Liverpool’s start to the season under Andoni Iraola hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
The Reds have won just one of their opening four Premier League games, drawing three, and Saturday’s goalless draw with Fulham highlighted one of the biggest problems facing the new Liverpool boss.
Liverpool are not struggling to get shots away. They’re struggling to make those shots count.
And when you look at the numbers, there is an interesting story developing.
Liverpool have had 64 shots in four league games
Across their opening four Premier League matches, Liverpool have registered 64 shots.
That’s an average of 16 shots per game.
Against Newcastle, Liverpool produced a huge 27 attempts.
That dropped to 13 against Nottingham Forest before Liverpool had 10 shots at Ipswich.
Then came 14 against Fulham.
Overall, the Reds have managed 21 shots on target from those 64 attempts — around one in every three.
So this isn’t a Liverpool team that simply isn’t shooting.
There is plenty of attacking activity.
The problem is what happens at the end of those attacks.
The Fulham game was particularly concerning
Fourteen shots sounds respectable.
But only three were on target.
And Liverpool failed to score.
That was the first time this season that Iraola’s side had failed to find the net, and it was another reminder that possession and shot numbers don’t automatically translate into goals.
Victor Muñoz came closest when his header struck the woodwork, but Liverpool never really looked like a team that was going to score multiple goals.
That is something Iraola will want to address.
Liverpool need better chances, not just more shots
This is perhaps the most important point.
You can have 20 shots and still struggle to score if too many of them are low-quality attempts.
Liverpool need to create situations where Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola, Cody Gakpo and the rest of the attack are getting clearer opportunities.
Against Fulham, too many attacks broke down before Liverpool could create that final opening.
Iraola himself has spoken about the need for Liverpool to win the ball higher up the pitch, allowing them to attack more quickly and create better opportunities.
That could be crucial.
Isak needs more service
Alexander Isak has already shown what he can do.
He has scored three Premier League goals this season, putting him among the early league scoring leaders.
But Liverpool need to get him into dangerous positions more often.
A striker of Isak’s quality shouldn’t be relying on scraps.
The same applies to Wirtz and Barcola.
Liverpool have invested heavily in attacking talent, but the system still needs to find the best way of getting those players into positions where they can hurt teams.
The numbers aren’t all bad
It would be wrong to suggest Liverpool’s attack has been a complete failure.
They have scored six goals in four league matches and scored twice at Newcastle, twice against Nottingham Forest and twice at Ipswich.
And Liverpool have also shown they can create chances.
The problem has been consistency.
One week they can look dangerous.
The next, they can dominate possession without creating enough clear opportunities.
That inconsistency is understandable with a new manager and a different tactical approach.
But it is something Iraola has to solve.
The challenge for Iraola
Liverpool don’t necessarily need to start shooting more.
They need to start shooting better.
Better positions.
Better combinations.
Better final balls.
Better decisions around the penalty area.
And ultimately, better quality in front of goal.
The encouraging thing is that these are things that can improve as Iraola’s ideas become more familiar to his players.
Liverpool are still learning how to play this way.
But after the frustration of the Fulham draw, there is no doubt the attacking side of the team needs to improve.
The statistics tell us Liverpool are getting shots away.
Now Iraola needs to make sure they’re getting the right shots away.
Because if Liverpool can turn their attacking possession into better chances, the goals should follow.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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