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Andoni Iraola offers Liverpool hint as Chiesa struggles - 5 talking points

· Matt Addison · 2026-08-16T12:21:54+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Andoni Iraola offers Liverpool hint as Federico Chiesa struggles - 5 talking points in Como game one Liverpool drew 0-0 with Como at the AXA Training Centre. This is what we spotted as Victor Munoz excited but a couple of Andoni Iraola's stars missed a chance to impress. Liverpool and Como played out a largely uneventful 70-minute training game at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the same teams, with very different starting XIs, facing one another at Anfield later. There was very little to write home about in the first half, with the game having a very 'pre-season' feel. The second half saw a little more space open up for players to work in, but a breakthrough in terms of scoring was never that close. Victor Munoz was probably the most exciting player to feature, while it was not an outing for remember for either Federico Chiesa or Harvey Elliott, who haven't made much of an impression in the pre-season games this summer. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded. Victor Munoz lively Making his second appearance after arriving from Osasuna this summer, Munoz was very lively down the left-hand side. He held onto the ball for a little too long at times and his understanding with those around him understandably still needs work, but the Spaniard showed plenty of promise. Last season, Liverpool lacked explosiveness in wide areas, but Munoz appears to have the same changes of direction that Rio Ngumoha possesses. That he was named in the earlier team rather than the later one suggests that he won't be starting next weekend at St James' Park. As a lively player to introduce off the bench, however, it is an exciting prospect. Trey Nyoni involved If this team was made up of those who have missed out on starting at Newcastle when the proper stuff kicks off, then Trey Nyoni can count himself the unluckiest to be involved. This pre-season, the 19-year-old midfielder has excelled time and time again. Arguably, he has been the standout performer under Andoni Iraola to date. Here, James McConnell was moved out of position to keep Nyoni where he is best. He was, on occasion, a little over-confident, but his unassailable composure was evident again. If he doesn't start at Newcastle, he should come off the bench. Alexis Mac Allister returns At times, it was fairly obvious that Alexis Mac Allister was making his way back after a holiday, playing his first minutes since the World Cup. Relative to the circumstances, though, he was pretty sharp. When the season starts, Mac Allister will have to battle Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai for a place in the team in the deeper berths, though there will be plenty of minutes up for grabs. Just having another experienced option available to call on here was a major positive. If Mac Allister can get back to his peak level, Liverpool has an elite option — but he didn't show that last term. This was a decent enough first step in the right direction, where he got an hour under his belt. Federico Chiesa frustrates It would be fair to say that Chiesa didn't have a great game. The Italian struggled to keep the ball and whenever it was played into him, he rarely got a hold of it. Speed and acceleration-wise, the 28-year-old is lacking. As a result, it would be a concern if he had to fill in for Alexander Isak on a regular basis in the months to come as a result of those limitations. Chiesa wants to stay and fight for a place in the team, but he has started two Premier League games in two years. It doesn't feel like he is close to substantially adding to that tally. Final chance to impress For most of this group of players, the majority of whom won't feature later, the summer is over. The real stuff begins next week. Someone like Luke Chambers is likely to head to out on loan, while there are decisions to be made for some of those who are more established. It was probably a sign for Chiesa and Elliott that they are not going to be involved as much as they would ideally like that they played this game and not the later one. Even if either was keen to move on and get more regular minutes elsewhere, though, Liverpool doesn't have enough depth yet to consider letting them leave. When the Reds kick off against Newcastle next week, few of those involved here will feature — that will be over to the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez, who were watching on here from the balcony. Iraola will give a much bigger glimpse of what his plan is for St James' Park in just a few hours at Anfield.