Iraola's first Anfield match as Liverpool manager ends in Monaco defeat

Andoni Iraola made his debut as Liverpool's manager with a 3-2 friendly defeat to Monaco at Anfield on Sunday. The Spanish coach started with 11 changes and fielded Victor Munoz for his first appearance for the club. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz gave Liverpool a two-goal lead early on, but they failed to maintain it, similar to their loss to Leeds last week in Chicago. Monaco equalized through Aleksandr Golovin's penalty and Mika Biereth, before Paris Brunner secured the winning goal in the final minutes.

Iraola acknowledged that his side played well in the first half, particularly the initial 30 minutes. However, Monaco outperformed Liverpool in the second half, leading to the defeat. Captain Virgil van Dijk, goalkeeper Alisson Becker, and winger Cody Gakpo all returned to the starting lineup after the World Cup. Iraola expressed satisfaction with the energy levels of the returning players but acknowledged that they may lack stamina for a full 90 minutes.

The manager highlighted both positives and negatives from the match, emphasizing that the team will benefit from the experience gained. Liverpool's Premier League campaign begins with an away fixture against Newcastle on August 23.