Liverpool's sluggish start shows Andoni Iraola is running out of answers

The Heavy Legs of Iraola’s Press

Watch Andoni Iraola on the touchline during a frantic second half, and you will see a coach wrestling with physics. His football demands unrelenting verticality, aggressive counter-pressing, and ruthless spatial dominance. Yet four matches into the new Premier League campaign, Liverpool look stuck in third gear.

Saturday's scoreless draw against Fulham exposed a side operating on depleted batteries. Having drawn three out of four league fixtures, Iraola’s side is already dropping ground to rivals who handle rotation with far greater efficiency. The intense midweek Champions League collision with Atletico Madrid left clear scars on Liverpool's physical output.

Iraola did not hide behind excuses, but he did point directly to physical exhaustion. The Spanish manager noted that his squad struggled to maintain their usual pressing intensity across the pitch. When the first line of the press arrives half a second late, the whole defensive structure crumbles behind it.

Against Fulham, Marco Silva's central midfielders repeatedly turned out of pressure because Liverpool’s double pivot failed to compress the distance. That spatial disconnect forced the back line to retreat rather than hold a high defensive line. It was cautious, reactive football—everything Iraola usually abhors.

Liverpool's high-octane model requires supreme physical conditioning to function. Without fresh legs, the distance between the frontline and the defensive line stretches from twenty meters to thirty-five. That gap is where opposing playmakers thrive, turning Liverpool's signature press into an easy passing drill.

The Stagnant Attack and Structural Rot

Offensive fluidity disappears fast when off-ball movement becomes static. Against low-block defensive units, Liverpool are currently lacking the sharp positional rotations required to pull deep backlines apart. They pass horizontally, wait for a hero, and hope for a deflection.

That reliance on individual magic is a dangerous habit for a top-four side. When set-piece routines produce nothing and wide isolation plays stall, Iraola’s tactical structure looks remarkably empty. According to reports following the match, Iraola acknowledged that his side lacked the offensive spark needed to unlock stubborn opponents.

Iraola laid out his frustration candidly after the Fulham draw.

“I think there is a lack of freshness, definitely – we cannot hide it. I think it's the worst turnaround in terms of 60-something hours between the games, after a very big game the other day. But this is going to happen more times. Maybe with one more day but sometimes it's going to be the same way during the season. We have to adapt to these circumstances. And it's these kind of games that you need to win sometimes with a set-play, sometimes from the shot from the edge, sometimes from a moment of brilliance from the offensive players, and we haven't had that today. We've been clearly not as good offensively as we've been [in] other days.”

Blaming turnaround windows is fine for press conferences, but tactical fixes must happen on the training pitch. The quick turnaround between Madrid and London certainly hurt leg speed, but it does not fully explain why Liverpool registered so few clean chances inside the eighteen-yard box. The squad looked devoid of ideas the moment Fulham sat deep and denied central space.

The wingers stayed pinned to the touchlines, isolated from central midfielders who refused to make underlapping runs into the channel. Without central overloads, Fulham’s fullback pairing had an easy afternoon clearing predictable crosses. That lack of variation is a coaching issue, not just a scheduling problem.

To fix this, Iraola needs to implement structural adjustments rather than waiting for individual moments. Here are three immediate structural flaws dragging down Liverpool's attack:

• Lack of vertical runs from deep midfield positions to disrupt low blocks
• Predictable wide play with zero underlapping support from fullbacks
• Over-reliance on long diagonal switches that give opposing defenses time to adjust

The Van Dijk Crossroads in Anfield and Zeist

At the heart of Liverpool's transition sits Virgil van Dijk, facing an uncertain road for both club and country. At 35 years old, the veteran defender has just twelve months left on his current Anfield contract. Reports indicate Liverpool hierarchy plan to delay formal extension discussions until next year, leaving their captain in limbo.

The situation is equally complicated on the international stage. Following the Netherlands' disappointing round of 32 exit at the World Cup, Ronald Koeman departed and former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez took the helm. Xavi’s tactical philosophy demands high-line defenders capable of covering massive space in transition—a daunting ask for an aging centre-back.

Van Dijk has built up 96 caps for the Oranje, remaining a monumental figure in Dutch football history. However, Xavi's arrival signals an immediate squad shift toward younger, quicker defenders built for proactive pressing. Van Dijk sought direct face-to-face talks with Xavi to clarify his role ahead of upcoming Nations League fixtures.

The pair previously held initial conversations in midweek when Liverpool clashed with Atletico Madrid in Europe. Those discussions will continue as the Netherlands prepare to face Germany in their Nations League opener, alongside matches against Serbia and Greece. Van Dijk remains adamant that his elite playing days are far from over.

“I feel that I can still be valuable and important to the team. If we see eye to eye on that, we have two good years ahead of us leading up to Euro 2028. And if not, then we’ll see.”

It is a bold assertion from a defender whose recovery speed is visibly slowing down. While his positional reading remains world-class, quick attackers are beginning to target the space behind him with increasing success. If Xavi decides to build a younger Dutch backline, Van Dijk may have to accept a reduced squad role.

Tactical Flaws and the International Interruption

The impending international break arrives at a delicate juncture for Iraola's squad. Four international fixtures stand between Van Dijk and a return to club duty, adding heavy mileage to a 35-year-old frame. Liverpool cannot afford their captain returning fatigued when league points are already slipping away.

Defensively, Liverpool's current shape leaves Van Dijk far too exposed in transition. When the midfield press fails to disrupt early forward passes, opposition runners sprint directly at Liverpool's central defenders. Van Dijk no longer possesses the raw recovery speed to erase his teammates' positional errors.

In possession, the Dutchman is also being asked to play more direct long passes than under previous managers. While his diagonal passing remains clean, over-relying on long balls skips Liverpool's midfield entirely. That direct style leads to quick turnovers, forcing Liverpool into continuous defensive transitions.

Iraola must address this structural imbalance immediately upon the team's return. Passing horizontally around a mid-block while leaving the defensive line exposed to counter-attacks is a recipe for trouble. Liverpool's coaching staff need to refine their rest-defence positioning before the gap to the top four widens further.

Furthermore, delaying contract negotiations with Van Dijk creates an unwelcome distraction around the training ground. Players notice when a leader's future hangs in the balance, especially when results on the pitch start to wobble. Clear direction off the pitch is required to restore focus on it.

What to Watch and Final Prediction

When domestic football resumes, keep a close eye on Liverpool's midfield spacing during opposition goal kicks. If Iraola shifts to a tighter, narrower mid-block, it will protect his aging centre-backs while conserving energy for selective traps. Continuing to demand a full 90-minute high press with tired legs will only lead to further dropped points.

Van Dijk's upcoming minutes under Xavi will also serve as a telling barometer. If Xavi starts younger options against Germany, it will confirm that the international guard is officially changing. How Van Dijk reacts to that reality will define his final months at both club and country level.

Liverpool have the raw talent to climb out of this early-season rut, but tactical stubborness could ruin their domestic ambitions. Iraola needs to stop complaining about short recovery windows and start adjusting his system to fit his roster's physical reality. Right now, his tactical plan lacks both speed and subtlety.

Expect Iraola to make pragmatic changes following the international window, dropping the defensive line five yards deeper to protect Van Dijk. That tactical compromise will stabilize the backline, even if it sacrifices some of Iraola's favored pressing intensity. Liverpool will squeak out a scrappy 2-1 victory in their next outing, but the underlying structural flaws won't disappear overnight.