Liverpool's New Era: Araujo or Jacquet in Defense?
A new Liverpool era begins at St James’ Park on Sunday, and Andoni Iraola’s first major call could define the tone of his reign.
It is not about the captain. Virgil van Dijk starts. The real question is simple and brutal: who stands next to him?
Araujo or Jacquet?
With Joe Gomez ruled out after a pre-season injury and Giovanni Leoni already a long-term absentee, Iraola’s options are stripped back. It comes down to Araujo or summer signing Jeremy Jacquet.
Both were given a half each in the final friendly against Como last weekend. Jacquet marked his first Anfield outing with a goal just before the break, a neat moment that hinted at why Liverpool moved for him.
But the story of his summer is more complicated than one header in a friendly.
Jacquet has been playing catch-up. Fitness issues dogged his pre-season, and he has barely had meaningful minutes in the last six months after shoulder surgery in February while at Rennes. Throwing him straight into one of the Premier League’s most hostile away grounds would be a statement. It might also be a risk.
That is where Araujo’s case strengthens. He has already felt the noise and chaos of St James’ Park and come through it, showing he can be trusted in one of the division’s most demanding fixtures, even with Newcastle’s problems over the summer. When a new manager is looking for reliability on day one, that kind of experience matters.
Iraola may still be tempted by Jacquet’s potential and his eye-catching cameo against Como. But all signs point to caution in week one.
Rest of the XI picks itself
Beyond that central defensive dilemma, Liverpool’s shape is far clearer.
Alisson will anchor the side in goal. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are set to complete the back five alongside Van Dijk and whichever centre-back wins Iraola’s trust.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch is expected to start, with Dominik Szoboszlai alongside him. Trey Nyoni turned heads in pre-season, but this looks like a day for established names rather than experiments.
Curtis Jones will not feature; he has travelled to Italy to finalise his move to Inter Milan. Alexis Mac Allister, meanwhile, has just 54 minutes of summer football in his legs after an extended post-World Cup break and is unlikely to be thrown straight into the starting XI.
Out wide, Liverpool’s plans are shaped by the market as much as by form. Deals for Bradley Barcola or Ibrahim Mbaye are not expected to be completed before Friday’s registration deadline, so Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo are in line to start on the flanks, with Florian Wirtz operating in the No 10 role.
Isak’s return to the cauldron
Up front, all eyes will be on Alexander Isak.
He leads the line for Liverpool on his first return to Newcastle since his £125million move last summer, a record transfer that still stings on Tyneside. The manner of that departure means he can expect a cold welcome, if not outright hostility, from the home support.
A new manager in the dugout. A reshaped attack. A defensive call that could go either way.
Liverpool’s season starts in the noise of St James’ Park, and Iraola’s first big decision will be made with 50,000 voices roaring against him.
