Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has sounded the alarm over squad depth after his side surrendered another two-goal lead in pre-season.
Fans lined the streets outside Anfield to welcome Iraola and his players ahead of his first home match in charge of the club.
A sell-out crowd turned out against Monaco, with a palpable sense of excitement surrounding the ground at the beginning of a new era.
However, for the second successive game, Liverpool threw away a two-goal advantage, raising genuine concerns about the quality of the squad.
“We played a good first half, especially a good 30 minutes,” Iraola told LFC TV. “Right now we probably don’t have much more, in terms of the levels required to play like this.”
Iraola was frank in his post-match assessment, acknowledging that fatigue and a lack of depth had hurt his side as the game wore on.
“The last two we cannot sustain the level we want for all of the game,” he said. “As soon as we made some changes, players start to get tired and we cannot sustain that level. So, we have work to do.”
The issue of centre-back cover remains pressing, with 18-year-old Ifeanyi Ndukwe set to depart on loan due to work permit issues despite showing considerable promise.
Liverpool finished the Monaco game with Luke Chambers and Wataru Endo at centre-back, a combination that underlined the depth problem Iraola faces heading into the Premier League season.
Ronald Araujo, 27, underwent his medical on Sunday as his season-long loan move from Barcelona nears completion, with an option to buy for around £47.2m included in the deal.
Jeremy Jacquet, 21, is yet to feature in full training since completing his move from Rennes, having suffered a shoulder injury in February and more recently a minor knee problem.
“Jeremy Jacquet, we were in doubt whether to put him in,” said Iraola. “We decided not to, but he should be fine for the next one. It’s taking a bit more time than we were expecting.”
Iraola has two pre-season games remaining before the Premier League campaign gets under way, with a double-header against Como scheduled for 16 August.
The question of who will partner Virgil van Dijk at centre-back when Liverpool open their top-flight season at Newcastle remains unanswered for now.
Van Dijk made his return against Monaco alongside Alisson and Cody Gakpo after an extended post-World Cup break, offering some encouragement ahead of the new campaign.
Despite the defeat, the performances of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak provided real optimism, with the pair who cost a combined £225m catching the eye throughout.
Wirtz was Liverpool’s standout performer, while Isak opened the scoring with a composed right-footed finish as the two linked up impressively together.
There was even a moment of light-hearted confusion between the two forwards over who scored Liverpool’s second goal of the evening.
“I think we agreed that me and Flo, we both got a touch on the ball, but honestly I don’t know who got the first one or the last one,” Isak told LFC TV.
Isak also expressed his enthusiasm for working under the new manager, adding: “Really good. I feel like the spirit is good in the group and we’re all working hard to make things work. We’re going to make sure that we’re ready for the start.”
