Andoni Iraola's first week at Liverpool confronted a hard reality: Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson had departed, and the rebuild would come through internal promotion, not replacement. Eight players were still away on World Cup duty. The decision on leadership would fall to younger shoulders.
Iraola handed the vice-captaincy to Dominik Szoboszlai, and the 25-year-old understood the weight of it.
"I'm 25," Szoboszlai said. "Mo left, Robbo left, so our vice-captain left and a club legend as well. Both of them are club legends. We're going to miss them for sure and now someone else has to step up and if it's me, I'm ready to do it."
That willingness to step up is central to Iraola's strategy. He is not attempting to replace Salah and Robertson with fresh acquisitions. Instead, he is redistributing responsibility across a squad that must mature quickly.
"Definitely there are going to be changes," Iraola said. "A lot of senior players, players who have won everything here have left and we need other players to not replace them but assume (more responsibility) in terms of inside and outside the pitch."
The reshaping will be deeper than titles and slogans. Iraola is conducting a fitness and mood audit at Kirkby, his training base, watching how players move through intensity work and how they respond to his modified fitness tests. Those eight World Cup players will return at different times, with different levels of sharpness. When they arrive, Iraola's decision on who fits his vision for the rebuild — and who doesn't — will follow.
The inheritance
The squad Iraola stepped into is a sobering one. Liverpool finished 5th last season with 60 points from 38 games — a campaign marked by 17 wins, 9 draws, and 12 losses. More troubling is the trajectory. In the final five Premier League matches, the club won twice and lost three times, including 3-2 to Manchester United and a 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa. That downturn matters because Iraola cannot hide behind Klopp's past. He inherits a squad in decline, not at its peak.
The departures compound the challenge. Salah and Robertson are not merely names on a team sheet. They are trophies won, midfield orchestrated, left flank commanded. They represented the club's last decade of success. Virgil van Dijk remains at 35 with a contract expiring next summer — a reassuring presence, but no solution to the leadership void.
The pre-season trap
Iraola knows a hard truth about friendlies. In 2013, Iago Aspas joined Liverpool from Celta Vigo and scored and assisted on his pre-season debut. The bright start suggested smooth integration. In competitive matches, he managed one goal before the move fell apart and he returned to Spain. Iraola, who has seen countless pre-season hopes evaporate come September, will not be fooled by friendly performances.
Eight players returning from the World Cup will dust themselves off and likely look sharp in early training. Pre-season matches may see the club move the ball well and score freely. None of it is the real test. The real test is how Szoboszlai and the other younger players respond when the league begins and the margin for error shrinks.
What the reset means
Iraola's gamble is legible: rebuild through youth and internal promotion, not aging reinforcement. Szoboszlai, who captains Hungary, now carries the vice-captaincy at Liverpool. That is a show of confidence, and it is a risk. The 25-year-old will be asked to galvanize a squad that finished 5th and lost two of its biggest names in a single off-season.
The rebuild has begun. Iraola has not promised quick fixes or a return to title contention overnight. He has promised to build a culture of skepticism about pre-season and a willingness to invest in youth. That is the reset Liverpool needed. The real test comes in August, when the season begins and Szoboszlai's vice-captaincy meets actual opposition.
FAQ
How is Andoni Iraola rebuilding Liverpool?
Iraola is rebuilding through internal promotion rather than direct replacement of Salah and Robertson. He named 25-year-old Dominik Szoboszlai vice-captain to redistribute leadership across the younger squad tier. His strategy prioritizes younger players already at the club assuming more responsibility.
Why did Iraola promote Szoboszlai to vice-captain?
Following the departures of Salah and Robertson, Iraola needed to redistribute leadership across the squad. Szoboszlai, 25, who captains Hungary, is being asked to step up alongside other younger players. Iraola has stated that senior players who departed must be followed by younger ones assuming responsibility inside and outside the pitch.
What squad did Iraola inherit at Liverpool?
A 5th-place team that collected 60 points over 38 games (17 wins, 9 draws, 12 losses). The form deteriorated sharply in the final five matches: 2 wins and 3 losses, including defeats to Manchester United (3-2) and Aston Villa (4-2). Iraola inherits a squad in decline.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
