--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-07-28T12:01:29.657Z last_updated: 2026-07-28T05:00:00+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/liverpool/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGl2ZXJwb29sZWNoby5jby51ay9zcG9ydC9mb290YmFsbC9mb290YmFsbC1uZXdzL2xpdmVycG9vbHMtY3VycmVudC1zdHJvbmdlc3QteGktc3RyZW5ndGhzLTM0MzU4NTA5 --- # Liverpool's current strongest XI - Strengths, weaknesses and what Reds need now - **Source:** - **Published:** 28 Jul - **Club:** Liverpool - **Original URL:** https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpools-current-strongest-xi-strengths-34358509 Liverpool beat Sunderland 4-2 in their opening friendly match of pre-season, a promising start to Andoni Iraola's reign and one that offered glimpses of what his side could look like in the season to come. The Reds - a mixed side of academy products, new signings and established senior options - moved the ball quicker between the lines, kept a more compact shape off the ball with wingers tucking in, and were positive in their counter-pressing and the number of bodies committed forwards. Pleasingly, the youth players and new teenage centre-backs Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye adapted well to Iraola's fresh approach, making the game a positive - albeit completely meaningless - omen for what lies ahead. However, the side that took to the pitch in Nashville on Saturday night was a far cry from a Premier League starting XI. Even accounting for the absence of the team's World Cup stars, who are yet to make a staggered return to training after some much-needed time off, there are major questions lingering over the makeup of Liverpool's squad going into the new season. These needs must be addressed if the Reds are to achieve their aim of improving on last season's disappointment, ideally by challenging for trophies again - retaining Champions League football should always be the absolute bare minimum for a club of Liverpool's stature. Looking at Liverpool's best starting line-up as things stand, who can Iraola rely on to push the Reds back into contention - and where are reinforcements most urgently needed? The man between the sticks for Liverpool is one player the Reds can count on. Alisson has had more than his fair share of injury absences in the last few years, and his suggestion that he missed games towards the back end of last season to keep himself fit for the World Cup may not have gone down well amongst many supporters, but (when fit) there are few goalkeepers more reliable than the Brazilian. That goes without saying. What is worthy of more consideration is who Liverpool have available in reserve, given Alisson has failed to make more than 35 appearances in any of the last three seasons. Cult hero Freddie Woodman has signed a new long-term contract after filling in admirably as third-choice keeper last season, while the big Georgian ahead of him - Giorgi Mamardashvili - is currently expected to stay as backup for another season. Goalkeeper, then, is as close to boxed off as any position in this team gets. Jeremie Frimpong wasn't exactly convincing for much of last season, either at right-back or further forward, but as things stand Liverpool have little else in the way of options. Conor Bradley remains out long-term with the knee injury he suffered against Arsenal in January, while Calvin Ramsay is likely to leave on loan or permanently. Joe Gomez could have started the season there, but the injury he picked up inside the first ten minutes of Saturday's friendly doesn't bode well for his chances of being fit for the season opener, or of being a reliable choice as first-choice starter. Frimpong it is then - until further notice. Iraola has lamented the lack of depth available to him in defence, and that should really mean Liverpool look at signing a player who can cover the next position, too. Virgil van Dijk will remain first-choice as he heads into the final year of the two-year contract extension he signed last summer. The Dutchman may have had his worst season at Liverpool last year, but the captain still leads the defence with authority and is a vital presence in the side with his composed passing and aerial dominance. His new partner looks likely to be Jeremy Jacquet, who took Ibrahima Konate's No. 5 shirt on arrival from Rennes after his compatriot made the switch to Real Madrid on the expiry of his contract. That was a statement of intent from Jacquet, who profiles well alongside both Konate and van Dijk as an excellent aerial defender with plenty of swagger on the ball - but as of yet, this is completely unproven in a Liverpool shirt. More than that, Jacquet has never played in the Premier League and has less than 60 games in total at senior level. To rely on him as first-choice - which Liverpool currently must, given the ongoing injury recovery of Giovanni Leoni and the potential absence of Gomez - is unfair and borderline negligent. Jacquet could be van Dijk's next great partner, but he needs to be given time to develop into the role. At least one more signing who is a natural option at centre-back is a must, and they ideally need to be able to play at right-back, too. Quietly Liverpool's best defender for parts of last season, Milos Kerkez hasn't yet shown the levels he reached at Bournemouth under Iraola but overcame a choppy start at Liverpool to provide a solid, if unspectacular, presence at left-back. Ironically, he was then dropped in favour of Andy Robertson for the Scot's final few games as a Liverpool player, but there is really no question this time around as to who will be Iraola's first-choice in the position. Kostas Tsimikas should provide adequate back-up as ever, but it is Kerkez who will be expected to raise his game and contribute more going forward in his second season at Anfield. He is still only 22, and strong showings against the likes of Bukayo Saka and Desire Doue last season demonstrated that Kerkez is more than capable of holding his own in the big games. He should only kick on from here. Two quality midfielders in Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones miss out on Liverpool's best XI as things stand, although that could still change depending on where Iraola sees Florian Wirtz's best position. In truth, despite a plethora of talent and big names, Liverpool's midfield last season was shaky at the best of times and its component parts were often playing confused roles that failed to get the best out of them. That doesn't excuse the alarming drop in performances seen from the likes of Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in particular, but it does suggest this could be helped by the arrival of a new tactical setup. As things stand, Gravenberch gets the nod over Mac Allister thanks to his greater physicality and ability to advance attacks with his ball-carrying abilities, while Dominik Szoboszlai was Liverpool's unchallenged player of the season last time out. Even so, there is a compelling argument to be made that Liverpool need a player in the centre of midfield who is more instinctively focused on control and shutting out the opposition than the options currently available. Wataru Endo can continue to be an important squad player, with there little sense in selling the experienced former Japan captain for minimal returns, but neither he nor the promising Trey Nyoni are of the level required to start week in, week out. While it isn't quite at the top of the priorities list, Liverpool should stay attentive to the market if a player capable of providing that structure and solidity becomes available. This is probably Liverpool's strongest outfield position. Even though Florian Wirtz failed to make as much of an impact as anticipated last season, he still chipped in with seven goals and 10 assists in all competitions and is well-primed to kick on in his sophomore year. If Iraola can get Wirtz purring in the No. 10, Liverpool's attack will fly. And if not, there's a space waiting for him in a wide playmaker role, leaving the aforementioned Szoboszlai to bring a more industrial - yet no less effective - approach through the middle. It remains to be seen where Iraola thinks the German dynamo fits best, but the quality he showed over several years at Leverkusen has not gone away overnight. Like Kai Havertz, he is a footballer of unique abilities, and a specific tactical plan must be employed to get the best out of him. Hopefully unlike Havertz, he can go on to show that consistently in England with the right support around him. Don't rule him out for player of the season if everything starts to tick. The wings were a major Achilles heel for Liverpool last season, and despite the signing of Victor Munoz that has not yet been addressed. Despite being six year's Munoz's junior, Rio Ngumoha has only made 10 fewer senior appearances (30) than the Spaniard (40), and - vitally - is already a settled part of Liverpool's senior squad. That puts him ahead of Munoz in the pecking order for now, although neither of the pair are right-sided wingers by trade. Ngumoha, for his part, has already indicated an eagerness to make more appearances on the opposite flank to his usual position as he looks to establish a regular role in the team. Provided Liverpool get the business done that they are looking to do, a more proven player should line up on the right for the first game of the Premier League season - be that Bradley Barcola or someone else. But with the squad as is for now, there is still plenty to get excited about when it comes to Ngumoha. Even on the right, he could terrorise full-backs next season with his current rate of development a frightening one. It seems strange to say of a player in his peak years who has made 180 appearances and scored 50 goals for Liverpool, but Cody Gakpo is a major question mark in this starting line-up. Despite a promising start under Jurgen Klopp and some big contributions during the title-winning 2024/25 season, Gakpo's 32 goals and 18 assists from 127 Premier League appearances isn't a stellar record and at times last season he was completely ineffective on the left flank. His position should come under threat from Munoz and Ngumoha - particularly if another top-class winger is signed to play primarily from the right - and Gakpo, to his credit, has typically responded well to competition. Rumours have circulated that the Dutchman isn't untouchable this summer, but there's no getting away from the fact that Gakpo is currently Liverpool's highest-calibre winger and could still play an important squad role next season. No player in the current Liverpool squad has scored more for the club than Gakpo, but that is arguably more of an indication of the importance of this summer's recruitment than of an especially prolific record in front of goal. If Gakpo is first-choice again, serious questions will remain over his ability to deliver consistently at the highest level - barring one of the most dramatic redemption arcs seen at Liverpool in recent years. Alexander Isak is the great unknown in this team, as Liverpool's fortunes will likely depend on how well the Swede is able to recover the levels shown at Newcastle that convinced Liverpool to make him the most expensive player in English football history. At his best, Isak is a prolific striker among the best in the world, but he has been a shadow of that since joining Liverpool last summer. He wasn't helped by breaking his leg when scoring against Spurs - which says it all, really - but Isak must also take his share of the responsibility for showing up unfit after a protracted transfer stand-off with Newcastle that saw him miss out on pre-season. His performances at the World Cup were much improved, but concerns still linger over Isak's stylistic fit. Far from being a central target man, Isak is a creative No. 9 who likes to drop deeper or drift over to the left at times - areas of the pitch that are already pretty congested in Liverpool's heavily right-footed team. Iraola will have been thinking up a plan to get the best out of his star striker all summer, and soon he will have the opportunity to work with Isak and attempt to get him sharp for the opening day of the season. And that match is? Newcastle at St James' Park. No one will be more desperate to make an impact on that game than Isak, and it could be the real litmus test for what we can expect from him - and, by extension, Liverpool - this season. Behind Isak, though, the situation is precarious. Hugo Ekitike's return is still out of sight as he continues to recover from a serious Achilles injury, leaving Federico Chiesa as the backup No. 9 with Munoz as another break-glass option. Isak is the unrivalled first choice, but hopefully whoever Liverpool bring in in wide areas can also contribute through the middle. Once those players are back, even without any transfers to make up the numbers, it's a starting XI that should still get the better of most teams in the Premier League. The proof will be in the pudding, and there are (still) major concerns over the right side of the defence and the chemistry of the attack, but Liverpool would be favourites against the Magpies all the same even if they lined up with that team. Needless to say, though, football is about far more than just your first 11 players in the modern era, and Liverpool's squad is severely undercooked; that needs to change if the Reds are to feel confident of avoiding a genuinely disastrous season this time out, having narrowly escaped a damaging finish outside the Champions League places last season. The targets for this campaign will be completely defined by the business that gets done between now and the end of the summer. Liverpool are very much in the middle of a rebuild, with Gakpo's status as club top scorer indicative of the scale of the problem, and it's therefore impossible to say with any certainty where they can expect to end up until we see those problems addressed. Looking at their rivals, it is worth remembering that Arsenal played 63 games last season and are due a dip. While their squad depth is strong enough to navigate that, it seems reasonable to expect that the Gunners might not be quite as strong as last year with fatigue and playing through injuries liable to have a delayed effect on several of their main men from last season. Manchester City and Chelsea, meanwhile, have new managers, and Manchester United under Michael Carrick are still taking shape. Aston Villa could find themselves there or thereabouts again, but that will require another dose of Unai Emery magic as the Birmingham side sell off key players such as Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans. As it stands, Liverpool's squad most likely puts them on course for Europa League qualification, with Champions League qualification a possibility - at a push - if Iraola can get an extra 10% out of his players as he did for Bournemouth. That would clearly be an unacceptable outcome. With good investment in the squad, though, the Reds are just as likely as any of their rivals to seize their opportunity in the post-Pep Guardiola era. Whisper it quietly but, if they can secure the right signings, there's no reason Liverpool can't deliver a much more convincing season and potentially challenge for the title. That is a big 'if', though.