Three Takeaways From Andoni Iraola’s Victorious Debut As Liverpool Manager - Sports Illustrated

What the report says

Sports Illustrated reported that Andoni Iraola began his Liverpool tenure with a 4-2 preseason win over Sunderland on Saturday, in a match that offered an early look at the former Bournemouth manager’s approach. Liverpool went ahead after 13 minutes through Kieran Morrison, before Sunderland equalized with a long-range strike from Enzo Le Fée. Sunderland briefly led after the restart when Jeremie Frimpong lost the ball near his own box and Timur Tuterov scored.

Liverpool responded through Dominik Szoboszlai, who struck from outside the area, then took control with late goals from Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas. SI described the game as uneven, with visible preseason sharpness issues and heavy rotation; 44 players appeared overall. The outlet said the match still showed early signs of Iraola’s preferred style, including direct attacking moves, aggressive pressing and quick counter-pressing high up the pitch.

The report also highlighted concerns over Joe Gomez, who was withdrawn inside the opening 10 minutes with an apparent muscular issue. SI noted his recent availability problems and said Liverpool will hope the substitution was precautionary, especially with defensive depth already affected by Jérémy Jacquet missing the match after a knock.

Several younger Liverpool players were singled out for positive performances. Morrison scored the first goal of the Iraola era, James McConnell was influential despite an error before Sunderland’s second, Trey Nyoni contributed defensively and creatively, Calvin Ramsey assisted Chiesa after replacing Frimpong, and Koumas capped an active second-half display with Liverpool’s fourth. The result matters mainly as an early preseason marker, with SI framing it as a first glimpse of Iraola’s tactical foundation rather than a finished product.