He looked happy in a German jersey, at ease and playing with freedom.
A new manager inherits not just a squad but a set of unanswered questions, and Andoni Iraola has found in the World Cup an unlikely classroom. Watching his players perform under the pressure of the tournament's grandest stage, the Spaniard is learning which investments still hold value, which promises remain unfulfilled, and where the architecture of a rebuilt Liverpool might begin. It is the oldest managerial ritual — taking stock of what one has before deciding what one needs.
- Liverpool's collapse defending their Premier League title left Iraola inheriting a squad in urgent need of diagnosis and reinvention.
- Florian Wirtz, a £116m enigma at Anfield, suddenly looked like his price tag against Curacao — raising the question of whether a settled position was all that was ever missing.
- Virgil van Dijk anchored the Dutch defense with authority while Cody Gakpo's predictability resurfaced, sharpening the contrast between Liverpool's reliable pillars and its unresolved liabilities.
- Alexander Isak, whose £125m arrival had been swallowed by injury and disappointment, emerged from a 5-1 Swedish win looking fit, confident, and finally like the striker Liverpool paid for.
- Nineteen-year-old Yan Diomande's electrifying display for Ivory Coast intensified Liverpool's pursuit of a Salah successor, with Iraola's history of developing young talent making the fit feel purposeful rather than speculative.
Andoni Iraola arrived at Liverpool with a difficult inheritance — a squad that had failed to defend the Premier League title and a season best forgotten. Days into his tenure, the World Cup offered an unexpected opportunity: a live audition in which his players and potential signings would reveal themselves on the largest stage in football.
The most expensive puzzle in his squad, Florian Wirtz, offered a flicker of hope. The £116m signing from Bayer Leverkusen had drifted through his first Anfield season without a settled role, but playing on the left wing for Germany in a 7-1 win over Curacao, he looked transformed — creating the opener, making 39 touches in the final third, and moving with the sharpness that had justified his fee. The suggestion was simple: find him a home on that left flank, and Liverpool might finally unlock what they paid for.
His Dutch contingent told a more complicated story. Virgil van Dijk, man of the match in a 2-2 draw with Japan, remained the defensive cornerstone Iraola can rely upon, scoring a header and making crucial late clearances. Ryan Gravenberch was composed and creative. But Cody Gakpo struggled, his habit of cutting inside — a pattern opponents had long since decoded — offering little against a disciplined Japanese side.
The most compelling figure, however, had not yet signed for Liverpool. Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger, was man of the match as Ivory Coast beat Ecuador, creating five chances and troubling defenders with a combination of pace and technical confidence. The rawness of youth was visible, but so was the potential — enough to explain why Liverpool and PSG were both watching closely. Iraola's record of nurturing young attackers at Bournemouth made Diomande feel like a natural fit.
Alexander Isak, whose £125m move from Newcastle had been derailed by injury and a broken leg, provided perhaps the most encouraging sign of all. Against Tunisia, the Swedish striker ran with confidence, won physical duels, and set up a goal for Viktor Gyokeres before departing to a man-of-the-match award. With fellow striker Hugo Ekitike sidelined until next year, Iraola will need Isak exactly as he appeared in Monterrey — healthy, purposeful, and ready.
Andoni Iraola arrived at Liverpool with a squad in disarray and a season to forget behind them. The Spanish manager, fresh from Bournemouth, inherited a team that had collapsed in its attempt to defend the Premier League title, and now faced the immediate task of understanding what he had and what he needed. The World Cup, beginning just days into his tenure, offered an unexpected gift: a chance to watch his players perform on the biggest stage while scouting targets who might help rebuild.
On the tournament's fourth day, Iraola had reason to feel cautiously optimistic about at least one of his most expensive acquisitions. Florian Wirtz, the £116 million signing from Bayer Leverkusen, had been a puzzle throughout his first season at Anfield—talented but adrift, moved between positions, never quite settling into the role that justified his record transfer fee. Against Curacao, playing on the left wing for Germany in a 7-1 rout, Wirtz looked like a different player. He created the opening goal with a delicate touch, made 39 touches in the final third, and moved with the kind of freedom and sharpness that had eluded him in a Liverpool shirt. Former England striker Chris Sutton, watching from Houston, noted the contrast: "The Liverpool fans who watched the game, especially in the first half, would be wondering if it was the same Florian Wirtz who played for them last season." Iraola will be hoping that finding Wirtz a settled position—perhaps that left flank—can unlock the player Liverpool paid so much to acquire.
The manager's Dutch contingent offered mixed signals. Virgil van Dijk, now 34 and approaching his 35th birthday, remained the bedrock of the defense. In the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Japan in Dallas, Van Dijk was voted man of the match despite his team surrendering the lead twice. He scored a header to put the Dutch ahead and then spent the closing stages making a succession of crucial clearances as Japan pressed. Ryan Gravenberch, the holding midfielder Iraola hopes to restore to the form he showed when Liverpool won the league under Arne Slot, was solid and created Van Dijk's goal with a precise cross—a moment that became only the second time a Liverpool player had both scored and assisted in a World Cup match since 1966. But Cody Gakpo, the third member of the Dutch trio, looked subdued. His predictability last season—cutting inside repeatedly, a tactic opponents had learned to read—resurfaced against Japan, and he struggled to make an impact even as Gravenberch created chances elsewhere.
The most intriguing figure for Iraola's future, however, was someone not yet at Liverpool. Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old winger from RB Leipzig, delivered a man-of-the-match performance as Ivory Coast beat Ecuador 1-0. Playing on the right flank in the first half—the position he would occupy if he arrived to fill Mohamed Salah's vacant role—Diomande created five chances, troubled Arsenal's Piero Hincapie with electrifying runs, and showed both power and technical skill when Ecuador doubled up to contain him. He made 22 passes in the attacking third, a measure of his aggressive approach. There is rawness in his game, the kind of wastefulness you might expect from a teenager, but the evidence was clear enough to explain why Liverpool and Paris St-Germain were both circling. Iraola's track record at Bournemouth of developing young talent—he had worked with 19-year-old Junior Kroupi and the Brazilian forward Rayan—suggested Diomande might be exactly the kind of prospect he could mold.
Alexander Isak, meanwhile, offered perhaps the most encouraging sign of all. The Swedish striker's £125 million move from Newcastle had become a nightmare: four goals in 22 appearances, injuries, and a broken leg suffered in December that derailed his entire campaign. Against Tunisia, in a 5-1 Swedish victory in Monterrey, Isak looked like the player Liverpool had paid for. He ran at the defense with confidence, showed strength to dispossess Tunisia's captain, and set up a goal for Viktor Gyokeres in the second half. Named man of the match, Isak departed in the closing moments looking fit and purposeful. With fellow striker Hugo Ekitike sidelined until next year with an Achilles injury, Iraola will need Isak healthy and in form. The World Cup had given the new manager a window into what his squad could become—if he could restore the players he had inherited and add the right pieces to fill the gaps left behind.
Notable Quotes
The Liverpool fans who watched the game, especially in the first half, would be wondering if it was the same Florian Wirtz who played for them last season. He looked happy in a German jersey, at ease and playing with freedom.— Chris Sutton, former England striker
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What does a manager actually learn from watching his players in a World Cup, especially when they're playing against weaker opposition?
It's not just about the quality of the opponent. You're seeing your players in a different context—away from the pressure and the tactical constraints of club football. Wirtz against Curacao might seem like a soft test, but Iraola got to see him playing with freedom, in a position that worked, without the weight of expectation. That's valuable information.
So the World Cup is really about psychology as much as performance?
Exactly. Isak looked fit and confident against Tunisia. That matters because he spent most of last season either injured or doubting himself. Iraola needs to know if the player is back mentally, not just physically. Same with Gakpo—he fell into the same bad habits against Japan that plagued him at Liverpool. That tells you something about what needs to change.
What about Diomande? He's 19 and playing for a team that's not a traditional powerhouse. How much can you really trust what you see?
You're right to be skeptical. But Iraola has already shown he can develop teenagers—he did it at Bournemouth. What he's looking for at that age isn't perfection; it's the raw ingredients. Diomande has pace, technical ability, and he's not afraid to take on defenders. The wastefulness will improve with experience and coaching.
Is there a risk that Iraola is seeing what he wants to see—confirmation bias?
Always. But he's also got the advantage of time. He can watch the footage again, compare it to what these players did in the league, talk to his scouts. The World Cup is just the opening conversation, not the final word.
What's the biggest problem he still has to solve?
Replacing Salah. That's the gap that keeps him up at night. Diomande might be the answer, but he's 19 and unproven at the highest level. Iraola is betting on his ability to develop young talent, but that's a long-term play in a league that demands immediate results.