Liverpool v Arsenal at Anfield this weekend will test how far Iraola’s side have come
Liverpool will host Arsenal at Anfield this weekend in a Premier League fixture that, the article says, will give an indication of how much Andoni Iraola’s side have progressed under his management.
Iraola’s team have climbed the table after a slow start but remain short of goals. Liverpool have won five consecutive matches, including a 2-0 victory over Brighton — who had scored 23 goals in their first seven games — and a penalty shootout win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup at Anfield. They sit fourth in the Premier League, a point behind Brighton and six adrift of Manchester City and Arsenal, and have won all three of their Champions League games so far to sit third in the 36-team table.
Since the 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City at the start of October Liverpool have scored 15 goals in five games; the City game was goalless until Ryan Gravenberch’s red card. The club signed three attacking players for more than £100m — Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak — and Isak has six league goals, second only to Erling Haaland in the race for the Premier League golden boot. Liverpool have kept clean sheets in half of their league games this season.
Under Iraola a recognisable identity has returned: a pressing, transition-focused setup centred on feeding Isak. The team now features a settled back line of Ronald Araújo, Virgil van Dijk, Jérémy Jacquet and Milos Kerkez, with Araújo described as having turned the right-back position from a weakness to a strength and Barcola’s work rate allowing Iraola to deploy his attacking personnel without leaving the defence too exposed.
The article contrasts that with the final period of Arne Slot’s tenure, when Liverpool cycled through formations including 4-2-3-1, a diamond, 4-5-1 and a back five without finding consistency. Last season they conceded 53 league goals — their highest total since 1993–94 when Bruce Grobbelaar was in goal — conceded eight goals after the 90th minute and took just five points from losing positions compared with 19 the previous season.
Resilience has returned: Liverpool have twice in the last fortnight come from behind to win against Brentford and Villarreal and have already taken five points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, as many as they managed in the whole of last season; they are yet to drop a point from a winning position. However, attacking output remains a concern — Liverpool have scored 11 goals in eight league games and eight teams have scored more, with Brighton having scored more than twice as many.
Underlying numbers show a shortage of clear-cut chances: Liverpool have created only six big chances, the second-worst total in the division after Coventry, compared with Manchester City’s 28 and Bournemouth, Everton and Brighton on 20. Opponents often sit in a low block and rarely play out from the back against Liverpool; only one of their 11 fast breaks this season has produced a goal. Florian Wirtz has created 22 chances in the league — the second highest of any player — but none have registered as a big chance created, and his nine opportunities from open play against Brentford did not lead to a goal.
The match at Anfield this weekend will be framed as a key test: the article says Arsenal will probably push high and play in Liverpool’s half, which could provide the space Iraola’s side have struggled to find. That fixture is presented as a measure of whether Iraola can establish his high-pressing, transition-heavy approach against teams that play low blocks and produce chances at the rate of title contenders.