In the latest Blood Red column, Ian Doyle assesses an unbeaten start for Andoni Iraola at Liverpool and what is now around the corner
Andoni Iraola's Liverpool host Manchester City in their first game after the international break
Andoni Iraola's Liverpool host Manchester City in their first game after the international break
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When does a steady start become a good one? It's a question worth asking as Andoni Iraola takes stock after an enlightening opening few games in charge of Liverpool.
The current extended international break has allowed time for a breather to reflect on the baby steps of the Basque in the Anfield hotseat since replacing the axed Arne Slot at the end of last season.
So far, so okay. Dropped points in three out of five Premier League games mean any success is qualified, not least given the fixture list was hardly the most demanding compared to the assignments that linger around the corner when the campaign resumes in a fortnight.
But with progress in the Carabao Cup and a winning start to the Champions League programme, Iraola has reason to be content with his impact thus far.
Indeed, he is closing in on matching the solid starts of two legendary Liverpool managers having been unbeaten in his first seven games.
If the Community - or Charity, as it was then known - Shield is regarded as the glorified friendly it actually is, not since Joe Fagan and Bob Paisley has a new Reds boss gone so deep into his stewardship without tasting defeat in a competitive game.
Both European Cup winners fell at the eighth game, Fagan's Reds losing at Manchester United while Paisley's side were beaten 2-0 at Manchester City.
City, of course, are the next opponents for Liverpool when they visit Anfield on October 11, an already powderkeg fixture which has taken on even greater significance in the light of reports the Etihad outfit have been found guilty of all bar one of the 115 charges for alleged financial breaches by the Premier League.
More on that in a bit. Iraola, though, has already outstripped Jurgen Klopp, who fell to defeat in his seventh game in charge. Mind you, it isn't much of an indicator of future success - Bill Shankly's new Liverpool side were tonked 4-0 at home in his first game in charge.
Iraola himself has now not lost any of his last 24 competitive games since Bournemouth were eliminated from the FA Cup at Newcastle United on penalties in the third round in early January.
However, that exactly half have been drawn underlines perhaps how his priority, at least during his early days at Liverpool, has been on ensuring his team have a solid base. Certainly, the Reds are significantly less leaky than last season when they conceded their highest number of goals during a 38-game Premier League season.
This time around, only Leeds United and Everton have conceded fewer than the four the Reds have leaked in their five games, and will resume looking to extend a run of three successive top-flight clean sheets.
The real test of Iraola's methods, though, will come in the opposite direction, with Liverpool still far from fully firing going forward in their attempts to bring the urgent, aggressive, front-footed football for which the Basque has been appointed.
Given the change of personnel in the attack and the belated ability to fully implement of Alexander Isak into the team, that is going to take time. There are likely to be more games similar to the scrap against Bournemouth and the dismal goalless affair with Fulham until matters fully click.
So to City. Having had a little taste of the power of Anfield during the Champions League win over Atletico Madrid earlier this month, matters will be ramped up to a whole new level with the visit of the team with which Liverpool tussled for much of the Pep Guardiola era.
While debate will rage over the nature of the sanctions imposed on City if their reports, as expected, are confirmed over their guilt, what Liverpool cannot afford to do now is dwell too much on the past.
If there is any uncertainty among the City ranks, Iraola and his players must capitalise - and further demonstrate a new era is beginning both at Liverpool and in the Premier League.