Two up, three down, one alarm bell
Liverpool were 2–0 up at Anfield after 29 minutes. Florian Wirtz scored, Alexander Isak scored, and the new era under Andoni Iraola had lift-off. Then Monaco scored three unanswered and Paris Brunner won it late (1) (4) (12). Pre-season friendlies are for fitness, not post-mortems, but no Liverpool manager wants his first Anfield outing to end with a 2–3 defeat built on a defensive collapse. Iraola got exactly that.
The defensive question Iraola cannot dodge
Liverpool finished last season with two draws and two defeats, conceding four at Villa Park (RECENT RESULTS). The Monaco friendly was not an isolated stumble. It was the same pattern wearing different shirts: early control, then structural fragility when the game stretched.
Virgil van Dijk returned to the starting XI and teenage centre-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe impressed alongside him, earning James Pearce's praise as "so composed and commanding" (9) (5). But Ndukwe cannot play for Liverpool this season. Work-permit criteria will force a loan, and the club knew that before kick-off (13). So the one defender who caught the eye on Sunday will not be available at Newcastle in two weeks.
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That makes the Ronald Araujo move essential, not optional. He arrived for his medical this weekend and the season-long loan from Barcelona includes a £55m option (9) (10). Hansi Flick's parting words were diplomatic but pointed: "Our way of playing is different from what he prefers" (5). Liverpool are betting Iraola's system is what Araujo prefers. With the league opener at St James' Park on August 23, he needs to settle fast.
The Jones situation is real
Curtis Jones did not feature against Monaco. He was omitted from the squad entirely, with Inter in talks to sign him (7) (14). When a senior midfielder is left out of a pre-season friendly at Anfield while negotiations are ongoing, the message is not subtle. Jones looks like a player heading for the exit.
What to watch
Newcastle away, August 23. That is the only date that matters now. The Araujo deal needs completing, the Gakpo situation remains live with Tottenham told £70m is the price (17), and Ibrahim Mbaye is reportedly keen on a move to Anfield from PSG (18). Iraola has two weeks to turn a pre-season collapse into a competitive team. The defensive patterns from Sunday will either disappear as a harmless August curiosity or harden into something more troubling. St James' Park will tell us which.
