Iraola left with plenty to ponder after Liverpool's second-half collapse in Chicago

Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States concluded with a 4-2 loss to Leeds United in Chicago, leaving manager Andoni Iraola with significant concerns about his squad's depth and physicality.

The match proved a tale of two halves. Iraola described the first-half display as arguably the best since he took charge, with returning stars Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz impressing. Wirtz capped a fine team move in the 40th minute, while Luke Chambers had opened the scoring from a corner after Milos Kerkez's touch.

However, the second half saw a complete capitulation. Leeds scored four times without reply within 25 minutes, exposing a lack of squad depth and an inexperienced backline that ended with Calvin Ramsay, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, and Mor Talla Ndiaye. Iraola made a raft of changes at the break, but he admitted that offered no excuse for the way his team fell apart.

Set-piece defending was a particular worry, with two goals conceded from such situations. Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai acknowledged the team must improve in that area. The manager's demanding intensity, so evident in the first half, was nowhere to be seen after the interval, and senior players Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa struggled to make a positive impact.

Iraola had already spoken about the uncertainty of the August transfer window, and this defeat is likely to influence his decisions. Liverpool made no new signings during the US tour, partly because Iraola wanted to assess the squad first. He is due to meet Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Alisson Becker, and new arrival Victor Munoz at the training center in the coming days. Alexis Mac Allister will join later after being granted extra time off following Argentina's World Cup campaign.

Among the positives was the performance of teenager Trey Nyoni, who impressed again and is likely to earn more first-team minutes despite loan interest. The match also took place amid a busy Chicago sports weekend, with Lollapalooza and a Yankees-Cubs MLB series in town.