Liverpool Faces Defensive Crisis Ahead of Como Test

Liverpool head into their final pre-season double-header against Como with a familiar knot in the stomach: not enough fit centre-backs and the Premier League kick-off looming.

New head coach Andoni Iraola, preparing for his first competitive games in charge, is already staring at a stretched squad in key areas. The most worrying gap is right at the heart of defence.

Centre-back crisis before a ball is kicked

Virgil van Dijk stands as the only fully fit senior centre-back, with three other options either sidelined or racing the clock.

Jeremy Jacquet, the £60million signing from Rennes, has yet to kick a ball in pre-season. An unspecified issue kept him out of the recent 3-2 defeat to Monaco and comes on the back of a shoulder problem that cut short his previous campaign.

There is at least a glimmer of relief: Jacquet is back in full team training ahead of Como’s visit. Iraola, though, is taking no risks. The Spaniard has already moved to reinforce the position, securing Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona to ease the strain.

Giovanni Leoni remains a long-term concern as he continues his recovery from the ACL injury suffered on his debut in the Carabao Cup a year ago. Joe Gomez has joined the list too, limping off during the 4-2 win over Sunderland with a muscle problem that is expected to rule him out of the start of the season. He was replaced that day by youngster Ifeanyi Ndukwe.

The reshaping of the back line has been further complicated by the departure of Ibrahima Konate, who left on a free transfer at the end of his contract and signed for Real Madrid.

Youngsters pushed into the spotlight

With senior options dwindling, Iraola has turned to youth. Ndukwe and fellow recent signing Talla Ndiaye have both been given minutes in pre-season, as has Luke Chambers, as Liverpool test their depth ahead of a gruelling campaign.

Van Dijk’s return to action against Monaco offered some stability, and first-choice goalkeeper Alisson was also back between the posts in that game. Those two at least give Iraola a spine to lean on while he juggles the rest.

Midfield worries and World Cup fatigue

The problems are not confined to defence.

Curtis Jones has been dealing with a hip issue, even as speculation links him with a move to Inter Milan. He missed the Monaco defeat but has since returned to training, giving Liverpool hope he can feature before the season begins.

There is also a watchful eye on World Cup finalists Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz. Both have rejoined the squad after deep runs with their national teams, and the club will carefully monitor their fitness levels before loading them with heavy minutes.

Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike are out for the longer term with knee and Achilles injuries respectively, further limiting Iraola’s options across the pitch.

Final audition at Anfield

Despite the setbacks, most of the squad is available and Iraola still has the chance to shape what looks like his first-choice side across Sunday’s back-to-back fixtures at Anfield.

Liverpool face Como behind closed doors at 11.30am BST, before a ticketed friendly later that evening at 6pm BST on Sunday, August 16, 2026. How bold Iraola goes with his selections remains to be seen: does he risk his strongest XI twice, or spread the minutes and protect fragile legs?

A likely line-up, if fitness allows, points to a 4-2-3-1:

• Alisson;
• Frimpong, Jacquet, van Dijk, Kerkez;
• Szoboszlai, Gravenberch;
• Ngumouha, Wirtz, Gakpo;
• Isak.

Jacquet, Jones, Mac Allister and Munoz are all listed as doubts. Bradley, Leoni, Ekitike, Gomez and Danns are ruled out.

For Iraola, the equation is brutally simple. With the Premier League just around the corner and his first chapter at Liverpool about to be written, he needs bodies on the pitch and answers at centre-back — and he needs both fast.