Two More Injuries Show Liverpool Cannot Keep Papering Over Their Defensive Depth
Nashville gave us a scoreline that flattered the concern underneath it. Liverpool won 4-2 against Sunderland, but anyone watching closely came away more worried about the back line than pleased about the goals. Andoni Iraola lost two centre-backs either side of kick-off, and that is not the kind of note pre-season is supposed to end on.
Jeremy Jacquet was withdrawn before the game even started with what has been described as a minor issue, and then Joe Gomez followed him out of the action inside the first few minutes. With Virgil van Dijk left at home and Giovanni Leoni still working his way back from an ACL injury, Iraola had nobody left to turn to but Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, two academy defenders getting senior minutes out of necessity rather than choice.
Jacquet Given a Realistic Return Window
Iraola was refreshingly direct about the situation afterwards. His words made clear that Gomez’s setback overshadowed everything else on the night, and that the plan for Jacquet is deliberately cautious given how long he has been out. Expect him to be pointed towards the final match of the US tour rather than rushed back for Wrexham, which is the sensible read given the layoff he is working through.
That timeline is not a disaster on its own. Managing a returning player carefully in pre-season is standard practice, not a red flag. The concern is less about Jacquet specifically and more about what his absence exposes elsewhere.
Gomez’s Injury Is the More Worrying Story
Iraola offered little detail on what actually happened to Gomez, and vague answers after a match usually mean the club genuinely does not have a clear picture yet, rather than that they are hiding one. Pre-season injuries with unclear severity have a habit of becoming bigger stories than they first appear, and Liverpool will want quick clarity here before assumptions start to spread.
If Gomez needs any real time out, Iraola is straight back to leaning on Ndiaye and Ndukwe, which is fine for a July friendly and considerably less fine once competitive points are on the line.
Our Take
Depth at centre-back has been a live issue at Liverpool for a while now, and nights like this one in Nashville are exactly why it keeps coming up. Two injuries in one match is partly misfortune, but it also confirms there is almost no cushion behind the first choice pairing. That is not a new observation, it is one supporters and pundits have been making for months, and it just got harder to dismiss.
Blooding Ndiaye and Ndukwe is not inherently a problem. Academy defenders need senior football to develop, and pre-season is the right environment for that kind of exposure. The issue is being forced into it through absence rather than choosing it as part of a plan. Those are very different situations, even if they look identical on a team sheet.
With the transfer window still open, Liverpool have the means to fix this properly rather than hope Van Dijk, Jacquet and Gomez all stay fit at once, which is not a plan any club should be relying on heading into a competitive season. Jacquet’s return is coming. Gomez’s situation needs watching. And the centre-back depth question is not going away just because Liverpool won on the night.