After back-to-back victories over Ipswich and Atlético Madrid, it was easy to start believing that Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool had suddenly clicked into gear.
Yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Fulham was a timely reality check.
Not because Liverpool are suddenly a bad team, or because Iraola is the wrong manager, but because it showed just how much work still needs to be done to change this team.
The victory over Atlético was hugely encouraging. Liverpool looked aggressive, energetic and capable of playing some really exciting football. Isak and Wirtz were beginning to look like a frightening attacking combination, while there were plenty of signs that Iraola’s ideas were starting to take shape.
But then Fulham arrived at Anfield and Liverpool looked almost like a completely different side.
The Reds lacked energy, struggled to create clear openings and, for long periods, Fulham were arguably the better team. Liverpool needed a goal-line clearance from Jérémy Jacquet and another good performance from Alisson to ensure they didn’t leave empty-handed.
And perhaps that is exactly what we should expect at this stage.
Liverpool are still learning how to play Iraola’s way.
For years, we became accustomed to the principles of what we might call ‘Slotball’ — the possession structures, the patterns of play, the way Liverpool controlled games and patiently worked opponents into difficult positions.
Now the players are being asked to adapt to a different manager, different ideas and different demands.
That isn’t going to happen in four Premier League games.
There will be brilliant performances.
There will be frustrating performances.
And there will be afternoons like yesterday where the new ideas don’t quite click and the team falls back into some of the habits we’ve seen before.
The short turnaround certainly didn’t help either. Liverpool had only around 65 hours between the final whistle against Atlético and kick-off against Fulham, and Iraola admitted afterwards that his attackers lacked freshness.
But there was another important lesson.
Iraola is still figuring out which players fit his football best.
The Gravenberch-Szoboszlai midfield didn’t provide the control or urgency Liverpool needed, while the front four struggled to find the chemistry we saw developing earlier in the week.
Mac Allister’s introduction helped, while Jacquet once again looked extremely impressive at the back.
These are all pieces of information that Iraola can use.
And that is why I don’t think yesterday should suddenly change the mood around the new manager.
Liverpool are a work in progress.
We shouldn’t expect Iraola to completely erase everything that came before him and have his perfect Liverpool team playing his football within a few weeks.
It is going to take time.
There will be bumps in the road. There will be games where Liverpool look brilliant and games where they look disjointed.
The important thing is that we can see what Iraola is trying to build.
The two wins over Ipswich and Atlético showed the potential.
The Fulham draw showed the reality.
Liverpool aren’t the finished article yet.
And perhaps yesterday was a useful reminder that this season should be about building something new rather than expecting everything to immediately fall into place.
Give Iraola time.
Let him work out his best XI.
Let the players adapt to his demands.
And, most importantly, let Liverpool slowly become Iraola’s team rather than expecting them to continue being the team we saw under Slot.
There is a long way to go.
And that’s okay.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
### _Related_