Andoni Iraola has spent the opening weeks of his Liverpool reign trying to establish an attacking identity built on intensity, verticality and control. On Sunday, against Manchester City, he may have to demonstrate how flexible that identity can be.

Liverpool will be without Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo for the visit of the Premier League leaders after both forwards sustained injuries on international duty. Hugo Ekitike also remains unavailable, leaving Iraola with a significant problem at the top end of the pitch.

There is, however, one obvious candidate to step into the breach.

Lewis Koumas has the manager’s trust, and Iraola has made clear that the 21-year-old is ready to contribute when required. The question is whether that means starting against City, in one of the most demanding fixtures of Liverpool’s season, or whether the circumstances call for a different solution.

“A full No 9, it’s true that we probably only have Koumas right now, but we have some other options,” Iraola said at his pre-match press conference. “We have some wingers that have played up front in other teams.”

He added: “I think we will put an XI with a level enough to compete for that game.”

It was a measured response, but it captured the dilemma. Liverpool have a natural centre-forward available, albeit one still establishing himself at senior level, and several alternatives who could offer different qualities. Iraola must decide whether to preserve the structure his team knows or adapt it to the players he has available.

Koumas is not an emergency option whom Liverpool’s head coach has only just begun to consider.

Iraola has spoken positively about the forward’s attitude, versatility and ability to help the team in different situations. He has previously highlighted Koumas’s capacity to operate across several attacking positions, while recognising that there are still areas of his game to develop.

That distinction matters. Trusting a young player does not mean pretending he is the finished article. It means believing his existing qualities can help the team, even when the circumstances are difficult.

Koumas offers Liverpool a recognised central option at a time when their other established forwards are unavailable. He can occupy opposition centre-backs, make runs beyond the defensive line and provide a focal point for the attacking midfielders around him.

Those qualities could be particularly useful against a Manchester City side that will look to control possession. Liverpool need an outlet capable of turning defensive recoveries into attacking opportunities, rather than allowing City to immediately reclaim the ball and begin another wave of pressure.

A centre-forward who threatens space behind the defence can help achieve that, even without receiving the ball every time. The possibility of a run can force defenders to retreat, creating room for players such as Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai to receive possession between the lines.

Koumas does not need to replicate everything Isak brings to Liverpool. He needs to give Iraola a workable reference point around which the rest of the attack can function.

The challenge is that City will test his movement, decision-making and ability to compete physically. A start would be a significant show of faith, but it would also offer a valuable indication of how highly Iraola rates him when the stakes rise.

The alternative is to build the attack around Bradley Barcola.

Iraola was emphatic when asked about the France international, rejecting the suggestion that a lack of goals necessarily meant the winger was performing poorly.

“I don’t think he’s in a bad moment,” he said. “The problem with wingers or strikers is if they don’t score a goal, ‘they haven’t played well’.”

Iraola pointed instead to Barcola’s ability to get into scoring positions, including opportunities during his international appearances. The manager wants him to continue arriving in those situations, confident that the goals will follow.

“He is a top player for us,” Iraola said. “I think he can play in any position up front. He probably has played more as a left winger but has played a little bit as a striker, has played even more as a right winger. I think he can cover the three positions up front.”

He described Barcola as “super-valuable” to Liverpool.

That versatility gives Iraola a genuine alternative to Koumas. Barcola could operate centrally, using his acceleration to attack space behind City’s defence, while Liverpool’s other forwards rotate around him. Alternatively, he could remain in his more familiar wide role, with another player moving inside.

There are advantages to both approaches.

Using Barcola centrally could make Liverpool more mobile and unpredictable. Rather than asking one striker to occupy the centre-backs throughout the match, Liverpool could encourage rotations and runs from deeper positions, forcing City’s defenders to make decisions about when to follow and when to hold their positions.

Keeping him wide would preserve one of Liverpool’s clearest ways of advancing the ball quickly. His ability to take on defenders and threaten space could be particularly important if City push their full-backs forward.

The risk is that moving Barcola into the centre could remove some of his greatest strengths from the areas where he is most comfortable. His pace is dangerous from wide positions, where he can isolate a defender and attack the space inside or outside them.

Iraola must weigh that against the value of having a natural striker on the pitch.

Whichever option Iraola chooses, Florian Wirtz’s role could become more important.

The German’s value lies in his ability to connect midfield and attack, find pockets of space and create opportunities for runners around him. Liverpool need those qualities if their forward line is to function without Isak’s finishing and Gakpo’s ability to contribute from wide areas.

Wirtz could be asked to operate closer to the centre-forward, helping create the combinations that allow Liverpool to progress through City’s midfield. If Koumas starts, Wirtz could look to play around him, finding the spaces the young striker’s movement creates.

If Barcola operates centrally, Wirtz’s passing and movement could help make the fluid front line work. Liverpool would need runners from midfield and the flanks to compensate for the absence of a conventional focal point.

Dominik Szoboszlai could also be important. His running power and willingness to arrive in the penalty area give Liverpool another potential source of goals, while his energy could help them press City and disrupt their attempts to build attacks.

The danger is asking too much of the players behind the striker. Liverpool cannot afford to lose their connection between midfield and attack, particularly against opponents who can punish loose possession.

That is why the decision over Koumas is about more than selecting a centre-forward. It affects the positions of the players around him, the way Liverpool progress the ball and the balance they need when possession is lost.

Iraola has already outlined the challenge facing his team.

He wants Liverpool to be more intense and vertical, but he also wants them to control matches more effectively. After the opening weeks of the season, he felt his side had improved their control but lost some of the attacking fluidity that characterised their earlier performances.

Manchester City provide a difficult opponent against whom to resolve that tension.

Liverpool will need to threaten the space behind City’s defence without allowing the game to become too stretched. They must find ways to progress quickly when opportunities arise, but also retain enough structure to prevent City from exploiting turnovers.

A recognised centre-forward could help. Koumas would give Liverpool a player to target when they win possession and a presence in the penalty area when attacks develop.

A more mobile front line could offer a different advantage. Barcola operating centrally, with Wirtz and Szoboszlai supporting him, might make Liverpool harder to predict and create opportunities through movement rather than a fixed focal point.

Neither approach guarantees success. The effectiveness of either depends on the quality of Liverpool’s movement, their ability to find the right passes and the protection they provide behind the ball.

The personnel available may ultimately dictate the decision. Iraola also indicated that Federico Chiesa could return to consideration after training during the international break, although he has not played minutes during his recovery. His availability therefore does not automatically make him a ready-made solution.

Liverpool must make the best use of the players who are fit, rather than ask anyone to perform a role for which they are not prepared.

The absence of Isak and Gakpo is not expected to be a long-term problem, according to Iraola. Both injuries will be monitored, and the immediate concern is Sunday’s match rather than an extended spell without either player.

That does not make the timing any less difficult.

Liverpool face a City side that has won its opening five Premier League matches. Iraola’s team have made an encouraging start to the season, but this is an opportunity to measure their progress against the league’s early leaders.

The manager has insisted that Liverpool have enough quality to compete. His confidence in Koumas is one indication that he believes the squad can withstand setbacks, even when several attacking options are missing at once.

Now he must decide how best to use that quality.

Starting Koumas would be a clear statement of trust in a young forward who has already impressed his manager. Reworking the attack around Barcola would demonstrate a different kind of flexibility, prioritising mobility and rotation over a conventional No 9.

There may be no perfect solution. Isak’s finishing and movement cannot simply be reproduced, while Gakpo’s absence removes another player capable of providing goals and versatility.

But Liverpool do not need a perfect replacement for either player. They need an attacking structure that allows the available players to complement one another and gives them a realistic chance of troubling City.

Koumas has earned a place in that conversation. Whether he starts at Anfield will be one of the most revealing decisions of Iraola’s young Liverpool tenure.