Andoni Iraola felt that his attackers “lacked a little bit of freshness” against Fulham, with Bradley Barcola not the only Liverpool forward struggling.
Barcola made his first Premier League start in Saturday’s 0-0 draw, doing so after being forced off with cramp in his full debut for Liverpool three days previous.
While it was a surprise to see the Frenchman in the lineup, there were clearly concerns over starting 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha in back-to-back games along with Cody Gakpo making his return from adductor issues.
Speaking after a game in which Liverpool had 14 shots on goal but only three on target and missed all four of their big chances, Iraola rued a “lack of freshness.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 12, 2026: Liverpool's Bradley Barcola during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 12, 2026: Liverpool's Bradley Barcola during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“With Bradley he’s probably the one we’re building his physical condition [by] playing games, we cannot do it any other way,” he told BBC Sport when asked about Barcola.
“There’s training obviously, but the games will give him the condition that we want him [in].
“It’s not just Bradley, overall the offensive players we lacked a little bit of freshness.
“But I’m happy, because he has played already even more minutes than the other day. Slowly, slowly he is building the physical condition.”
Iraola: ‘We needed a moment of brilliance to score’
Iraola repeated himself in his post-match press conference, while touching upon a familiar theme from Arne Slot’s second season as he admitted Liverpool had needed a “moment of brilliance.”
“It’s the first game since I’m here that we’ve had problems to create chances, to score goals, to make the difference offensively,” he told reporters at Anfield.
“That’s why we go with just one point.
“In the end it’s easy for me, for you, for everyone, because our players were tired. There is a lack of freshness definitely, we cannot hide it.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 12, 2026: Liverpool's Alexander Isak sees his shot go wide during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 12, 2026: Liverpool's Alexander Isak sees his shot go wide during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“I think it’s the worst turnaround, like 60-something hours, between the games after a big game the other day.
“But this is going to happen, sometimes with maybe one more day, but sometimes it’s going to happen the same way. We have to adapt to these circumstances.
“It’s these kinds of games that you need to win sometimes with a set-play, sometimes with a shot from the edge, sometimes with a moment of brilliance from the offensive players and we haven’t had that today.
“We clearly haven’t been as good offensively as we have on other days.”
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Football – FA Premier League – Liverpool FC v Fulham FC
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 12, 2026: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Football – FA Premier League – Liverpool FC v Fulham FC
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 12, 2026: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)