Liverpool's Defensive Woes: Fitness Concerns for Jeremy Jacquet

Liverpool face a nervous wait over Jeremy Jacquet’s fitness as Andoni Iraola’s reshaped side stumbles towards the new season with a patched-up defence and a double-header against Como on Sunday.

Centre-back crisis shadows Iraola’s first steps

This was not how Iraola imagined his first pre-season at Anfield. A new era, yes – but not with just one fully fit senior centre-back.

Virgil van Dijk stands alone as the only fully available central defender, with Liverpool juggling three separate concerns in that position. Jacquet, the £60million signing from Rennes, has yet to kick a ball in pre-season and missed the recent 3-2 defeat to Monaco with an unspecified issue.

The 22-year-old already saw last season cut short by a shoulder problem in France. Liverpool have eased him back into full team training this week, but with Como arriving for back-to-back friendlies behind closed doors at 11.30am BST and then a ticketed clash at 6pm on Sunday, August 16, 2026, his involvement is still in doubt.

Iraola is refusing to gamble. He pushed into the market to bring in Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona, a move that underlines just how stretched Liverpool are at the back.

Injuries mount as youngsters step up

The problems do not stop with Jacquet.

Giovanni Leoni is still working his way back from the ACL injury he suffered on debut in the Carabao Cup a year ago. Joe Gomez, another key option, limped out of the 4-2 win over Sunderland with a muscle injury and was replaced by Ifeanyi Ndukwe. That setback is expected to rule Gomez out of the start of the Premier League campaign.

So the academy door is open again. Newly-signed youngsters Ndukwe and Talla Ndiaye have both seen minutes in pre-season, as has Luke Chambers, as Iraola leans on youth to plug senior gaps.

The churn at the back has been relentless. Ibrahima Konate has already departed, leaving on a free transfer at the end of his contract to join Real Madrid. For a coach who wants intensity and aggression in every line, Iraola is still searching for stability in the one area where managers crave certainty.

There is at least one reassuring sight: Van Dijk returned to action against Monaco, and so did first-choice goalkeeper Alisson. For now, they are the pillars around which everything else is being hastily rebuilt.

Midfield questions and World Cup fatigue

The injury list is not confined to the defence.

Curtis Jones has been hampered by a hip problem, an unwelcome complication at a time when his name continues to be linked with a move to Inter Milan. He missed the Monaco defeat but is back in training, giving Iraola another option if he chooses to edge closer to his likely Premier League XI this weekend.

Two more key names are being handled with care. World Cup finalists Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz have both returned to the club after deep runs with their national teams. Their fitness levels are being closely monitored, with no rush to overload them before the competitive games begin.

Further back, Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike are long-term absentees with knee and Achilles injuries respectively, adding to the sense that Iraola’s first pre-season has been as much about medical reports as tactical sessions.

What Liverpool might look like against Como

Despite the uncertainty, a potential shape is emerging. If fitness allows, Liverpool could line up in a 4-2-3-1 that looks like this:

Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Ngumouha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.

Jacquet, Jones, Mac Allister and Munoz all remain doubts. Bradley, Leoni, Ekitike, Gomez and Danns are ruled out.

The temptation for Iraola will be clear: use these Como fixtures to test his strongest available XI and build rhythm before the Premier League kicks off. The risk is just as obvious. One more injury in central defence, and Liverpool’s season could start on the brink.

For a club used to setting the tempo, the question now is simple: can Iraola find solidity in time, or will August already feel like a damage-limitation exercise?