Liverpool under Andoni Iraola face an early test of whether their intense pressing style can withstand the demands of three matches in a week after fatigue contributed to a disappointing draw with Fulham at Anfield.
The goalless stalemate followed a draining European win over Atletico Madrid, in which Liverpool had to recover from behind. Iraola admitted his players lacked their usual sharpness and said the short turnaround had exposed an issue his team must learn to manage.
“A lack of freshness, definitely. We cannot hide it,” the Liverpool head coach said. He described the schedule as “the worst turnaround” permitted under Premier League regulations, while accepting that similar periods will occur during the season.
Iraola said some players could perform every three days without a significant drop in standards, while others needed to be rested. Determining which members of his squad belong in each category has become part of the manager’s learning process.
“I have to learn who is ready to play every two or three days and who is ready to rest so their performance level doesn’t drop,” he said. “I had an idea with some of them, but for some of them it is new as they have not played as many games and we are learning.”
Liverpool’s pressing game faces a demanding schedule
The match against Fulham was the first clear indication of what can happen when Liverpool’s physical demands collide with a congested fixture list. Iraola’s team struggled to press with its customary speed, particularly before half-time.
“Especially in the first half, we were arriving late to the presses,” he said. Tactical changes were made during the interval, but Fulham continued to find opportunities to play through Liverpool’s structure.
At times, the home side became divided, with the forwards pressing while the defence dropped back. That left spaces in midfield which Fulham players, including Josh King, were able to exploit.
Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno also found passes out from the back too easily when Liverpool’s pressure failed, removing several forwards from the play in one movement. Iraola is unlikely to abandon a system that has been central to his plans, but its effectiveness depends on every player moving in unison.
Liverpool have recorded a PPDA figure of 8.6 this season, indicating a particularly aggressive approach without the ball. They have also made more sprints than any other Premier League team and have risen 12 places for total distance covered.
The statistics underline the scale of the physical workload. Liverpool are running, sprinting and pressing more, but maintaining that intensity from match to match is proving more difficult than establishing it in the first place.
Iraola has sought to manage the burden by rotating his wingers, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz, however, started again against Fulham after featuring three days earlier and neither reached the same level.
Wirtz was particularly untidy in possession, although his work-rate remains high. He ranks second in the league for distance covered at high speed, a factor that may form part of Iraola’s assessment of which players can cope with repeated appearances.
“You can put the same players in every game,” Iraola said. “The problem is there will be a moment they are very tired and there is more risk of injury.”
The challenge will soon return. After the international break, Liverpool are due to host Manchester City, travel to Austria to face LASK Linz and then visit Brentford, with the three matches falling within six days.
A demanding run will follow in the next month, with Arsenal at home followed by a midweek trip to Fenerbahce and a visit to Crystal Palace. Later, Club Brugge are scheduled between matches against Manchester United and Everton.
With Hugo Ekitike unavailable, Liverpool have less room for error in managing their attacking options, while questions remain over whether Alexander Isak and the midfield can consistently deliver the pressing Iraola requires. The manager’s task is to find those answers before the schedule tests them again.
