Liverpool vs Newcastle: Premier League Opener with New Managers
Liverpool and Newcastle will open their Premier League campaigns at St James’ Park on Sunday with two new managers, two ambitious projects – and a long list of absentees on both sides.
Iraola’s first league game – but a thin squad
For Andoni Iraola, this is the first taste of Premier League football as Liverpool head coach. It will not be his first look at a full-strength squad. Far from it.
The Spaniard has spent pre-season juggling line-ups and rehabilitation schedules, and that theme continues into the opening weekend. Several of Liverpool’s long-term casualties remain nowhere near contention.
- Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni are all still out after serious problems carried over from last season.
- Bradley’s situation is the most severe: he is not expected to be back until 2027.
- Ekitike faces months more on the sidelines.
- Leoni, who suffered an ACL injury last September, is on track to return before both but could still spend around a year out.
Iraola must also do without Joe Gomez. The defender’s muscle issue ruled him out of the back end of pre-season and the Liverpool boss had already admitted it would be “impossible” for him to be ready for the start of the new campaign. The current hope is a return sometime next month.
So Iraola walks into St James’ Park with a new job, a clear idea of how he wants to play – and a chunk of his squad stuck in the treatment room.
Isak managed, but ready
Amid the absences, one key figure has at least made the trip. Alexander Isak’s fitness has been a talking point after the problems that dogged him last season, but Iraola struck a confident tone over the striker’s condition.
“Right now I think he is in a very good place, he's been training every day,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “He hasn't missed a training session, he's adding more and more minutes in every friendly game.
“I think that he already played a very good World Cup in terms of availability, fitness level. I want to keep him there as much as we can because we know his level and if we can keep him there, he will score the goals, he will give us a lot of things.”
Isak will still need to be managed, but he has travelled and is expected to be involved. For a side already light on options in certain areas, that matters.
Jaissle’s Newcastle also hit
On the opposite bench, Matthias Jaissle is also dealing with early-season disruption.
Newcastle have already had to absorb the summer exits of key midfielders Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. Now they must start the season without another powerful presence in the middle: Joelinton.
“For sure out for a couple of weeks but I don't want to go too much in detail as there will always be specialists involved,” Jaissle said. “The medical department is aware of it, we have top staff when it comes to that and I am really confident he will be back as soon as possible.”
The new head coach will also be missing Tino Livramento. The full-back’s World Cup hopes were wrecked by a training-ground injury in the United States, and this game comes far too soon.
“For sure, too early [to return against Liverpool],” Jaissle admitted. “He had just one training where he was partially involved.
“So we need to be smart with his progress now. We can't wait until he is 100% ready. He has huge potential and I love him.”
Two new managers. Two reshaped squads. Big names missing on both sides. St James’ Park will still be full and ferocious – but which patched-up project lands its first real statement of the season?
