Houston: Liverpools new head coach Andoni Iraola will use the World Cup as a fact-finding mission on the players he has inherited, as well as scouting those he could add to refresh a squad that suffered in a miserable defence of their Premier League title. As he settles in after succeeding sacked Arne Slot, Spaniard Iraola will have had an intriguing day gathering intelligence as he had an interest in all games on day four of the tournament.
According to BBC, Florian Wirtz arrived at Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen last summer amid a British record £116m deal but remained an enigma as he fell short of expectations. This is why Iraola will have been intrigued by what he saw from Wirtz in Germany's 7-1 win against Curacao. In Houston, Wirtz played on the left, perhaps giving Iraola food for thought, especially as Cody Gakpo had a poor season in that position. Wirtz had 39 touches in the final third, instrumental as Germany ran riot.
Former England striker Chris Sutton, in Houston for BBC Radio 5 Live, noted that Wirtz looked happy in a German jersey, at ease and playing with freedom. Iraola will hope to lift the weight off Wirtz's shoulders at Liverpool. Virgil van Dijk will remain one of the main pillars of Iraola's new Liverpool era. Van Dijk's performance for the Netherlands in their 2-2 draw with Japan in Dallas only confirmed this impression.
Ryan Gravenberch, who Iraola will hope to return to form, was solid and created Van Dijk's opening goal with an inviting cross. Gravenberch also provided the assist for Crysencio Summerville's second goal for the Dutch.
Iraola, however, may have wanted to see more from Cody Gakpo, who had a subdued match against Japan. Gakpo's game had descended into predictability in Liverpool's struggles last season, and he fell into similar traps against Japan.
RB Leipzig's 19-year-old Yan Diomande has been the name on the lips of many as the target to take the place of Mohamed Salah. Diomande showed promise in Ivory Coast's 1-0 win against Ecuador, creating five chances and troubling Arsenal's Piero Hincapie. Diomande's positive approach was reflected in 22 passes in the attacking third.
Alexander Isak's record £125m move to Liverpool from Newcastle United became a nightmare of lost form and injuries. However, Iraola will have been thrilled to see Isak showing scintillating form as Sweden thrashed Tunisia 5-1 in Monterrey. Isak's performance will have heartened Iraola as he demonstrated strength and awareness, setting up a goal for strike partner Viktor Gyokeres.