Are Liverpool stuck in Groundhog Day? It certainly feels that, despite changes in the dugout and in personnel, the Reds are doomed for another tough season in the Premier League.
After four fixtures, Liverpool are unbeaten, but they have drawn their other three fixtures, lacking any kind of rhythm or synergy in Andoni Iraola’s system so far.
Where is the sense of urgency that characterised Iraola’s impressive three-year stint at Bournemouth? To be sure, Liverpool have talented players, but they lack the conviction and the nous to make things happen.
Shaky at the back and blunt in attack, so much is wrong with this football club, but once again, the draw against Fulham has left Florian Wirtz as something of a scapegoat.
Why Wirtz is still struggling at Liverpool
When Wirtz left Bayer Leverkusen and signed for title-winning Liverpool in a £115m deal in 2025, excitement was in the air. Here, FSG had shown the ultimate desire and signed one of the most talented playmakers in the world.
Over a year later, it’s difficult to determine whether Wirtz has had a single statement moment in a red shirt. The German international has struggled in a disjointed system that appears to have carried into this new era, but regardless, he needs to do so much more.
Against Fulham, the 23-year-old created two chances, yet lacked authority and conviction when on the ball. He covers immense stretches of ground each game, but is unable to apply the finishing touches that convinced Liverpool to pay a nine-figure fee for his signature.
Between them, Wirtz, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai won four of 17 contested ground duels. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude that this sculpting of the Liverpool midfield isn’t working – and likely won’t without some drastic form of intervention.
The domino effect is having a detrimental impact on the wider group, and something needs to change. Tottenham Hotspur are up next in a few days, and Iraola may want to drop one of his biggest superstars.
Iraola must drop 16-touch Liverpool star
Liverpool’s optimism has been shattered. Previous to the stalemate against Fulham, Iraola’s men had beaten Ipswich Town on the road and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Important across both outings was Alexander Isak, who took a frustrating backward step against Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, isolated and ineffective against the Cottagers.
He’s made a brighter start to the season than was the case last year, but Liverpool’s £125m signing is still not producing the world-class performances that were promised. The woes of Wirtz and co behind him haven’t helped, but it’s undoubtedly a concern, with his errant finishing against Fulham the peak of a largely anonymous display.
Alexander Isak vs Fulham | |
|---|---|
Stats | # |
Minutes played | 90′ |
Goals + Assists | 0 + 0 |
Touches | 16 |
Shots (on target) | 3 (1) |
xG | 0.38 |
Accurate passes | 5/5 (100%) |
Chances created | 0 |
Dribbles | 2/2 |
Ball recoveries | 1 |
Def. contributions | 0 |
Duels won | 4/6 |
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
Make no mistake, Isak is Liverpool’s star striker. He has shown across three of the club’s five games in all competitions this season that he has the quality to lead the line. But perhaps Iraola should ring a change or two after such a dour display, possibly placing Cody Gakpo at No. 9 on Tuesday.
Iraola cannot pigeonhole himself and his team. Liverpool need options, and Gakpo’s strength and instinctive finishing must be utilised over the coming months, here and there.
Against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening, the Dutchman must lead the line – especially after coming close to joining the Lilywhites this summer.
All told, Isak only touched the ball 16 times at Anfield. That averaged out to about once every five minutes. A striker shouldn’t be measured by the frequency of their touches, but even so, when a so-called world-class goalscorer is missing chances he should score and failing to gel with his teammates, it’s understandable that it should be so concerning.
In Wirtz, Isak and Barcola, Liverpool have themselves a bunch of attackers who cost in excess of £300m. The reality is that Iraola has so much work ahead of him before he can say he has got such players dancing to the right tune.
