Iraola urges urgency as Liverpool look to fill defensive gaps before Premier League start

Andoni Iraola spent Liverpool's open training session in Chicago on Friday shouting "Faster, faster", a demand that applied as much to the club's transfer business as to the pressing drills on the pitch. According to The Guardian, the new head coach's first pre-season tour ends at Soldier Field on Sunday with a friendly against Leeds, three weeks before the Premier League season begins.

With injuries hampering the tour, defensive cover has become a vital priority. The Guardian reports that Iraola needs the transfer market to plug the gaps in his squad, and the urgency in his voice reflected a broader need to accelerate preparations.

Iraola was at the centre of every drill at Chicago Fire's Endeavor Health Performance Center, their base for the past two weeks. He pushed three groups of seven through pressing games, set-piece routines and rondos, demanding sprints after every exercise. "Faster, faster" was the constant refrain.

The pace on the training ground is one thing; the pace of squad building is another. As the tour concludes, Liverpool's coaching staff will hope their off-field planning moves just as quickly before the Premier League opener.