Liverpool's Premier League Era Begins Under Iraola: Injury Woes
Liverpool’s new Premier League era under Andoni Iraola begins at St James’ Park on Sunday – and it starts with a headache.
The Spaniard walks into his first league game in charge already shorn of a sizeable chunk of his squad, while opposite number Matthias Jaissle faces his own early selection problems for his Newcastle United debut.
Iraola’s first test comes with a casualty list
Iraola has barely seen his full group together. He won’t see it this weekend either.
Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni all remain long-term absentees after serious injuries last season. None of the three are in contention for the trip to Tyneside.
Bradley is not expected back until 2027, underlining the severity of his setback. Ekitike is also out for months yet, while Leoni is ahead of both in his recovery but still facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering an ACL injury last September. A year out is still on the table for the young midfielder.
Joe Gomez joins them in the stands. The defender’s muscle injury ruled him out of the latter stages of pre-season and Iraola had already admitted during the summer that it would be “impossible” for Gomez to make the opening day. The timeline now points towards a return sometime next month.
So Liverpool’s new boss heads into his Premier League bow with his options trimmed before a ball is kicked.
Isak fit – but on a tightrope
The spotlight has also fallen on Alexander Isak and how Liverpool intend to manage their key forward after last season’s fitness issues.
Iraola insists the Sweden international is in a strong place physically and has travelled with the squad.
“Right now I think he is in a very good place, he's been training every day,” the head coach said in his press conference. “He hasn't missed a training session, he's adding more and more minutes in every friendly game.
“I think that he already played a very good World Cup in terms of availability, fitness level. I want to keep him there as much as we can because we know his level and if we can keep him there, he will score the goals, he will give us a lot of things.”
The message is clear: Isak is ready, but he will be carefully handled. For a side already missing several pieces, keeping their main striker on the pitch could define the early weeks of Iraola’s reign.
Jaissle’s Newcastle also patched up
Newcastle’s summer has already been turbulent. Key midfielders Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes have gone, ripping out the core of a side that had become used to their presence. Now Jaissle must start life in the Premier League without another major figure.
Joelinton is out.
“For sure out for a couple of weeks but I don't want to go too much in detail as there will always be specialists involved,” Jaissle said. “The medical department is aware of it, we have top staff when it comes to that and I am really confident he will be back as soon as possible.”
It leaves Newcastle light on power and aggression in the middle of the pitch just as they attempt to reset under a new head coach.
Tino Livramento is also unavailable. The full-back saw his World Cup hopes wrecked by a training-ground injury in the United States and is nowhere near ready to be thrown straight back in.
“For sure, too early [to return against Liverpool],” Jaissle admitted. “He had just one training where he was partially involved.
“So we need to be smart with his progress now. We can't wait until he is 100% ready. He has huge potential and I love him.”
Two new managers, two patched-up squads, and one of the league’s most unforgiving fixtures to open the season. Whoever adapts quickest to the absences on Sunday might just set the tone for everything that follows.
