Anfield, intensity, rotation - how Iraola is improving Liverpool

Published7 hours ago

You have go back to 2012 for the last time Arsenal won a game at Anfield.

In recent years - whenever this fixture comes around - it is well-documented that Mikel Arteta was playing for the Gunners that day.

Arteta is now a Premier League-winning manager and leading reigning champions who will arrive at Anfield on Sunday (16:30 GMT) hoping to end that streak.

But they will come up against a Liverpool side starting to find some rhythm under Andoni Iraola and with backing from a re-energised Anfield crowd.

Since tasting their only defeat of the season so far against Manchester City on 11 October, Liverpool have won their past five across all competitions.

Not since the start of last season under Arne Slot have they had such a run. Facing Arsenal at the end of a week in which the Gunners were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League Two Fleetwood, they will sense an opportunity to deliver a statement to the rest of the Premier League.

Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool are the biggest title challengers to Arsenal,, external though, speaking on Friday, Iraola insisted it was too early to look at the table.

Either way, the game will offer an early indication of Liverpool's progress under the Basque boss.

Victory will mean them move just three points behind Arsenal, but defeat would mean the difference extends to nine points after nine games.

Harnessing the power of Anfield

For vast parts of last season, Anfield lost its fear factor and watching Liverpool became a turgid experience. In the past fortnight, the connection between the fanbase and the side seems to have grown again.

Liverpool were flawed against Villarreal but the atmosphere was electric as they came from behind to win. The feel-good factor has only grown since, with an impressive win against high-flying Brighton in the Premier League and victory on penalties over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.

"We have a big advantage over other teams because this atmosphere we can create is special," said Iraola.

Big-money signings like Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz are all heading in the right direction, while players like Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister have been much better this season than last.

At the back, Ronald Araujo is already a fan favourite and Jeremy Jacquet has seamlessly settled into the Premier League. Iraola's growing trust in using youngsters like Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and James McConnell is certainly worth highlighting too.

Liverpool have made three or more starting XI changes in nine consecutive games and that rotation has been a key aspect of Iraola's own adaptation to coaching two games a week.

"It's true that [when I came], I didn't have a lot of experience [coaching two games a week], but I had a lot as a player of when you arrive back at 3am in the morning and so on," said Iraola.

"It's different to managing, but you do a lot of the job with the analysts, in the video room with the board and without spending the legs but I think our players are very used to it so a lot of the work is done.

"Now, it's more a matter of getting the decisions right, in terms of loading and freshening the legs. We are changing [the team] a lot from game to game and I think we will continue this approach."

'There has to be another level'

Iraola is a believer that possession itself is not overly important but he wants his team to produce the better chances.

"Whoever controls the game is whoever controls the chances," he said, after Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brighton, where the Reds only had the ball for 35.6% of the playing time.

Liverpool went more direct against a Brighton side that like to keep the ball and it worked. Liverpool are averaging 24.9 long balls per Premier League game this season, compared to 21 last term.

In terms of high pressures in the opposition half (165.9 per game, compared to 160.1) and sprints (128.3 per game, compared to 123.2), Iraola's side are doing more in comparison to last season but they are actually covering marginally less distance (111.1 km per game, compared to 111.7km)

Asked what has changed under Iraola, captain Virgil van Dijk offered an interesting response earlier this week.

"The 'intensity' word has been said so many times, sometimes a bit of chaos and there is this risk-reward that's going on now as well," he said.

"If we press high, I ended up at one point almost putting Cody [Gakpo] in one versus one on goal when I intercepted the ball on the right-hand side - when I'm a left centre-back. It's this sort of intensity that we try to get into our press.

"It's still a work in progress, but if you defend with a lot of intensity you have a big chance to win the ball high. Sometimes, that creates some risk and it could be vulnerable, but we're working on it a lot in order to be able to take that risk, but still not be as vulnerable as we have been sometimes."

There is more to come from the approach and Iraola insisted "there has to be another level" after arriving late to Friday's news conference because training overran.

If his side can find that, starting against Arsenal, then talk of a title challenge will only grow.

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