There is a point in every preseason when the talking has to stop and the football has to start looking like something more than a fitness exercise. Liverpool are getting close to that point now, and Andoni Iraola is not pretending otherwise: the signs are encouraging, the work is not finished, and Sunday’s double-header against Como 1907 is being treated as a serious final test rather than a friendly in name only.
That matters because Liverpool are down to their last summer friendlies, with the Premier League opener away at Newcastle United a little over a week away. This is the stage where you stop asking whether players are tired from travel or whether the pitch was perfect and start asking the one question that always matters: are they ready? Iraola’s answer is cautiously positive. He believes Liverpool are moving in the right direction, but he also made it very clear that there is still a lot of improvement to come.
Plenty to like, but no room for relaxation
Last weekend’s game against Monaco offered the kind of mixed evidence that preseason always produces. Iraola said the first half, especially the first 30 minutes, was very pleasing, and he was happy to see Alexander Isak get on the scoresheet and look sharp. He also felt there were good things both with and without the ball. That is the useful part of these games: not the result, but the patterns, the intensity, and the early signs of whether the team can sustain its levels once the real pressure arrives.
And that, according to Iraola, is where the work still lies. He said the problem against Monaco was similar to what had happened against Leeds in Chicago: Liverpool were not able to sustain their levels. That is not a small issue, and it is certainly not one a club can afford to dismiss lightly with the season about to begin. Preseason is not supposed to be flawless, but it is supposed to show progress. Liverpool, at least in Iraola’s view, are doing that.
His language was upbeat without drifting into fantasy. He spoke about the intensity, intent and energy he wants to see, and said there is still a lot of improvement to come. That is exactly the right tone at this stage. Liverpool do not need a glossy sales pitch. They need a final stretch of preparation that turns promising moments into a consistent standard. One good half against Monaco is useful. Doing it again against Como 1907 matters more.
There is also a practical boost in the squad building. Alexis Mac Allister returned to the AXA Training Centre on Monday, and Iraola said that means all of the players are back after the World Cup, which is hugely beneficial. That alone should sharpen the level of work in training and make Sunday’s double-header a cleaner evaluation of where Liverpool really stand.
And then there is the addition of Ronald Araujo, who joined the squad on a season-long loan from FC Barcelona on Monday. Iraola was plainly pleased to welcome a player of that quality and experience, and believes he will settle quickly and have a positive impact. That does not solve everything overnight, of course, but it does reinforce the feeling that Liverpool are trying to finish the summer with purpose rather than drift into the new season on reputation alone.
The final assessment is straightforward enough. Liverpool’s summer is not being judged on vibes, it is being judged on readiness. Sunday’s double-header against Como 1907 is the last checkpoint before Newcastle United, and Iraola’s message was clear: the platform is there, the potential is there, but the consistency still has to be earned. That is not panic talk. It is the sort of honest warning a serious club should welcome.
