Liverpool Intensifies Training Under Iraola as Araujo Joins
With the new season rushing into view, Liverpool’s work shifted up a gear at the AXA Training Centre as Andoni Iraola put his squad through an intense session that carried a clear message: time is running out, and standards are rising.
Only two friendlies remain before the Premier League kicks off — both against Como at Anfield on Sunday — and Iraola knows these next days on the grass might shape his first few months in charge. Transfers are still on the agenda, but on the training pitch he finally has almost everyone in front of him, including the returning Alexis Mac Allister after his post-World Cup break.
The countdown is real now. Newcastle away on the opening day, St James’ Park, 11 days to go.
Araujo steps straight in
All eyes inevitably drifted to Ronald Araujo. Liverpool’s new centre-back, fresh from Barcelona, cut a composed figure as he joined his new teammates, already carrying the sharpness of a full pre-season in Catalonia.
He didn’t look like a player easing his way in. He looked like a defender ready to be dropped straight into the line.
The expectation is clear: Araujo should get his first unofficial taste of Liverpool action in one of the two matches against Como, most likely alongside Virgil van Dijk. If that partnership clicks quickly, there is every chance he walks straight into the starting XI at Newcastle a week later.
He is still learning the surroundings, the voices, the triggers. But this is not a project player. Araujo arrives as an experienced organiser, someone Iraola can trust to adapt fast — which is exactly what Liverpool need with the season looming.
Defensive reinforcements stir, others wait
There was another encouraging sight at the back. Jeremy Jacquet, yet to feature in pre-season, took part in the outdoor session and moved with the urgency of a player desperate to catch up.
Iraola said last weekend that the French defender could be involved against Como. That remains the clear target. He was close to returning during the US tour; now he looks even nearer to finally getting minutes.
Not everyone is there yet. Giovanni Leoni and Stefan Bajcetic watched on from the side, working on exercise bikes as their teammates went through drills. Both remain some way off a full return and may need a few more weeks before Iraola can call on them in competitive action.
For a coach who wants intensity and aggression in every phase, seeing defenders back on the grass is a small but significant win. The full picture, though, is still incomplete.
Curtis Jones back in the mix — and in the spotlight
In midfield, Curtis Jones rejoined the group after missing the defeat to AS Monaco at Anfield with a minor issue. His presence instantly changes the feel of Iraola’s options in the middle of the pitch, and he is now in line to feature at the weekend.
Jones’ situation carries an extra edge. Inter Milan remain interested, yet have not put forward a bid Liverpool consider acceptable for the 25-year-old, whose contract runs out next summer. Iraola has already been clear: he wants Jones to stay.
The clock, however, is ticking. On his deal. On the window. On Liverpool’s decisions.
Jones is training as a key piece of Iraola’s puzzle. Whether he starts the season as one is now as much a question for the boardroom as it is for the training ground.
Work to do, like everyone else
Liverpool still have gaps to address and details to iron out before the real football starts. They are not alone. Across the division, even the heavyweights are adjusting: Manchester City have changed managers, other rivals are still reshaping squads and systems.
For Iraola, that only sharpens the importance of this period. These full weeks on the training pitch, without the strain of two games every seven days, will not last long. Once the first international break passes, the schedule tightens and the rhythm of two fixtures a week becomes the norm.
By then, the patterns need to be set, the partnerships settled, the new faces fully absorbed into the system.
At AXA, with Araujo already in the thick of it and Jones back driving the midfield drills, the foundations are being laid. The question now is simple: can Liverpool build quickly enough to hit Newcastle with the kind of intensity Iraola demands from day one?
