Liverpool 4-2 Sunderland – US Pre-Season Tour Underway

I know it’s only preseason.

I’ve heard it all already.

“Don’t read too much into it.”

“It’s only Sunderland.”

“The result doesn’t matter.”

And to a point, I agree.

Preseason isn’t about league tables or trophies. It’s about fitness, learning a new system and giving players opportunities to impress.

But if you watched Liverpool’s 4-2 win over Sunderland and came away thinking we learned nothing, then I think you’ve missed the point entirely.

Because I learned plenty.

More importantly, I think Andoni Iraola learned plenty too.

The biggest thing I took away from his first game as Liverpool manager wasn’t the scoreline. It wasn’t even some of the excellent individual performances.

It was confirmation that this manager knows exactly how he wants Liverpool to play.

Now the club have to give him the players to do it.

Iraola’s Identity Is Already Clear

Even after one preseason game, you could already see the differences.

The aggression.

The willingness of the centre backs to step forward.

The intensity without the ball.

The speed at which Liverpool wanted to regain possession.

It wasn’t perfect. It was never going to be.

But there was a clear identity.

That’s what excited me more than anything.

We’ve all spent weeks watching clips from training and listening to Iraola speak about energy, intensity and pressing. It’s one thing hearing those ideas explained in a press conference.

It’s another thing actually seeing them appear on the pitch.

The second half, in particular, felt like a glimpse of what this team could become.

Once Dominik Szoboszlai came into the game, Liverpool looked completely different.

He’s an absolute Rolls-Royce of a footballer.

He dictated the tempo, pressed aggressively, drove the team forward and capped it all with a superb goal. It was exactly the type of performance you expect from somebody who should become one of the leaders of this team.

There was a purpose to everything Liverpool did.

That’s what I’ve been waiting to see.

The Academy Is In Safe Hands

One of the biggest positives from the night was seeing so many young players embrace the opportunity.

Trey Nyoni looked completely at home.

Every time he plays, he seems to belong at this level a little bit more.

Personally, I’d love to see him remain around the first team this season because I genuinely think he’ll continue to develop under Iraola.

Kieran Morrison caught the eye once again.

Lewis Koumas gave another reminder of his quality.

Joshua Abe produced one of my favourite moments of the evening, not because of a spectacular goal or assist, but because of his maturity.

He drove at Sunderland’s defence, recognised the opportunity wasn’t there, recycled possession and seconds later Liverpool scored.

That’s football intelligence.

Those are the little moments coaches absolutely love.

Even Rio Ngumoha showed both sides of his game.

You could see the raw talent, the willingness to attack defenders and the confidence to receive the ball under pressure.

At the same time, you could also see there are still areas to improve.

Sometimes he held onto the ball a fraction too long.

That’s completely understandable.

He’s young, fearless and learning.

You’d much rather be telling a young winger when to release the ball than trying to teach him how to beat defenders in the first place.

Positives Shouldn’t Hide The Problems

As encouraging as the evening was, it also reinforced something I’ve been saying throughout the summer.

Liverpool still need players.

Joe Gomez’s injury after only a few minutes was a horrible reminder of how quickly plans can change.

Hopefully it proves to be nothing serious.

But if there’s one lesson Liverpool should take from that moment, it’s that relying on luck is not a recruitment strategy.

The two young centre backs who came into the game handled themselves brilliantly.

They showed courage.

They showed composure.

They’ve every reason to be proud of their performances.

That doesn’t mean Liverpool should suddenly decide they don’t need another experienced centre back.

It means the opposite.

Protect those young players.

Allow them to develop naturally instead of forcing them into situations before they’re ready.

The same applies at full back.

Costas Tsimikas did nothing to convince me he’s the long-term answer as deputy on the left.

On the opposite side, I actually thought Calvin Ramsay looked brighter than Jeremie Frimpong after coming on.

Again, preseason comes with plenty of caveats, but none of it changes the bigger picture.

Liverpool still need reinforcements.

Nothing I watched tonight altered that opinion.

If anything, it strengthened it.

Build On The Momentum

There was another moment during the game that impressed me.

Liverpool went behind in the second half.

Nobody panicked.

Nobody dropped their heads.

The team kept playing, trusted the process and eventually ran out comfortable winners.

That’s exactly the mentality Iraola wants.

There was resilience.

There was belief.

There was energy right until the final whistle.

You could already sense players buying into the manager’s ideas.

That’s incredibly encouraging after only one match.

Fede Chiesa looked sharp and deserved his goal.

Freddie Woodman enjoyed another positive outing after signing his new contract.

The senior players looked hungry.

The youngsters looked fearless.

Overall, there was far more to enjoy than criticise.

But here’s where I come back to the point I’ve made repeatedly this summer.

Iraola looks like the right man.

The atmosphere around the squad feels fresh again.

The coaching looks outstanding.

The players appear fully committed.

Now FSG and Richard Hughes have to play their part.

The foundations are there.

The ideas are there.

The optimism is back.

Don’t waste it.

Go and give this manager the squad he deserves.

Because after watching the first ninety minutes of the Andoni Iraola era, I genuinely believe Liverpool have something exciting to build.

Now it’s time for the people upstairs to finish the job.

Much love.