Liverpool projected lineup 2026-27: Can Andoni Iraola get the best out of Florian Wirtz after Mo Salah departure?

Liverpool projected lineup 2026-27: Can Andoni Iraola get the best out of Florian Wirtz after Mo Salah departure? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Liverpool are hoping for a bounce-back campaign as they begin life under Andoni Iraola with the 2026/27 Premier League season.

After winning the English top flight title two seasons ago, last year was a slog, as they barely clung to Champions League qualification with a fifth-placed finish, 25 points behind title-winners Arsenal. That cost Arne Slot his job, just a year on from lifting the domestic league trophy.

In to replace him is former Bournemouth boss Iraola, who is tasked with moving the Anfield club back into the title picture. He must do so without club great Mohamed Salah, who left after nine glorious seasons on Merseyside this summer.

The Sporting News looks at the Liverpool squad, how it shakes out and where each player is set to contribute toward the goal of more silverware across multiple competitions.

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Liverpool projected lineup 2026/27

Liverpool projected starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Alisson (GK) — J. Frimpong, J. Jacquet, V. van Dijk, M. Kerkez — D. Szoboszlai, R. Gravenberch — R. Ngumoha, F. Wirtz, C. Gakpo — A. Isak.

Liverpool second XI (4-3-3, right to left): G. Mamardashvili (GK) — C. Bradley, R. Araujo, G. Leoni, K. Tsimikas — A. Mac Allister, C. Jones — F. Chiesa, H. Elliott, V. Munoz — H. Ekitike.

Other squad players: F. Woodman (GK), J. Gomez, C. Ramsay, W. Endo, S. Bajcetic, T. Nyoni.

The most pressing lineup question for Andoni Iraola to answer ahead of the 2026/27 season is how he will formulate his attack behind the now-healthy Alexander Isak.

Cody Gakpo, who spent large portions of last season as a central striker, appears to be on track to lock down the starting left-wing position. On the right, replacing the departed Salah, it will be either Dominik Szoboszlai to bring Curtis Jones or Alexis Mac Allister into midfield, or young Rui Ngumoha with Szoboszlai dropping into midfield.

Iraola's biggest task in his first season as manager will be how to get the best out of Florian Wirtz. The German international didn't have a poor first season at Anfield, but it wasn't exactly an explosive arrival for Wirtz either. He will need to be put in the right position to succeed if he is to continue improving at his Premier League home.

It will be interesting to see how Iraola uses Alexis Mac Allister in midfield as well. The 27-year-old had an extremely poor season last year, but appeared revived at the World Cup this past summer with Argentina. Will he be pipped by either Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones in the middle, or will he reclaim his starting spot at the club level?

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Andoni Iraola tactics, style of play

As a player at Athletic Club, where he spent 12 years and made over 400 appearances, Iraola served under the great Marcelo Bielsa and his high-intensity, high-pressing football. The best teams from Bilbao were also famed for their rugged physicality on the pitch.

That aggression and willingness to fight were hallmarks of Iraola's time at Bournemouth, and will certainly come with him to Anfield as well.

Iraola typically played a 4-2-3-1 system, but this usually morphs into a 3-2-5 in possession. Both full-backs are tasked with providing attacking width on the ball side plus a holding midfield slot in between the two centre-backs on the off side.

Although Iraola encourages his teams to build from the back, he is happy to give his goalkeepers and centre-backs the freedom to go long when required. The speed at which his teams seek to reach the opposition's final third is something that puts him on the cutting edge of contemporary Premier League tactics.

Bournemouth's press displayed serious teeth under Iraola. They operated with a hybrid press, which starts off in a zonal structure before jumping into man-to-man high pressing when the ball is forced to one side of the pitch. In and out of possession, Iraola places an emphasis on the number of sprints and high-intensity runs his players are able to produce, which is why his preseason comments about Liverpool lacking the necessary fitness to execute his physical style were so poignant.

Liverpool new signings and outgoing transfers

Incomings

Outgoings

Liverpool strengths and weaknesses for 2026/27 season

Strength: Great manager

This Liverpool team is highly flawed, but they have filled the managerial vacancy this summer quite nicely by hiring Andoni Iraola, a manager who is not only tactically adept, but also an extremely good fit for this Liverpool team.

Iraola is a masterful tactician who can solve many of the issues Liverpool have defending transitional plays by solidifying their out-of-possession structure, while speeding up their direct approach and flipping a weakness into a strength.

As mentioned before, one of Iraola's biggest tasks will be to get Florian Wirtz back to his best from his Leverkusen days, and that should play well in his system where the forwards have fluidity and Wirtz has the freedom to range either forward next to Alexander Isak or back into midfield to progress the ball. He will have less ball progression to worry about under the new manager, as Liverpool will likely be more direct under Iraola.

Weakness: Depth, midfield solidity

This team's biggest weakness last season, unquestionably, was a lack of needle in midfield, where they were shredded consistently by counter-attacks up the gut.

That hasn't improved at all over the summer, where it will still likely be a mix of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Alexis Mac Allister in the middle, none of whom showed the real physicality needed to defuse opposition counter-attacks when Liverpool gave the ball away.

Not only that, but there's a serious lack of depth all over the pitch with this team. They have largely failed to replace Mohamed Salah on the right wing, pushing in lots of chips on young Rio Ngumoha and, even if they get Bradley Barcola, the wide players will be lacking. Hugo Ekitike will not be back for some time, leaving the striker role solely at the feet of Alexander Isak, who himself is not too far from a long-term injury, until that happens.

At the back, it's the same story, as 35-year-old Virgil van Dijk leads the Liverpool back line, with Ibrahima Konate replaced by Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo. Jacquet looks a real talent, but Araujo struggled mightily the past two seasons at Barcelona. Young Giovanni Leoni is still coming back from a long-term injury, and Joe Gomez cannot be trusted to stay fit. The full-back positions look similarly thin. The lack of solid back-up options is one that comes up throughout the squad.