LIVERPOOL — Liverpool have made an unbeaten start under Andoni Iraola but one win from four Premier League games and a sluggish stalemate at home to Fulham at Anfield has raised early questions about intensity and freshness. The draw against a Fulham side that had lost their first three matches came just days after a draining Champions League night at Anfield where Liverpool had to come from behind to beat Atletico Madrid.
"There are players who play every three days and have no issues, they can accept it and performances do not change too much," Iraola explained. "Then there are other players where the risk is bigger and the performances are different." He added: "I have to learn who is ready to play every two or three days and who is ready to rest so their performance level doesn't drop." After the Fulham game he was blunt: "A lack of freshness, definitely. We cannot hide it," calling it "the worst turnaround" in terms of hours permitted under Premier League regulations.
"Especially in the first half, we were arriving late to the presses," Iraola said, noting tactical corrections at the interval did not fully resolve the issue. Liverpool have looked like a split team at times, with the defence retreating while attackers press, leaving gaps that Fulham's Josh King and others exploited. When the press failed, Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was able to find an easy pass out and bypass multiple forwards. The numbers underline the shift: Liverpool's passes allowed per defensive action (PPDA) stands at just 8.6 so far this season, even lower than any full season under Jurgen Klopp, though it was higher than average against Fulham. They have made the most sprints in the Premier League this season and are up 12 places for total distance covered.
"I am asking them to do things that are a little bit different, especially without the ball and I think they are trying to get it," Iraola said in pre-season, a point echoed by Alexander Isak after the friendly against Monaco: "We are all working hard to make things work." Iraola has tried to rotate wingers, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, but Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz were asked to go again against Fulham and neither hit the levels of three days earlier. Wirtz was sloppy in possession despite ranking second in the league for distance covered at high speeds. "You can put the same players in every game," Iraola conceded on Monday. "The problem is there will be a moment they are very tired and there is more risk of injury."
With Hugo Ekitike unavailable, Liverpool can ill afford that risk with Isak, who like some midfielders may not be a natural pressing forward, prompting questions over whether to trust Trey Nyoni or turn to the experienced Wataru Endo. The schedule will test those decisions quickly. Immediately after the international break Liverpool host Manchester City on October 11 before travelling to LASK Linz on October 14 and then away to Brentford on October 17 inside 72 hours. The following month brings Arsenal at home followed by Fenerbahce away and Crystal Palace away, while later in November a visit to Club Brugge is sandwiched between Manchester United and Everton.