Inside Liverpool’s summer so far – should fans be worried?
Liverpool's pre-season tour of the USA has highlighted a defensive fragility that manager Andoni Iraola will need to address before the Premier League season begins. Despite winning two of three matches, the club conceded four goals in a chaotic second half against Leeds United, exposing a lack of depth at centre-back and right-back following the departures of Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate, and with several defensive options unavailable or unproven.
Liverpool conceded six goals across three friendlies, four of them coming within a 25-minute spell against Leeds in Chicago, after fielding an inexperienced backline including several fringe and academy players. Captain Virgil van Dijk is back in training but still needs a regular partner at centre-half before the league opener at Newcastle in under three weeks, with Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and new signing Jeremy Jacquet all unavailable or eased back gradually. Sporting director Richard Hughes is expected to prioritise defensive reinforcements, while former captain Phil Thompson has called for senior players such as Dominik Szoboszlai to help fill the leadership void left by departed veterans.
- Liverpool's defence looked shaky in pre-season, especially against Leeds.
- Key defensive options are injured, unproven or newly departed.
- Club expected to prioritise centre-back and right-back signings before the season starts.
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Liverpool are one of English football’s leading clubs and play in the Premier League, the country’s top division. Before each season, teams play friendly matches to prepare, giving players a chance to build fitness and coaches a chance to assess their squads.
A centre-back usually plays in the middle of a team’s defence, while a right-back covers the right side. Clubs need enough experienced players in these roles to cope with injuries and a long season. Liverpool’s manager, Andoni Iraola, and sporting director Richard Hughes are responsible for preparing the team, while senior players such as captain Virgil van Dijk are expected to provide leadership.
The Premier League season brings regular matches against strong opponents, so defensive depth can affect a club’s results over time. Liverpool’s summer matters because the squad must be ready for the demands of the league, while new and younger players may need time to settle into bigger roles.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Pre-season has exposed genuine weaknesses that remain real problems come August. Liverpool are short of fit centre-backs with Van Dijk needing an experienced partner, and Robertson and Konate's departures represent significant losses of leadership and defensive experience. Conceding six goals across three matches demonstrates systemic issues beyond mere squad rotation, and with Newcastle in less than three weeks, the window to address these gaps is narrow. The pattern suggests not just missing personnel but a defensive structure that struggled even when Van Dijk was available.
The case against
Pre-season friendlies are inherently unreliable measures of competitive readiness, with managers deliberately rotating squads, experimenting tactically, and building fitness rather than seeking optimal results. Several key defenders were unavailable for legitimate reasons unrelated to planning, and the club's recruitment department is actively addressing these gaps. Liverpool's core defensive strength remains intact, and using experimental lineups against variable opposition provides little predictive value about how the side will perform when it matters most in Premier League fixtures.