Andoni Iraola pleased with Liverpool progress, but room to improve is evident

Liverpool closed out their 2026-27 pre-season schedule with a 2-0 victory over Como at Anfield, and the post-match message from Andoni Iraola was clear, there were encouraging signs, but there is still work to do before the Premier League opener at Newcastle United.

First-half goals from Cody Gakpo and debutant Jeremy Jacquet settled the contest, capping a productive evening after the clubs had earlier played out a goalless meeting at the AXA Training Centre. For Iraola, the result mattered, and so did the manner in which his side saw it through.

Liverpool fitness levels moving in right direction

Fitness and rhythm were always going to be central themes in this final warm-up fixture, and Iraola believes the squad is trending upwards physically. Several players got through heavy minutes, which was a significant marker at this stage of the summer.

“I think we are better than we were last week. Still, I hope next week we are better than we were today.”

He continued, “But today a lot of players played 90 minutes, 80 minutes and they finished [with] no cramps, apparently nothing major. So, it’s keep building these fitness levels, this also [mentality] even when you are not as fresh [to] keep the focus so you don’t make the big mistakes.”

That said, Iraola was measured in his verdict and pointed to a familiar issue across pre-season, with the drop-off after the break still an area requiring attention. In his words, “I think it’s an improvement but still – especially second half – we need to be better.”

Premier League opener now the focus for Andoni Iraola

The immediate task now is to use the final training block wisely. Iraola sees the coming weeks as vital, particularly for relationships on the pitch and for embedding the finer details of his approach. As noted in the original club interview, the head coach is using this period to sharpen cohesion across the group.

He said, “At the end, we need training, we need to train together. Some of the players that have started playing today, we need to build relationships, the players to have this option to solve problems by themselves in the pitch, analyse what we can improve – especially second half today. This needs time.”

There is also growing evidence that the squad is taking on board what is being demanded of them. Iraola explained, “Yes, I think everyone understands. We need every player, every time, every minute, every action – and that’s the commitment.”

He added, “I’m very happy with the attitude of the players. They are training really well. I am asking them to do things that are a little bit different – especially without the ball – and I think they are trying to get it.”

For Liverpool, the 2-0 win over Como offered a timely lift. For Iraola, it was a useful final check-point, with defensive structure, fitness progression and encouraging debuts all part of the picture before the real business begins.