There was supposed to be a sense of excitement around Anfield yesterday.
A new manager.
A new season.
New signings.
A new chapter for Liverpool.
But instead, there was something strangely familiar about the afternoon.
The atmosphere felt flat.
And I don’t blame the supporters.
The excitement quickly disappeared
There was plenty of optimism before kick-off.
Andoni Iraola was taking charge of his first Premier League home game at Anfield, and there was genuine excitement about seeing what his Liverpool side would look like.
But once the game started, that excitement quickly disappeared.
Liverpool played with very little urgency for long periods.
The ball was moved slowly from side to side, with Forest sitting in an organised defensive shape and waiting for Liverpool to make a mistake.
It became a familiar sight.
Liverpool had possession.
Forest had the defensive structure.
And Liverpool struggled to find a way through it.
Too slow against a team sitting deep
This was probably my biggest frustration.
Liverpool were simply too slow.
There wasn’t enough movement ahead of the ball.
There weren’t enough runs behind the Forest defence.
And the passing was often happening directly in front of the opposition rather than trying to get behind them.
That makes life incredibly easy for a well-organised team.
Forest didn’t have to chase Liverpool around the pitch.
They could stay compact, protect the dangerous areas and wait.
Liverpool needed to move the ball quicker.
They needed to change the point of attack faster.
And most importantly, they needed players making runs that actually moved Forest’s defenders out of position.
The counter-attacking approach worked for Forest
Ironically, it was Forest who looked more dangerous at times.
Their approach was simple.
Stay organised.
Defend.
Win the ball.
Then attack the space Liverpool left behind.
It worked.
Forest scored first and created opportunities on the counter, while Liverpool struggled to consistently create clear chances.
Alisson had to produce a brilliant save before half-time to prevent Forest from going 2-0 ahead.
That tells its own story.
And then there was Szoboszlai
One thing that really caught my eye was Dominik Szoboszlai ending up at right-back.
We’ve seen this before.
Last season, Szoboszlai was repeatedly asked to fill in at right-back when Liverpool were struggling for options.
And now, under a new manager, we’re seeing something similar.
That’s not necessarily Szoboszlai’s fault.
In fact, he did a decent job defensively.
But it does raise questions.
Liverpool have brought in Jeremie Frimpong specifically to provide attacking threat from right-back.
So why are we still seeing Szoboszlai having to cover that position?
Is this becoming a squad problem?
This is where I think the bigger issue lies.
It isn’t about blaming Iraola for one tactical decision.
He’s working with the squad he’s been given.
And that’s important.
If the manager doesn’t have enough natural options in certain positions, he has to improvise.
Szoboszlai is versatile.
He has the energy to cover ground.
He’s tactically intelligent.
So it’s understandable why a manager might trust him there.
But Liverpool shouldn’t want one of their most important midfielders spending significant periods of games at right-back.
That’s not getting the best out of him.
And it certainly doesn’t solve Liverpool’s midfield concerns.
A new manager needs time
We also have to be fair to Iraola.
This is his first season at Liverpool.
He needs time to implement his ideas.
He inherited a squad that has undergone significant change.
Players have left.
Players have arrived.
Others are injured.
And the squad isn’t as deep as many supporters would like.
So I don’t think anyone should be judging Iraola after one disappointing home performance.
But he will need to find solutions.
Because Liverpool can’t afford to spend an entire season playing predictable football against organised defences.
Wirtz showed what is possible
There was one player who consistently looked capable of breaking the pattern.
Florian Wirtz.
He was Liverpool’s main attacking threat.
He found pockets of space.
He tried to turn and drive at the Forest defence.
He even had a goal ruled out for offside and forced a good save with a header.
That should tell us something.
Liverpool need to get their most creative players involved as quickly as possible.
Wirtz needs runners ahead of him.
Isak needs service.
The wingers need to attack defenders.
And the midfield needs to move the ball faster.
This team needs energy
That’s what I wanted to see yesterday.
Energy.
Intensity.
Movement.
Aggression.
The supporters were ready for it.
But the football didn’t give them much to get excited about.
It’s difficult for an atmosphere to build when the home team is passing the ball slowly around a deep defensive block.
Football feeds off energy.
The team gives energy to the supporters, and the supporters give it straight back.
Yesterday, that connection never really developed.
My verdict
I’m not worried about Iraola.
Not yet.
He’s new.
He needs time.
And he needs the squad to be strengthened.
But yesterday did highlight some of the problems Liverpool still have.
The passing was too slow.
There weren’t enough runs behind the defence.
The attack looked disconnected.
The midfield remains a concern.
And seeing Szoboszlai pushed back into a right-back role was a reminder that Liverpool’s squad still has some obvious holes.
A new manager doesn’t automatically mean the old problems disappear.
Iraola has to find his solutions.
And Liverpool’s hierarchy has to give him the players to do it.
Because supporters will accept a new manager needing time.
What they won’t want to see is another season of watching Liverpool dominate possession without knowing how to break down an organised defence.
Yesterday was flat.
The football was flat.
But this is only the beginning of the Iraola era.
Now we need to see what he can change.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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