Liverpool supporters had wanted Xabi Alonso to replace Arne Slot as manager, but will not be wondering what might have been when the Spaniard returns to Anfield with Chelsea
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso and Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso and Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola(Image: Getty Images)
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If you had said when Andoni Iraola was appointed as Liverpool head coach that he would have to wait until late-October to win his first Premier League match at Anfield, you would be forgiven for thinking he was not faring too well in his debut season on Merseyside.
The emotion he showcased when celebrating in front of the Kop after beating Brighton & Hove Albion was perhaps a giveaway at the relief Iraola felt in clinching that maiden home league win at the fourth time of asking.
But the timing is just a curious, misleading trait of this season’s fixture list, enhanced by an expanded September/October international break.
It might have taken Iraola until mid-October to win at home in the league for the first time. But a struggling side Liverpool are anything but.
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The Reds have won eight of Iraola's 12 matches to date, with victory over Brighton taking them into the top four and the only defeat coming after they were reduced to 10 men against Man City.
Draws against struggling Nottingham Forest and Fulham preceded that loss, yet Iraola had still already overseen three Anfield victories in the Champions League and League Cup - against Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal - prior to downing Brighton.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s stumbles at home in the Premier League were not unique to the Basque’s early weeks in charge.
Having limped throughout the majority of Arne Slot’s final season in charge, victory over Brighton was only the Reds’ fifth from their 14 home games in the league throughout 2026.
Iraola has now got such a monkey off his back ahead of the biggest test of his reign to date, with Arsenal the next Premier League visitors to Anfield on Sunday 1 November.
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A home clash with Manchester United will then await on Sunday, November 22 following next month’s international break.
Yet before both fixtures, Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night as they face a reunion with club legend Xabi Alonso for the first time since he became a Premier League manager.
The 2005 Champions League winner was afforded a hero’s welcome in each of the past two seasons when returning with Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid, while supporters were desperate for him to succeed Jurgen Klopp prior to Slot’s appointment in the summer of 2024.
He then had the popular vote on the terraces when it came to succeeding the Dutchman prior to the Reds moving for Iraola - who grew up alongside his fellow Basque while in the youth ranks at Antiguoko.
Alonso has overseen a similar start at Chelsea as Iraola on Merseyside, winning six of his first 10 games in charge. In the Premier League table, just two points separates the two sides with Londoners sitting behind the Reds in fifth.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: Ronald Araujo of Liverpool celebrates after the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield on October 25, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Ronald Araujo celebrates after Liverpool's win over Brighton (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Yet when Alonso’s Chelsea came to Anfield, there will be no wistful looks to the opposing dugout, wondering what might have been and wishing the Basque had returned to Liverpool instead.
The 44-year-old might still hold a firm place in the hearts of Kopites, but Reds supporters are already content with what they have and bought in fully to their own new era under Iraola.
That is perhaps the biggest compliment you can give the new Liverpool head coach despite inheriting an unenviable job. He is already helping the Reds fanbase enjoy their side’s football again after a miserable campaign last time out.
Slowly but surely he is winning them over. And his beaming smile when saluting the Kop after that first Premier League home win told its own story during these formative weeks of his Anfield reign.