Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Andoni Iraola consolidated what has been an encouraging start to life as Liverpool’s head coach with a much-needed win over former team Bournemouth on Sunday.
The 1-0 victory means Iraola remains unbeaten across seven games in all competitions with the Reds, recording five wins and two draws. Although they will feel they should have won the Anfield stalemates with Nottingham Forest and Fulham, it has been a decent opening to the season.
On the whole, Iraola has impressed supporters with his willingness to change things which clearly aren’t working. And while Jamie Carragher says he shares the view that this is a good thing, he thinks Liverpool’s owners may be slightly concerned about the developing scenario with Ryan Gravenberch who, after being handed a bumper new contract, now finds himself out of the team.
Ryan Gravenberch’s situation could cause some concern
When Liverpool tied Gravenberch down to a new contract in March, the Reds were surely hoping that he would be their midfield lynchpin for years to come.
Though that may still happen, Iraola has quickly decided that he prefers Alexis Mac Allister to the Dutchman, who played less than 10 minutes of Sunday’s win.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Carragher said that he liked the new head coach’s decisiveness when taking out underperforming players, but predicted that there could be some friction brewing with those above Iraola if Gravenberch continues to remain on the bench.
“The things I’ve liked so far about Iraola, he’s had the courage to make big decisions,” said the Liverpool legend.
READ MORE: Jamie Carragher takes aim at ‘really poor’ Liverpool player who offered nothing against Bournemouth
“So, Gravenberch has just signed a hefty contract on a five-year deal on massive money, they thought him and Szoboszlai are going to be the future of the midfield going forward. He’s not playing. Now, I can imagine the guys at the top of the club looking at that thinking ‘we’ve just given him a hefty contract.’ But no, he’s not playing.
“The full-back situation, he keeps changing the full-backs,” Carragher added. “He dropped Frimpong straight away, Kerkez has been in and out, and Kerkez is a player who cost Liverpool a lot of money and he knows really well from his time at Bournemouth. So, he’s made decisions. But sooner or later he’s going to have to make a decision on Florian Wirtz.”
Carragher assesses Iraola’s start at Liverpool
Carragher was fairly critical of Liverpool – and especially Florian Wirtz – while commentating on their win at the Vitality Stadium this weekend, and when asked how Iraola himself will have seen his opening period in charge, the former centre-back said he thinks the Basque may be disappointed at the lack of quality from the team he inherited.
“I think now he’s in at Liverpool, now he’s had seven or eight games for Liverpool with the cup games, I think when he looks at the make-up of the squad and what he’s got, I think privately when he’s talking to his staff over the next couple of weeks and they get a little bit of time off and reflect, I think he’ll probably be thinking: ‘I thought there’d be more quality in the building. I thought this might be a bit easier. I thought we’d look a lot better,'” he said.
“That’s because of the nature of the opposition as well, Liverpool haven’t really played a giant so far, or one of their rivals really, that’s to come in the next few weeks against the current top four, so we’ll really see where Liverpool are at right now.”
Nevertheless, Carragher did find time to praise Liverpool’s newfound defensive stability, admitted that Iraola had every right to be pleased with his back line.
“What I think he’ll be really pleased with, is three clean sheets now in the Premier League in a row,” he said.
“Liverpool had a horrendous record last season defensively and I said in the game today Jacquet’s an improvement on Konate, that bodes well going forward, and they’ll need to keep that because right now, the attacking talent that they’ve got, three £100m players on the pitch, it’s still not firing, but when that’s not firing you need to make sure you keep the back door shut, and three clean sheets, two of those away from home, is not to be sniffed at.”