On the flight home from Chicago, Andoni Iraola will have plenty to consider after Liverpool’s United States tour ended with a 4-2 defeat by Leeds.
Liverpool produced arguably their finest first-half performance since Iraola took charge, but collapsed after the interval as Leeds scored four unanswered goals in the space of 25 minutes. Although Iraola changed several players at half-time and made further substitutions during the second period, the scale of the capitulation could not be explained away by those alterations.
The match exposed concerns over Liverpool’s squad depth and physical strength, while Leeds found it alarmingly easy to create and finish chances. The quality of the opposition’s finishing was assisted by an inexperienced Liverpool defence, which ended the game with Calvin Ramsay, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Kostas Tsimikas in it.
Liverpool were excellent before the break, with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz making their returns to the starting line-up. That display means Iraola will not want to overreact to the result, but he may ultimately regard the second half as a valuable warning before the competitive season begins.
Liverpool’s weakness at set pieces was also exposed, while the intensity Iraola demands in training disappeared after half-time. Senior players including Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa were unable to impose themselves as Leeds took control.
“I particularly hate this month of August because you start the competitions and you still don’t know if some of the players are going to leave and who’s going to come – there is a lot of uncertainty,” said Iraola earlier in the week.
The Liverpool manager will meet Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Alisson Becker and new signing Victor Munoz in the coming days at the AXA Training Centre. Alexis Mac Allister will then be the only first-team player Iraola has yet to meet, having been given additional time off after Argentina’s run to the World Cup final.
Munoz, who did not play a minute during Spain’s successful World Cup campaign, will return earlier and be available to help with his integration into the squad.
Liverpool have made no signings during their fortnight in the United States. Iraola had wanted to assess the squad already at his disposal before deciding where reinforcements were required, and what he saw in the defeat by Leeds will inevitably influence those decisions.
“I think we learn a lot of things. Obviously it’s not the result you want but I think (it was) probably the most useful friendly we played – in a positive way in the first half and in a negative way in the second half,” said Iraola. “I think we’ve learned a lot and I think we can take good conclusions and solve some things.”
Isak and Wirtz provide encouragement
Iraola’s team selection against Leeds showed that there is little time to waste before the season starts. Isak and Wirtz were both included despite the condition of the pitch suggesting that their involvement carried some risk.
Their combined £225m price tag from last summer gave Liverpool’s line-up a level of star quality suited to Chicago, a city which hosted the Lollapalooza Festival and a Major League Baseball series between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.
The pair justified their selection during an impressive opening 45 minutes. Isak looked sharp, while Wirtz scored as Liverpool pressed Leeds aggressively and circulated possession with confidence.
Liverpool’s first goal came from an unexpected source. Luke Chambers had spent the second half of the previous season on loan at Charlton Athletic, but a shortage of centre-halves led Iraola to use the left-back in the middle during the friendly against Wrexham. Chambers retained his place against Leeds after that experiment.
He had impressed Iraola in New York and opened the scoring in the seventh minute, striking firmly from inside the penalty area after Milos Kerkez had got a touch to Szoboszlai’s corner.
Rio Ngumoha created problems from his favoured position on the left, while 19-year-old Trey Nyoni continued an encouraging pre-season with another assured performance.
In the 40th minute, Nyoni delivered a cross-field pass towards Jeremie Frimpong. Frimpong cut the ball back for Wirtz, who completed a flowing move involving Isak to make it 2-0.
Nyoni has been linked with a loan move this summer, but his performances suggest he could remain with Liverpool and receive more first-team opportunities this season.
He played only 229 minutes in 2025-26, yet Iraola has spoken highly of his qualities, particularly his confidence in possession and his willingness to play forward.
