, Iraola’s personality took over the session.

He stayed close to the drills, rarely still, cutting in to adjust positions, correct angles, demand tempo. His voice carried across the complex: “Play in possession.” “Quicker, quicker.” Simple phrases, repeated, drilling in a rhythm.

The intensity ramped up. In the small-sided games, every goal sparked celebrations, high-fives and shouts, the kind of reaction you usually see when points are at stake, not just pride. The atmosphere felt light, but the work was sharp. Iraola did not hesitate to halt play, drag a player a few yards, and spell out exactly where he wanted them.

Then came the split. One group moved to a smaller pitch for a nine-a-side match, the other stayed behind to work on set-pieces with assistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper. Wirtz took charge of corners, whipping balls in as Elphick, bib on, stepped into the thick of it to contest deliveries and add a bit of chaos.

Watching from the sidelines was Mike Gordon, Fenway Sports Group’s president, back overseeing Liverpool’s operations. His presence in Chicago underlined the significance of this pre-season stretch. He is expected at Soldier Field on Sunday, a visible reminder that Iraola’s early work is being closely observed from the very top.

Respecting the past, building the future

Off the pitch, Iraola is also learning the scale of the club he has taken on.

Liverpool held a team dinner on Thursday night. Afterward, the Basque coach shared a beer with Phil Thompson and Robbie Fowler, icons of very different eras. Thompson later said they talked about the season ahead and about their families – football and life, in equal measure.

The generational gap is stark. Iraola was not even born when Thompson lifted the third of his three European Cups with Liverpool. Yet here they were, swapping stories in Chicago, the new head coach acknowledging the weight of the club’s history and the figures who built it.

That matters at Liverpool. The job is not just about pressing triggers and set-piece routines; it is about understanding what the badge represents and who has worn it before.

Three weeks remain before Iraola walks out for his first Premier League game as Liverpool manager. The real judgments will come then, and in the months that follow. For now, in the Windy City, the early foundations are going in: a clearer voice on the training pitch, a squad slowly reassembling, a hierarchy still to be finalised.

The question is not whether the seeds are being planted. It’s how quickly they will grow once the season’s storm hits.