Liverpool's New Era Begins: Centre-Back Decision at St James' Park
A new Liverpool era begins at St James’ Park this afternoon, and Andoni Iraola’s first big call could define the tone of his reign.
Everything hinges on one question: who stands next to Virgil van Dijk?
Centre-back call sets the tone
With Joe Gomez out after a pre-season injury and Giovanni Leoni already ruled out long term, Iraola’s options are brutally simple. Araujo or Jeremy Jacquet.
Both were given an even share of minutes in the final friendly against Como, each playing 45. Jacquet even marked his first Anfield appearance with a goal just before the break, a neat moment that hinted at his potential on the ball and in the air.
But the story of his summer is more complicated than one header.
Jacquet has been playing catch-up. Fitness issues dogged his pre-season, and he arrives at Liverpool on the back of a disrupted year. Shoulder surgery at Rennes in February cut his game time to the bone, and he has not had a sustained run of competitive minutes for six months. Throwing him straight into one of the most hostile away grounds in the Premier League would be a bold move, even for a coach as front-foot as Iraola.
Araujo, by contrast, knows what awaits. He has already felt the noise and the edge of St James’ Park and shown he can cope with it. In a fixture that still ranks among the toughest trips in the league – even with Newcastle’s turbulent summer – that experience matters. It may be enough to tilt the decision his way.
Back line and midfield largely settled
Beyond that central defensive dilemma, Iraola’s first Liverpool XI almost writes itself.
Alisson will anchor the side in goal, with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez expected to complete a dynamic back five alongside Van Dijk and whichever centre-back wins the manager’s trust. It is an aggressive, attacking defensive unit, built to squeeze space and break forward quickly.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch is in line to start, with Dominik Szoboszlai alongside him. Teenager Trey Nyoni did everything he could in pre-season to force his way into the conversation, impressing with his composure and range of passing, but this feels like a day for senior legs and established profiles.
Alexis Mac Allister is unlikely to be thrown in from the start. He has only 54 minutes under his belt this summer after an extended post-World Cup break and is still building sharpness. Curtis Jones, once a natural alternative in that role, is no longer in the equation after his move to Inter Milan.
New faces, familiar tension up front
Out wide, the picture is shaped by the transfer market as much as the training ground.
Liverpool have yet to land Bradley Barcola or Ibrahim Mbaye, while talks continue over Yankuba Minteh. That leaves Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo as the expected starters on the flanks, tasked with stretching Newcastle and feeding the man at the heart of the story.
Florian Wirtz should slot into the No 10 role, the creative hinge between midfield and the front line. On the bench, Victor Munoz will be watching closely, hoping this is the day his Liverpool career officially begins with a debut cameo.
And then there is the centre-forward.
Alexander Isak returns to St James’ Park for the first time since his British record £125 million move to Liverpool last summer. The fee alone guarantees noise. The manner of his departure means the reception will be even harsher. Newcastle supporters are not likely to forgive or forget quickly, and every touch will be judged, every miss seized upon.
For Iraola, that hostility is both a problem and an opportunity. Araujo or Jacquet must withstand the storm at one end. Isak must walk into it at the other.
Liverpool’s new era starts in the kind of cauldron that quickly reveals who is ready – and who is not.
