Andoni Iraola’s tenure as Liverpool manager opened on a bittersweet note Saturday as his team earned a 4-2 preseason victory over fellow Premier League club Sunderland in Nashville, only to lose defender Joe Gomez to an early injury.
The 29-year-old Gomez, who started at center-back and captained Liverpool for the match, was forced off after just eight minutes.
His premature exit dampened what was otherwise an energetic start to Liverpool’s summer tour of the United States, which featured goals from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas.
Iraola, who arrived from Bournemouth during the close season to replace the sacked Arne Slot, was making his managerial debut on the Liverpool bench.
Speaking after the final whistle, the Spanish manager admitted that losing Gomez was a significant blow to an already depleted squad.
"Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe," Iraola said in an interview published on the club's website. "We were happy because we were kind of going through all the training without losing any player. Unluckily for us, straight away we've lost Joe."
The injury to Gomez exacerbates what Iraola previously described as a "very thin" defensive unit. Liverpool are already navigating several absences across their backline, forcing the new manager to exercise extreme caution with player workloads during the early stages of preseason training.
Center-back Jeremy Jacquet, a new summer signing, is among those currently being managed conservatively. Jacquet missed several months of action due to a shoulder injury that cut short his previous season before his transfer to Liverpool. Iraola confirmed that the club will avoid rushing the young defender back into action too quickly.
"With Jeremy, we decided to take it easy with him," Iraola said. "He has been a lot of months without playing with a shoulder injury. So, I think we are going to take it easy with him. He will probably play the last game of this U.S. tour and he will have time to have minutes."
Liverpool's defensive depth is further tested by the ongoing recovery of Giovanni Leoni, who continues to rehabilitate following a long-term injury, and the absence of star center-back Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk was granted additional rest by the club following his participation with the Netherlands in the World Cup.
Despite the personnel challenges in defense, Iraola emphasized that the match provided valuable physical conditioning and a baseline for improvement as the squad adjusts to his tactical demands.
"A lot of things to correct, obviously; it's the first day. You could feel the heavy legs; the players have been training," Iraola said. "So, we lacked some freshness. But it will give us a good starting point to improve things."
Liverpool will look to build on the performance as their North American tour progresses. Their slate of exhibition fixtures in the U.S. includes upcoming clashes against Wrexham in New York and Leeds United in Chicago.
Squad depth is expected to improve in the coming days as key international players return. Iraola confirmed that forward Alexander Isak, midfielder Florian Wirtz, and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch have arrived in Chicago after completing their post-World Cup breaks and are scheduled to rejoin squad activities shortly.
Upon concluding their swing through the U.S., Liverpool will return to Europe for two additional preseason matches against French side AS Monaco and Italian club Como.
Those matches will serve as the final preparation for Iraola's squad before they begin their Premier League campaign with a trip to face Newcastle United on Aug. 23.
