Andoni Iraola's problems laid bare as 12 players to miss new Liverpool boss' first game

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Andoni Iraola will take charge of his first game as Liverpool manager on Saturday, as the Reds face Sunderland in Nashville to kick-off their pre-season tour of the United StatesWhen Andoni Iraola boarded the plane for Liverpool's pre-season tour, he was travelling light. Liverpool's recruitment team are working on new signings, with the clock ticking on the summer transfer window and the launch of the club's new era at Newcastle on August 23.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FB PAGE!

Iraola hopes that giving players ample time off will serve Liverpool well over the course of the season."We cannot only think in the short term and the first game against Newcastle; we have to also understand, especially in the case of Alexis, who played a lot of minutes during the season and a lot of minutes in the World Cup, that they deserve this rest," the ex-Bournemouth manager explained. Give us your prediction in the comments section.Transfer troublesAlthough Liverpool have welcomed two new players into the fold this summer, Iraola still isn't satisfied and made it clear to owners Fenway Sports Group in his first press conference that he 'needs more' signings.

Kostas Tsimikas, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott were all named in Liverpool's initial 31-man squad, which also included players still recovering from injury like Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Stefan Bajcetic, Wataru Endo and Hugo Ekitike.Changes overheadThe dugout isn't the only area where change has taken place this summer. FSG's chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, left his position a fortnight ago, despite having a year remaining on his contract.And Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes - who worked with Iraola at Bournemouth - could follow after the window closes, as he's been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.