Liverpool’s goalless draw with Fulham was a frustrating afternoon at Anfield, particularly after the excitement of Wednesday night’s Champions League victory over Atlético Madrid.
But rather than panic, there are several important lessons for Andoni Iraola and his Liverpool team.
The Reds looked tired, lacked attacking cohesion and were second best for long periods as Fulham showed much more energy and created the better opportunities. Liverpool were fortunate not to fall behind early and needed a brilliant goal-line clearance from Jérémy Jacquet to keep the scores level.
Here are my five biggest talking points from the 0-0 draw.
1. Iraola still has a lot to learn about his team
This is probably the biggest takeaway.
Iraola is still working out exactly what his best Liverpool team looks like.
Today’s changes from the Atlético Madrid game didn’t really work, with Kostas Tsimikas, Ryan Gravenberch and Victor Muñoz all coming into the starting eleven.
Tsimikas was taken off at half-time, while Gravenberch and Muñoz followed shortly after the hour mark.
That tells us something.
Iraola is still experimenting with combinations and trying to understand which players can give him what he needs in different situations.
And that’s perfectly understandable.
This is a new Liverpool manager trying to build his own team.
We need to give him time.
There will be days when he gets things right and days when he gets things wrong.
Today’s game was certainly one where he will have learned a lot.
2. Gravenberch looks like he has lost some confidence
I really worry about Ryan Gravenberch at the moment.
There is a talented footballer in there, but he doesn’t look like the confident player we saw previously.
His early mistake almost cost Liverpool dearly when he lost possession after receiving a pass from Alisson, in fairness, it was a pass that put him under severe pressure, allowing Fulham to create a huge opportunity.
Jérémy Jacquet had to clear Gonzalo García’s effort off the line.
Gravenberch was eventually replaced by Alexis Mac Allister after an hour, and Liverpool looked more purposeful in midfield afterwards.
This isn’t about writing Gravenberch off.
Far from it.
But Iraola needs to find a way of getting his confidence back because Liverpool will need him over the course of a long season.
3. Liverpool looked like they had nothing left after Wednesday night
This was the most obvious difference between the Atlético Madrid game and today.
Liverpool simply didn’t have the same energy.
Wednesday night was a huge European occasion and Liverpool produced the intensity you’d expect from a team playing at Anfield under the lights.
Today was completely different.
The Reds looked sluggish, sloppy and short of ideas.
The turnaround was only around 65 hours, and even Iraola acknowledged afterwards that his team lacked the energy and freshness they had shown against Atlético.
Perhaps this was simply the price Liverpool paid for that fantastic European performance.
But it is also a warning.
If Liverpool want to compete across the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cups, the squad has to cope with these quick turnarounds.
4. Fulham were the better team and created more chances
We shouldn’t take anything away from Fulham.
They deserved their point.
In fact, there were periods where Fulham looked the more dangerous team.
Josh King was a constant threat, Alisson had to make important saves and Jacquet’s goal-line clearance prevented the visitors from taking the lead.
Opta’s post-match numbers showed Liverpool only narrowly edged the shot count, 14-10, while Fulham’s threat was clear from the chances they created.
That’s not something we usually expect to see at Anfield against a team that had lost their opening three league matches.
But Fulham were organised, aggressive and brave.
They probably deserved more than a point.
For Liverpool, that’s perhaps the most worrying aspect of the afternoon.
5. Liverpool look short of options when things aren’t working
This is the issue that concerns me most going forward.
When Liverpool are flying, the attacking options look frightening.
But what happens when the team is struggling?
Today, Iraola tried Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gakpo, Frimpong and Ngumoha to change the game.
There was some improvement, particularly after Mac Allister and Gakpo arrived, but Liverpool still couldn’t find a breakthrough.
And that tells us there is still work to do with the squad.
Liverpool need players who can come off the bench and change the tempo of a game immediately.
Someone who can inject energy.
Someone who can beat a man.
Someone who can find that killer pass.
Someone who can simply change the whole momentum.
That’s the difference between a good squad and a squad capable of competing for major honours.
Patience is required
I’m not going to judge Iraola after four league games.
Today’s performance was poor, but we’ve already seen what this Liverpool team can produce against Atlético Madrid.
The manager is still learning about his players, the players are still learning his system and the squad is still finding its identity.
That’s going to take time.
There will be frustrating afternoons like this.
The important thing is that Liverpool learn from them.
Today’s 0-0 draw wasn’t good enough, but it doesn’t suddenly mean everything is going wrong.
Give Iraola time. Give the players time.
And let’s see what this Liverpool team looks like once the manager has properly put his stamp on it.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
Liverpool lack brains in midfield, an organizer in good or bad times. Yes there is fatigue, but you show quality. There were no quality movements. So many balls given away. Indecision. No will to fight back. It was no different from last SS.