Liverpool’s Defensive Frailties Come Home to Roost in Another Alarming Defeat

Liverpool took the field at home at Anfield on Saturday for the first time this summer, but it was another preseason match that ended in a worrying defeat for Andoni Iraola.

Early goals from Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz handed the Reds a 2–0 lead inside the first 30 minutes. But Monaco pulled one back before halftime through Aleksandar Golovin, before the scoreline was leveled early in the second half by Mika Biereth.

The match looked to be heading towards a 2–2 draw, until Monaco snatched a late winner from Paris Brunner, a goal from a corner with only two minutes of the 90 left.

There was a lot of good and plenty of bad about Liverpool, with Iraola able to select a starting XI closer to what we might see when the new Premier League season begins in two weeks than he was during the recent U.S. tour.

There are still gaps that add some caveat to the result, but things will need to improve sooner rather than later.

Wirtz, Isak Era Begins

Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak — Life at Liverpool has been tough for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

A year later than planned, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak might just be ushering in a new era at Liverpool. Signed in club record deals one after the other last summer, neither had the debut campaign at Anfield they would have hoped for—Isak, in particular.

Used to being the focal point at Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz never looked at ease in the same team as Mohamed Salah, but now has his opportunity to shine in what looks likely to be a fresh approach under the guidance of Iraola.

It’s now two goals in 105 minutes of preseason action for the German star. His goal was a scrappy effort in a crowded six-yard box, but he was willing to shoot overall and was combative in his individual duels. Arne Slot never really made the most of Wirtz last season, but Iraola already looks like he won’t be repeating those mistakes.

As for Isak, his clinical 16th-minute strike was a thing of beauty, finishing off a sharp team move, and is the kind of thing fans had hoped to see throughout last season. Poor fitness going into 2025–26 and then a broken leg meant he was never anywhere close to his best, but a ruthless performance here already suggests 2026–27 will be far better.

It’s been a while since a Liverpool No. 9 struck fear into the heart of opposition defenses, but maybe that’s about to change.

Three More Goals Conceded

Virgil van Dijk does not have a partner. | Peter Byrne/PA Images/Getty Images

But, if Liverpool cannot defend, what good is it having those riches in attack?

For the second match running, the Reds led 2–0 and then started leaking goals. Leeds United scored four unanswered goals in the second half alone at Soldier Field in Chicago last Sunday.

It wasn’t quite as dramatic here, but the Reds still gave up three goals to lose the match.

Virgil van Dijk still lacks a senior partner. Teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe played until halftime, at which point he was replaced by midfielder Wataru Endo.

Liverpool didn’t have a senior center back on the bench, which goes some way to explaining the club’s sudden pursuit of Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo. There are positive reviews of Jérémy Jacquet, but the young Frenchman has seen his preseason disrupted by injuries straight after a shoulder problem prematurely ended his 2025–26 campaign.

Right now, Liverpool are too defensively fragile and easy to score against.

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Without the latter, the Reds could struggle.

First Glimpse of Victor Munoz

Part of the mass of substitutions Iraola made with an hour on the clock, Víctor Muñoz got his first unofficial minutes as a Liverpool player.

The winger, signed from Osasuna in mid-June, was unused on the bench throughout Spain’s triumphant World Cup run and so this was his first opportunity to play since scoring in a 2–1 defeat to Espanyol in La Liga on May 17, a full 12 weeks ago.

Muñoz didn’t have a lot of time to impress, but one thing that caught the eye of supporters was his speed and the directness he offered. This is not a Salah-esque winger who will drift infield and score a lot of goals, but someone a lot more traditional in his play.

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