There is no hiding from the expectations that come with managing Liverpool Football Club. The pressure is enormous, the scrutiny is relentless and every result is analysed from every possible angle.
Yet, while plenty of noise surrounds Liverpool, Andoni Iraola seems content to get on with the job in front of him.
He has inherited a massive responsibility, a demanding fixture schedule, a squad that has been stretched by injuries and a group of youngsters who are being asked to help Liverpool through a difficult period. And he is doing all of this while trying to introduce his own ideas at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
I don’t think Iraola is getting enough credit for how he is handling it.
This was never going to be an easy transition
When you take charge of Liverpool, nobody wants to hear excuses. The supporters expect the team to compete, win matches and play football that reflects the club’s identity.
But football doesn’t work that simply.
Changing a team’s approach, building relationships between players and finding the right balance takes time. Iraola hasn’t walked into a settled squad with every player available and the luxury of weeks between matches to work on the training ground.
Instead, he has had to deal with a relentless run of fixtures while managing a growing list of absentees.
Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike are among the players who have been unavailable, while other important first-team players have also missed games through injury.
That has left Iraola with difficult decisions to make, particularly when it comes to rotation and giving players enough recovery time.
Liverpool have ambitions in several competitions, but there is a limit to what any manager can do when his options are restricted.
A small squad means difficult decisions
One of the biggest challenges for Iraola is keeping Liverpool competitive when the schedule offers very little breathing space.
There are league matches, Champions League commitments and domestic cup ties, often with only a few days between them. Players cannot be expected to produce maximum intensity every three or four days without consequences.
Iraola has already shown that he understands this. He has rotated his starting line-up regularly and used young players such as Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni and Lewis Koumas rather than simply relying on the same group every time.
That is encouraging, even if it inevitably means some performances will be inconsistent.
Young players need opportunities, but they also need patience. They are still learning what it takes to perform at Liverpool, and being asked to contribute during a demanding spell is a big responsibility.
I would much rather see Iraola trust these youngsters and help them develop than run his senior players into the ground because he feels he cannot rely on anyone else.
Of course, there will be occasions when supporters question his selections or wonder why a particular player has been left out. I have my own opinions on those decisions. But we also have to look at the bigger picture.
Sometimes a manager has to think beyond the next 90 minutes.
The Brighton win was an important step
Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Brighton at Anfield was exactly the sort of result Iraola needed.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, and there are still areas that need improvement, but there were plenty of positives to take from it.
Liverpool started aggressively, took their chances in the first half and showed greater resilience when Brighton tried to fight their way back into the game after the break.
The clean sheet was particularly welcome. We have seen Liverpool look vulnerable at times this season, so keeping Brighton out while under pressure was an important step in the right direction.
The attacking quality was there too. Florian Wirtz helped create the opening goal, Bradley Barcola produced excellent work before setting up Alexander Isak, and the team showed what it can do when the pieces start coming together.
For me, the result was about more than three points. It was another sign that Iraola’s ideas are beginning to take hold.
There is still work to do, but I can see reasons to be encouraged.
Iraola deserves credit for trusting the youngsters
When injuries leave gaps in the squad, a manager has two choices: complain about the situation or find a way to work with what he has.
So far, Iraola has largely got on with it.
Ngumoha has shown that he can trouble defenders with his pace, confidence and willingness to take players on. Nyoni and Koumas have also been given opportunities to show what they can offer.
They will make mistakes. They will have quieter games. That is part of growing into senior football.
But Liverpool need these players to develop, particularly when the squad is stretched. Giving them meaningful minutes now could prove valuable over the course of the season and beyond.
I don’t expect every youngster to become an instant first-team regular, and I don’t expect them to solve all our problems. What I do want to see is a manager who believes in them, gives them opportunities and helps them improve.
Iraola appears willing to do that.
Why I’m not setting the bar too high this season
I know Liverpool supporters are used to competing for the biggest prizes. We don’t follow this club to settle for mediocrity, and nobody should be suggesting that expectations need to disappear.
But I also believe there is a difference between having ambition and expecting everything to fall into place immediately.
For me, this is a major transition season. I want to see progress, a clearer identity, a stronger defence and a team that becomes more consistent as the campaign develops.
I would love Liverpool to challenge for silverware, and I want us to qualify for the Champions League. Cups also offer an opportunity to make this a memorable season.
But I’m not going to judge Iraola solely on whether Liverpool win the Premier League this year.
There are too many moving parts, too many games and too many players missing to pretend that this is a straightforward job.
What matters is whether he is building something that can last.
If Liverpool become more organised, improve their defensive work, develop the younger players and show that they understand what Iraola wants from them, then we will have something to build on.
The quiet approach could be exactly what Liverpool need
Iraola doesn’t need to make grand promises or talk himself up. He needs to make decisions, work with the players available and keep Liverpool moving forward.
That is what I want to see.
There will be setbacks, and I have no doubt there will be days when supporters are frustrated with his team selection or the way Liverpool perform. That comes with the territory at Anfield.
But I like the fact that the focus is on the football. He has a huge job on his hands, and the best response is to keep working rather than make excuses.
The Brighton result was encouraging, particularly because Liverpool combined attacking threat with a more resilient defensive performance. Now the challenge is to repeat that level more consistently, even when the fixtures come thick and fast.
The next few weeks will tell us plenty about the direction of this team. Iraola will have to manage tired legs, injuries and difficult opponents, while continuing to find the right balance between experience and youth.
That is a serious test of his management.
My verdict: I’m encouraged, but I’m keeping my feet on the ground
I’m not getting carried away, and I’m certainly not claiming Liverpool have everything sorted. They don’t.
But I am impressed by Iraola’s start, especially when you consider the circumstances he is working under.
He has taken on one of the biggest jobs in football, inherited enormous expectations and been forced to manage a demanding schedule with important players missing. Despite that, there are signs of progress, young players are getting opportunities and the Brighton victory offered genuine reasons for optimism.
My expectations remain realistic. I see this as a season of transition, and I want to judge Iraola on the progress he makes rather than demand instant perfection.
Liverpool are still a work in progress, but that doesn’t mean we cannot be encouraged by what we are seeing.
Iraola seems happy to keep his head down, get on with the job and let the football do the talking.
Long may that continue.
The best is still to come, in my opinion. I’m willing to give Iraola the time and support he needs to build something special at Liverpool.
Jamie – (The Kopite View)
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