Iraola Wants Sharper Liverpool Attack for Fenerbahce Trip
Liverpool go to Istanbul on Wednesday with three wins from three in the Champions League and a fresh defeat to explain. A victory over Fenerbahce would move them a long way towards the knockout phase, and Andoni Iraola has used the build-up to say what has to change.
A home side in flux
Fenerbahce will be in the middle of a coaching change. Dirk Kuyt, who left Liverpool in 2012 and spent three seasons at the Turkish club afterwards, is expected to take charge of his first European game with them.
He was Ismail Kartal's assistant, a job he took only this summer. When Kartal resigned after last week's 2-1 loss to Galatasaray, Kuyt stepped in as interim coach.
On Tuesday night the club said Emre Belozoglu, a former Newcastle player, will take over on a permanent basis. Kuyt said the occasion is special for him, but that at this point "I'm not the important person". He said the fans deserve a reaction and a good performance.
Twelve goals in Europe, eleven in the league
The numbers for the two competitions point in different directions. In three Champions League games Liverpool have scored 12 times. In nine Premier League matches the total is 11.
Iraola did not see that as a serious concern. He said the season is young for comparisons, and that results in the Champions League and the Carabao Cup have so far been better than in the league.
His aim for Istanbul is a fourth straight win, which would put Liverpool on 12 points.
He then wants to try to finish in the top eight. He also warned that away games in that stadium and atmosphere are difficult and that his players must be mentally ready.
What went wrong against Arsenal
Sunday's defeat by Arsenal brought no shot on target for Liverpool, according to Opta. Its data goes back to 2003-04 and has no earlier home league game in which they managed none.
Iraola said the figure does not match what he saw. He was happy with much of the performance, felt his team had put Arsenal under pressure and said the visitors defended well.
His fix is specific: "we still need to improve, especially attacking the box". Liverpool often had enough players there, he explained, but their runs were not right and they waited for second balls.
He also said he has neither asked for nor been given an explanation from Pro Ref about the refusal of a penalty for Jurriën Timber's shirt-pull on Alexander Isak. With two days between games, he has been busy preparing for Fenerbahce. Ryan Gravenberch is injured and not in Istanbul.
Our view
Iraola is pinning Sunday on movement in the box, not on the system. That claim is testable: if Liverpool fail to put shots on target at Fenerbahce as well, the argument that Arsenal's defending and a few bad runs explain it gets harder to defend. A hosting side with a new permanent manager named only a day before kick-off adds another unknown.
Source: the Guardian