Just over 12 months after winning the Premier League title, it is the start of a new era at Liverpool.There has been a major shift in the boardroom, with a consortium featuring businessmen Amit Bhatia and Jeff Bezos buying just under 40 per cent of the club from Fenway Sports Group, and a fresh face in the dugout.Andoni Iraola, the former Bournemouth head coach, arrived after Arne Slot was sacked following a dismal season that saw Liverpool limp into the Champions League with a fifth-placed, 60-point season.The 44-year-old has been tasked with turning around Liverpool’s fortunes and getting them challenging for honours again, but is that possible this season? The Athletic previews the season ahead.What are the expectations inside the club?To improve.This is a step into the unknown and while Liverpool would like to challenge for the title, time will tell if they are ready to make that big of a leap as things are less stable than when Slot arrived two years ago.The first objective will be to secure Champions League qualification, and do it in a more convincing fashion than last season.Who have they signed?Liverpool’s summer transfer business began in February when they agreed a pre-contract deal with French side Stade Rennais to sign centre-back Jeremy Jacquet for a fee that could rise to £60million.Jeremy Jacquet has joined to strengthen Liverpool’s defence (Lewis Storey/Getty Images)Fast forward to June and they triggered Victor Munoz’s release clause from under the noses of Newcastle, who were advancing with a deal to sign the 23-year-old left winger from Osasuna. It was the first, and so far only, reinforcement in attack after Mohamed Salah’s departure.The signing of Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo on loan came as a surprise. Injuries to Jacquet, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni, alongside the delayed return of Virgil van Dijk after World Cup duties, left Iraola with no senior centre-back options at one point in pre-season. A move for Araujo, a Uruguay international, came together quickly with the 27-year-old taking a pay cut to make the deal happen. Liverpool are paying his salary and have an option to buy the player for around £47million (€55m).What is their transfer priority before the window closes?The pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola continues, and strengthening the attack remains the priority. Liverpool went into last season light on attackers and they cannot afford to make the same mistake again.As it stands, they have three senior wingers, including 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, and no real trusted No 9 cover for Alexander Isak with Hugo Ekitike out injured. They must add at least one forward — but with the future of Cody Gakpo still uncertain, more action could be required.Curtis Jones’ impending exit to Inter Milan has increased the desire for a new midfielder. Liverpool may feel 19-year-old Trey Nyoni is ready to step up after an impressive pre-season, but it is a big ask for a youngster yet to start a Premier League game.The final position is right-back, the cursed area of last season. Nobody wants to see a midfielder playing there this time around. The pressure is on Jeremie Frimpong to stay fit while Conor Bradley — viewed as the long-term solution — finishes his injury rehabilitation. Liverpool may feel they have enough depth with Gomez, when fit, and Araujo as emergency cover.What else is new?Liverpool have a new head coach leading the team, and with that comes a significant stylistic switch which has been clear in pre-season.For a variety of reasons, Liverpool were too passive, slow and predictable on and off the ball last season. Iraola’s task is to change that by playing high-tempo, risky, vertical football that the supporters demand.When it has worked so far in pre-season it has looked exciting, but the challenge is doing that for 90 minutes instead of 30, across a campaign that Liverpool hope will see them play over 60 matches.What’s the biggest lesson they learnt last season?Don’t do any of that again — and make sure you have capable squad depth.There was so much that went wrong last season that ideally the action on the pitch is quickly banished from memory. The demand is to play dynamic attacking football, which is the opposite of what they produced last year.Slot did not have enough tools, and Iraola cannot be left in the same position when the transfer window shuts. He is helped, though, by having Isak and Florian Wirtz fit and firing heading into the season, a luxury his predecessor never had.Who’s been the best player in pre-season?The delayed return of key players on World Cup duty makes this difficult to assess. Jacquet’s 45 minutes in the final pre-season game was so good he put himself in the running. Gakpo, Wirtz and Isak have all looked rejuvenated, too.As for those who have been with Iraola since day one, it is a toss-up between Dominik Szoboszlai and Nyoni. We know what the former can do, but Nyoni had a chance to make his mark in the pre-season and more than took his chance, showing that he is ready for a bigger role.What are they worried about?By the end of the transfer window this could feel different, but currently Iraola has inherited the personnel issues Slot encountered and the squad remains incomplete. Salah, Ibrahima Konate, Andrew Robertson and Jones have all left (or are about to leave) this summer, taking plenty of experience with them — and that’s before we even get to the idea of increasing squad depth. Time is running out.On the pitch, the drop in intensity levels after around the 35-minute mark in games has been concerning. With the season upon us, Iraola needs to find a way to make sure his players can sustain that intensity over the course of a game, and do so when the schedule ramps up.Alexander Isak has impressed in pre-season (Lewis Storey/Getty Images)How’s the manager feeling?Iraola has barely put a foot wrong since he walked through the door and has exuded calmness. He has spoken open and honestly about needing to prove himself at this level, and he is determined to do so.He will be keen for Liverpool to complete more transfer business before the end of the window, saying at his unveiling that more players were needed. Only one has been signed since — and not the winger he requested in a separate press conference.He has also acknowledged that this remains a work in progress, and there may be some early growing pains as he continues to implement his vision.What’s the percentage chance of Iraola seeing out the season?Ninety-five per cent.Nothing can ever be guaranteed in football but Iraola will be given time. This is a step into the unknown for him, though, having never dealt with a Premier League-Champions League schedule. The five per cent is for if things go terribly wrong and Liverpool have no choice but to change.I wouldn’t be surprised if…Isak and Wirtz show everybody why Liverpool paid so much money for them last summer. The partnership has already looked exciting in pre-season, and with how advanced Iraola wants his No 10 to be, could this be Fernando Torres-Steven Gerrard 2.0? No pressure, lads.What is their strongest XI?Ruling out those who are currently missing with long-term injuries, it would be…(4-2-3-1): Becker; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.