When players are away on international duty, it often means the Liverpool training ground is quiet.In line with their success over the last decade, the squad has been made up of a large number of senior professionals from across the globe who jet off to join up with their national sides.So it is a slight surprise, given the World Cup has increased to 48 teams, that only eight Liverpool players will be involved in the tournament this summer: Alisson Becker (Brazil), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), Wataru Endo (Japan), Florian Wirtz (Germany), and Alexander Isak (Sweden).There are a number of reasons why that list is not longer.Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konate — all still technically Liverpool players until June 30 — are leaving when their contracts expire. Hugo Ekitike would be there with France but for a serious Achilles injury suffered in March, while Jeremy Jacquet’s shoulder injury denied him the opportunity to make a late push for the French squad. Others were left disappointed by unsuccessful qualification campaigns.Yet the big winner will be Liverpool’s new head coach Andoni Iraola.While Ekitike and Conor Bradley’s rehabilitation timescales remain unclear and there will be transfer activity, there are set to be 14 senior players who were all regularly involved in matchday squads last season available from the start of pre-season: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman, Jeremie Frimpong, Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, Jeremy Jacquet, Milos Kerkez, Kostas Tsimikas, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Trey Nyoni, Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha.Andoni Iraola is set to benefit from the lack of Liverpool players at the summer’s World Cup (Cameron Smith/Getty Images)Every head coach stresses the importance of pre-season, but it is especially crucial when they are new to the job and need to build relationships with players as well as educate them on their system. Disruption can have a knock-on effect for the rest of the campaign.Last season, the tragic death of Diogo Jota came days before the players returned for pre-season. Interviews from Robertson ahead of his final game last month offered an insight into the understandable mindset of the players at the time. “Football didn’t matter,” he told reporters. “We didn’t care about football for weeks. None of us wanted to train. That was the reality.”Liverpool’s fitness levels were heavily criticised last season and, while injuries and a lack of squad depth played their part, Iraola’s system demands stamina and athleticism. The base of that will be built in the lead-up to the campaign.The benefits for those not involved in the World Cup will start before the group even arrives for testing. With their international friendlies concluded, players like Szoboszlai — who endured a gruelling season — will have time to rest and reset physically and emotionally.It will be a clean slate for every player, and it has to be viewed by all as an opportunity to push for a place in the starting XI on the opening day of the 2026-27 season.“For me, and I will tell them, (they) are all new signings,” Iraola told the club website in his first interview after taking over. “For me, you are all new signings and I think we have a lot of quality in our squad, and (I’m) really looking forward to working with them.”Frimpong will have the opportunity to stake his claim at right-back in a system which should suit his profile. Young centre-backs Jacquet and Leoni will compete with Gomez for the spot next to Van Dijk. Elliott could revive a Liverpool career which had appeared over.Harvey Elliott could revive his Liverpool career (Carl Recine/Getty Images)Jones is an interesting case given how he was used over the second half of last season, his contract situation — he is entering the final 12 months of his deal — and the interest from Serie A side Inter. With other central midfielders at the World Cup, he is set to feature heavily in friendlies and, if Iraola envisages him having a prominent role, it could influence how his future at the club plays out.Time on the training pitch will be vital for Iraola to drill his tactical ideas into his new squad. His methods are not simplistic, and his adventurous out-of-possession approach, which requires cohesion and decision-making, will likely take time to be fully implemented.Milos Kerkez will already have a head start, having previously played under Iraola at Bournemouth, but for the likes of Szoboszlai, who will likely remain a key figure, the more time he has to adjust to the new style will only be beneficial.In an interview on the In The Mixer podcast, former Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo outlined the early stages of Iraola’s tenure when he took over in 2023. It was far from smooth sailing. The team did not win any of their first nine matches, and adjustment to the system took time.“I didn’t see it at the start,” Semenyo said. “When he came in, he had his way of playing and it was very new to us. We beat Burnley at home and everything changed. Everyone slowly got used to the system and it just went up from there.”Slowly is the word that stands out. There is no guarantee, regardless of how talented Iraola is as a coach, that this clicks immediately, but the more players he has to work with from day one can only be helpful. In theory, it should make the adjustment for those arriving later easier, too.Milos Kerkez worked with Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth (Warren Little/Getty Images)Former head coach Arne Slot arrived in a summer where Liverpool had players at the European Championship and Copa America, so he was without a number of first-team options. The advantage he had was inheriting a stable group, with only Chiesa arriving and Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg leaving.Slot was able to make tweaks and improvements, but those in-built understandings were crucial.Last summer, in contrast, saw lots of changes at Anfield and the difference was clear. The shape of the squad Iraola is taking over means a number of additions will be required. If those potential new arrivals are competing at the World Cup, or deals are only completed after the tournament, that will give the Spaniard limited time to integrate them.Putting pressing patterns in place across the front line, for example, may be challenging for the 43-year-old as he is due to only have two senior forwards at the start of pre-season – Chiesa, who is seeking a move away, and 17-year-old Ngumoha, whose minutes will again need to be managed throughout the season.Isak, Gakpo and any new signings who arrive after pre-season begins will need to be brought up to speed quickly.Iraola will also be keeping an eye on those at the World Cup to prepare for when they can return.Group F is the main focus for tracking the success of Liverpool’s players in the tournament. Five are spread across three of the teams — Netherlands, Japan and Sweden.Van Dijk, Gakpo and Gravenberch take on Japan’s Endo in the group’s opening game (June 14). Sweden will face Tunisia in their opening game before Isak reignites his battle with Van Dijk when those two teams meet in matchday two (June 20). Matchday three (June 25) will decide the final standings and all three have a good chance of securing qualification as eight third-placed teams advance.Alexander Isak will take on club-mate Virgil van Dijk on June 20 (Michael Campanella/Getty Images)Alisson will be the first Liverpool player to represent his country when Brazil kick off their campaign against Morocco (June 13). Their passage to the knockout stages looks relatively straightforward with Haiti (June 19) up next and then a reunion with Robertson, who has joined Tottenham Hotspur, when they face Scotland (June 24).Germany could not have wished for a more favourable opening game as they take on Curacao (June 14) to begin their campaign. It could be the perfect way for Wirtz to make an instant impact on the tournament before the games against Ivory Coast (June 20) and Ecuador (June 24). Of all Liverpool’s players, the 23-year-old would benefit most from having a confidence-boosting few weeks.After a difficult season at club level, Mac Allister will be aiming to help Argentina retain the trophy. Their tournament does not start until June 17 when they face Algeria before matches against Austria (June 22) and Jordan (June 28).All eight have a strong chance of reaching the knockout stages, which begin on June 28. When they do exit the tournament, they will have time off before linking up with the rest of the squad.