Andoni Iraola's problems laid bare as 12 players to miss new Liverpool boss' first game

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When Andoni Iraola boarded the plane for Liverpool's pre-season tour, he was travelling light. The Reds arrived in America with a squad missing most of its biggest stars.

Either through injury or because they're still on holiday after the World Cup , a total of 12 players will miss Saturday's first friendly against Sunderland in Nashville. That isn't an ideal situation for any manager with less than a month to go until the start of a season, nevermind one fresh into the job .

Iraola comes from a settled environment at Bournemouth , where for all three years the vast majority of squad were available from the opening day of pre-season. The same goes for his assistants - Tommy Elphick , Shaun Cooper, Pablo de la Torre and Tom Webber - who've followed him from the south coast to Merseyside.

But Iraola and his coaching staff aren't the only men at Anfield with headaches. Liverpool's recruitment team are working on new signings , with the clock ticking on the summer transfer window and the launch of the club's new era at Newcastle on August 23.

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Whether it be inside the dressing room or on the training pitch, the absence of players such as Alisson Becker , Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch is only making Iraola's task harder. The Spaniard would've liked to have worked the trio from day one, as they're expected to be pillars of his starting line-up.

Getting those characters to buy into his philosophy will be crucial, with the squad apparently at odds with how Arne Slot operated during his second and ultimately final season. Earlier this week, Iraola suggested that Alexis Mac Allister and fellow World Cup finalist Victor Munoz could miss the trip to St James' Park altogether as they catch up after a long summer.

But in more positive news, the Reds boss did confirm that Gravenberch, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz will join up with their team-mates at their base in Chicago next week. Iraola hopes that giving players ample time off will serve Liverpool well over the course of the season.

"We cannot only think in the short term and the first game against Newcastle; we have to also understand, especially in the case of Alexis, who played a lot of minutes during the season and a lot of minutes in the World Cup, that they deserve this rest," the ex-Bournemouth manager explained. "All the others should be fine to arrive in perfect conditions to the first game."

Where will Liverpool finish this season? Give us your prediction in the comments section .

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Although Liverpool have welcomed two new players into the fold this summer, Iraola still isn't satisfied and made it clear to owners Fenway Sports Group in his first press conference that he 'needs more' signings. The £60million signing of Jeremy Jacquet was completed in January while Munoz represents the Reds' only bit of summer business at first-team level.

Yan Diomande is a top target, but Liverpool face competition from Real Madrid , Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal . Real recently saw their £85m bid rejected by RB Leipzig , who are demanding upwards of £100m for the 19-year-old Ivorian winger.

Should Diomande end up at PSG, then the door may well open for Liverpool to sign Bradley Barcola, who Arsenal also have on their list of targets. Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche has been touted as another option, with the wide forward areas clearly a priority at Anfield.

Iraola also wants defensive reinforcements, stressing that Liverpool are 'very thin' at the back. "With the centre-back, with the right-back situation, in terms of defensive depth, we are, I think, very thin right now, so I think it's a solution that we are trying to find, yes," the 44-year-old told reporters.

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It's not all bad news for Liverpool, though. The wait for regular starters to return and their slow summer transfer window will give players on the fringes a chance to impress.

Against Sunderland, we're likely to see a raft of youngsters used. Ones to watch out for include Kieran Morrison, Will Wright and Josh Sonni-Lambie as well as 16-year-old sensation Josh Abe.

In addition, several players whose futures are uncertain could be given the opportunity to convince Iraola. Kostas Tsimikas , Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott were all named in Liverpool's initial 31-man squad, which also included players still recovering from injury like Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Stefan Bajcetic, Wataru Endo and Hugo Ekitike .

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The dugout isn't the only area where change has taken place this summer. FSG's chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, left his position a fortnight ago, despite having a year remaining on his contract.

And Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes - who worked with Iraola at Bournemouth - could follow after the window closes, as he's been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal . If that's not all, FSG are in talks to sell a minority stake.

A consortium led by ex-Queens Park Rangers co-owner Amit Bhatia is negotiating with FSG over a 30 per cent stake for a cool £1.35billion. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has held initial discussions about joining the consortium.

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