Liverpool look thrilling under Iraola, but their defense is a massive worry

Anfield got pure chaos on Tuesday night. A wild 4-3 win over Valencia felt thrilling for spectators and exhausting for anyone tracking Liverpool's defensive structure. It was the clearest picture yet of life under Andoni Iraola.

Alexis Mac Allister scored twice, while Ronald Araujo and Florian Wirtz both found the net to give Liverpool command. But the back door stayed wide open. A late strike from Tani Oluwaseyi set up a frantic finish that had the home crowd holding its breath.

Three points in the Champions League are always welcome, especially during a rebuild. Still, trading blows is a dangerous way to live. When Iraola's pressing clicks, Liverpool look irresistible; when opponents break through, the entire backline is completely exposed.

Supporters wanted more tempo after last year's sluggish finish under Arne Slot. They have that now. The real question is whether this high-wire act can survive against elite sides who punish open space.

Mac Allister and the Dressing Room Breakdown Under Slot

The most important story of the night unfolded well after the final whistle blew. Speaking pitchside, Alexis Mac Allister offered an unusually blunt assessment of the club's recent troubles. Modern footballers rarely speak with this level of honesty.

The Argentine midfielder did not hide behind excuses. He admitted immediately that his personal performance fell off a cliff during Slot's second campaign. More significantly, he confirmed that serious internal friction had poisoned the squad's dynamic.

As The Mirror reported, Mac Allister pointed directly to the fractured mood behind closed doors:

"Last year was a really difficult year for all of us. It's clear that I was not at the level and I'm the first one to say - I have no problem. Something wasn't right in the group and this manager changed it."

That public admission explains why Fenway Sports Group sacked Slot at the end of last season. The Dutch manager arrived as an instant hero, capturing Liverpool's second Premier League title in his debut year. That triumph suggested a lasting era, yet the authority he built vanished within months.

Slot received substantial backing in the transfer market, but his second year turned into an agonizing slide. Liverpool drifted completely out of the title race and finished fifth, an enormous 25 points behind champions Arsenal. Only UEFA's expanded coefficient spared them the drop into the Europa League.

Context is essential when judging that steep decline. The club was rocked last summer by the tragic death of Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident in Portugal alongside his brother Andre Silva. That loss cast an inescapable cloud of grief over the squad during the early months of the campaign.

On the pitch, tactical dogmatism worsened that emotional fatigue. Slot's obsession with slow, measured possession grew predictable against organized defenses. The football became robotic, players looked afraid to take risks, and Anfield grew audibly restless.

Iraola's High-Octane Overhaul and the Midfield Reboot

Sacking Slot after two seasons was a ruthless call, but as reported by The Mirror, the club acted decisively to halt the slide. They hired Andoni Iraola from Bournemouth to rip up the tactical manual. Out went slow sideways passing; in came immediate verticality, running, and aggressive frontline pressing.

Mac Allister is the primary beneficiary of that reset. Under Slot, the World Cup winner often found himself pinned deep, shuttling possession and shielding the defense. Now, Iraola encourages him to make late runs into the penalty box, a role that produced two clinical goals against Valencia.

Speaking to Amazon Prime, Mac Allister made it clear that he relishes the tactical shift:

"That's really important. The way we play, it is quite different - I don't like to compare, but I'm feeling good right now and that's what I want, and that's what I enjoy."

The early record suggests Iraola's methods are taking root quickly. Over his first 11 matches across all competitions, Liverpool have picked up seven wins, three draws, and just one defeat. That steady run has injected fresh belief into a squad that looked broken six months ago.

According to details from The Mirror's coverage, Iraola has fundamentally redefined the physical demands placed on his midfield. The team hunts loose balls in packs, swarming opponents within seconds of a turnover. That manic energy generates chances, but it burns through stamina at an alarming rate.

Three tactical shifts under Iraola stand out most clearly on the pitch:

• Direct vertical progression designed to bypass midfield lines rapidly.
• Aggressive counter-pressing traps sprung immediately after losing the ball.
• Unlocking central midfielders to crash the penalty area alongside the forwards.

Remaking the Squad Without Trent and Diaz

Tactical reinvention was not the only challenge waiting for Iraola. The summer saw significant departures, most notably Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz moving on to new chapters. Losing Alexander-Arnold meant Liverpool had to abandon the playmaker fullback setup that had defined their identity for years.

Instead of trying to find an identical right-back, Liverpool redistributed creative duties into the center of the pitch. Florian Wirtz arrived as a marquee signing, and his goal against Valencia demonstrated why the club chased him. He floats between opposing lines, turns cleanly in tight spaces, and delivers pinpoint through balls.

The forward line has also been retooled to suit Iraola's pressing style. Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike joined the club in the summer, offering complementary attacking profiles. Isak brings smart penalty-box movement and clinical finishing, while Ekitike stretches backlines with raw acceleration and aggressive channel running.

Ronald Araujo also made his presence felt with a vital goal against Valencia. In a team that defends forty yards from its own goal, center-backs face brutal physical demands. Araujo provides the recovery pace and aerial dominance needed to survive when opposing forwards sprint into open grass.

The Glaring Flaws in Iraola's Defensive Gamble

Yet for all the attacking fireworks, nobody watching Tuesday's match could call Liverpool a finished product. Surviving a 4-3 thriller against Spanish opposition is fun for neutrals, but conceding three goals at Anfield is a glaring tactical failure. Valencia sliced through the middle of the pitch with alarming ease.

The late strike from Tani Oluwaseyi highlighted the fatal weakness in Iraola's setup. When fullbacks push high to squeeze the pitch and support the counter-press, wide channels are left completely unprotected. If the initial tackle fails, opposing wingers find themselves running downhill at an isolated central defense.

This is where Iraola deserves direct criticism. Heavy pressing is thrilling, but it cannot come at the expense of basic defensive shape. Good teams know how to kill off a match at 4-2; great teams do not allow opponents back into the contest in stoppage time.

Arsenal did not win the Premier League title last season by trading punches in seven-goal shootouts. They smothered matches, controlled territory, and kept clean sheets when their attack sputtered. Liverpool currently look like the complete opposite: an attacking juggernaut tethered to a defense that is always one mistake away from catastrophe.

Mac Allister's attacking freedom is a major weapon, but it creates a structural headache when the ball turns over. When he is deep in the opposition box, the midfield behind him often features just one player covering forty yards of turf. Better teams than Valencia will dissect that void with clinical precision.

Finding the Balance Before the Winter Grind

Liverpool supporters have every reason to enjoy the renewed spirit pulsing through Anfield. Sacking Slot was a drastic move so soon after a league title, but Mac Allister’s honest reflections confirmed that the environment had grown stale. The squad is visibly united again, and the attacking football is genuinely exhilarating.

Seven wins from eleven matches gives Iraola a strong platform to build upon. Wirtz is already dictating games, Isak and Ekitike provide endless movement, and Mac Allister has rediscovered his swagger. The attacking ceiling of this group is high enough to compete with anyone.

However, winter in English football has a cruel way of exposing tactical imbalances. Fatigued squads cannot maintain ninety minutes of manic pressing when matches arrive every three days across November and December. If Iraola fails to teach his players how to manage game tempos, these frantic shootouts will turn into costly defeats.

Iraola has fixed Liverpool's fractured dressing room and restored their attacking identity. Now he must prove he can build a defense capable of actually winning trophies.