Our Liverpool FC fans' jury deliver their verdicts on new head coach Andoni Iraola's first seven matches in charge of the club
Liverpool go into the long, three-week international break on a high. A 3-1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup followed by a gritty 1-0 Premier League success at Bournemouth made it back-to-back victories for the Reds and maintained their unbeaten start to the season under Andoni Iraola.
While there have been disappointments with the home draws against Nottingham Forest and Fulham, there are plenty of reasons for encouragement as the Iraola era at Anfield begins to take draw.
So, with some breathing space in the schedule, we asked our Liverpool fans' jury to deliver their verdicts on the first two months of the new head coach's reign.
And here's what they had to say...
Rhys Buchanan
I'm buzzing with optimism heading into the international break. The Reds well and truly did the business down on the South Coast last weekend and it certainly made me feel a lot lighter staring down the barrel of an extended international break. There are positives and green shoots just about everywhere you look across the pitch, but for me it all starts as the back.
The new additions in defence have brought an air of composure and fight that we lacked last season and the fact we haven't slumped to a defeat yet gives us a real platform to take forward into a tough run. It's been great to see the likes of Alexander Isak coming into his own as well and there was a palpable sense of release as he threw himself into the away end after breaking the deadlock at the Vitality, he's scored some important goals this season but that felt like a crystalising moment around his arrival as swells of 'Isak's a red' boomed from the stands.
It's not just the new faces making an impact either, with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo looking back to their most impactful.
Of course, we won't get carried away but this feels like one of those moments that we should collectively just cherish and enjoy because looking around the league, things could easily be a lot worse! Up the Reds!
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Jeremy Jacquet and Alisson Becker of Liverpool celebrate after the Premier League 2026/27 match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at Vitality Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
Jeremy Jacquet and Alisson Becker celebrate after Liverpool's win over Bournemouth(Image: Getty Images)
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Matthew Whitty
Five league games into Andoni Iraola’s reign, I’m cautiously optimistic. Liverpool are unbeaten, although three draws show a side still finding its feet. The clearest change is at the back.
We conceded twice against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, and too often looked exposed when our attacks broke down. Since then, three straight league clean sheets have changed the feel of watching Liverpool. Jeremy Jacquet looks increasingly assured alongside Virgil van Dijk, while Ronald Araijo has given us a stronger defensive presence on the right. Pressure no longer feels like a goal waiting to happen.
Going forward, it is a different story. Fulham was flat, and Liverpool spent long stretches at Bournemouth struggling to get Alexander Isak involved. He has four league goals already and, after failing to complete a full 90 minutes for us last season, has now completed three full league matches. Imagine what he might do if we found him more often.
Iraola’s Bournemouth took time to click, so I can live with Liverpool looking unfinished in September. The defence is settling, and the Atletico Madrid and Spurs wins showed what the attack can do. Now I want to see more of that in the league
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Florian Wirtz Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
James Noble
Patience and high standards. Not the easiest of components to combine, but a continually crucial coexistence within the early stages of Andoni Iraola’s time at Liverpool. The need to win, while constructing what will hopefully prove a winning formula, has been acknowledged by the 44-year-old – and acted upon.
While an understandably non-linear process in terms of performances, outcomes and broader vibes, the early indications as to the balance being struck and the trajectory being travelled are, in my view, encouraging.
Unbeaten after seven games across three competitions. Nine points from 15 and three clean sheets in the last three matches in the Premier League. An enlivening opening Champions League victory against high-level opposition and Carabao Cup progression secured in swashbuckling style. Those headline details are reflective of a solid and improving start.
Durability and stability appear invaluably enhanced. New arrivals Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo, alongside familiar facesAlisson Becker Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister, have been among those contributing notably in that regard. That’s boosted the significance of Alexander Isak’s goals, while the team’s on and off-ball coherence ought to keep growing.
With the next four league outings against the current top four, patience and high standards will continue to be key themes. Coexist constructively and there’s every chance that that developing formula will produce plenty of wins now and later.