Andoni Iraola's Liverpool Dilemma: Who Partners Van Dijk?
Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool step into the unknown at St James’ Park on Sunday, but one dilemma has dominated his first big selection meeting: who stands next to Virgil van Dijk?
With Joe Gomez ruled out after a pre-season injury and Giovanni Leoni already on the long-term list, the choice is stripped back and stark. It’s Araujo or Jeremy Jacquet.
Both were given an audition in the final friendly against Como, each playing 45 minutes. Jacquet even marked his first Anfield outing with a goal just before the break, a sharp reminder of his presence in both boxes and a glimpse of why Liverpool moved for him in the summer.
Yet the story of his pre-season has been less straightforward. The French defender has battled for rhythm and conditioning, short on minutes over the last six months after shoulder surgery at Rennes in February. He is talented, clearly, but still catching up.
That is where Araujo’s case strengthens. He has already felt the heat and noise of St James’ Park and come through it, proof that he can be trusted in one of the Premier League’s most hostile away arenas. Newcastle may have endured a turbulent summer, but the ground has not lost its edge. Iraola knows that. He also knows this is not the stage to gamble on a half-fit centre-back if he can avoid it.
Predicted Line-Up
The rest of the XI almost writes itself.
Alisson anchors the side in goal. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are set to complete the back five alongside Van Dijk and whoever wins that central-defensive shootout, giving Liverpool pace and aggression on both flanks.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch is expected to line up with Dominik Szoboszlai. Trey Nyoni turned heads across pre-season with his composure and confidence, but the opening day points towards experience and physical presence in the middle of the park.
Curtis Jones will not be part of the picture at all. He has flown to Italy to finalise his move to Inter Milan, drawing a line under his Liverpool chapter on the eve of a new era. Alexis Mac Allister, meanwhile, is unlikely to be thrust straight in from the start. The World Cup winner has played only 54 minutes for the club this summer after an extended break and remains short of full match sharpness.
Out wide, Liverpool’s plans have been shaped by the market as much as by form. Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye are not expected to arrive before Friday’s registration deadline, so Iraola is set to turn to Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo on the flanks. Between them, Florian Wirtz is poised to operate as the No 10, the creative hinge in Iraola’s attacking structure.
Alexander Isak's Return
And then there is the centre-forward.
Alexander Isak returns to St James’ Park for the first time since his record £125 million move last summer. He leads the line for Liverpool now, not Newcastle, and the reception from the home support is unlikely to be warm given the manner of his departure. Every touch will be judged. Every miss, every chance, every sprint chased or abandoned will draw a reaction.
For Iraola, that noise is the backdrop, not the main act. His first Premier League line-up, his first big call at centre-back, his first attempt to blend Wirtz, Gakpo and Isak into a coherent threat — all of it will be measured against what happens on Sunday afternoon on Tyneside.
A new era starts in one of the hardest places to hide.
