Liverpool news: Isak's guarantee, Nyoni's rise and a Palace test for Iraola

Iraola met the press at the AXA Training Centre with Sunday's trip to Selhurst Park on his mind and one word doing most of the work: reaction.

He defended the changes he has made in the Champions League, though he did not pretend everything has been fine, admitting his rotated line-ups have been 'a lot weaker' in those games. The midweek visit to Fenerbahce, where Liverpool conceded three preventable goals, gave his critics plenty to work with.

What he does have is Alexander Isak, and Iraola was happy to talk up a striker he described as 'close to a guarantee' in front of goal this season. Palace away is rarely a fixture for passengers, and a patched-up XI will need to be sharper than it was in Turkiye.

Ryan Gravenberch is the name to watch before kick-off. Liverpool continue to check on his availability for the trip to Crystal Palace, and Iraola confirmed him as a doubt rather than ruling him out, which leaves a decision over who screens the back four at Selhurst Park.

The alternatives are there in Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, but none of them changes the shape of the press quite the way Gravenberch does. The same briefing brought clarity on Bradley Barcola, with Iraola making his position plain after weeks of speculation about where the winger fits.

The club's availability bulletin is being updated as the weekend approaches, so expect the picture to sharpen after training.

Trey Nyoni has taken his chance. Two starts this week under Iraola have turned a $40m transfer decision into a serious argument that he belongs in the strongest XI, and the midfielder is now talking about a new contract with the calm of someone who insists he 'doesn't get nervous, never'.

His interview covers adapting to first-team football and mixing with the best midfielders in the league, and Liverpool's own behaviour suggests they see him as part of the present rather than a project.

Rio Ngumoha is in a similar position, only louder, with Bayern Munich and clubs across Europe linked and the club adamant there is no intention of selling. His England call-up this week only strengthens the case for keeping him at Anfield rather than farming him out.

The tactical post-mortem from Turkiye makes uncomfortable reading. Liverpool shipped three preventable goals in Istanbul, and the analysis points to the same old trouble: a back line stretched by transitions, protection in front of it arriving a beat late.

Iraola's admission that his changed sides have been weaker fits the picture neatly. The worry is less about personnel than structure, because the errors have come in different combinations of players rather than following one culprit around.

Palace, with the pace they carry on the counter at Selhurst Park, are precisely the sort of opponent to test whether anything has actually been repaired.

Alisson Becker's future came up, and Iraola did not swat it away. He confirmed discussions have taken place, a more honest answer than most managers offer in November and a reminder that Giorgi Mamardashvili and Freddie Woodman are waiting in the same department.

At the other end of the mood, Ronald Araujo has been voted Liverpool's Standard Chartered Men's Player of the Month for October after a strong month at the back. Rio Ngumoha's England call-up was confirmed too, the latest sign the academy is producing players the head coach actually trusts.

Off the pitch, the club launched its Christmas campaign as a thank-you to more than 450 million supporters worldwide, while Jurgen Klopp has been spotted reviving an old Liverpool ritual with Germany.