Liverpool’s horror night underlines Andoni Iraola’s Champions League gamble
As Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo stood on the touchline in Istanbul, it was clear to see that Andoni Iraola needed some impact. Within minutes, he got it, as Isak headed in Gakpo’s cross to restore Liverpool’s lead at Fenerbahce. But Iraola’s triple-change did not resolve Liverpool’s biggest issue as they dropped points in the Champions League for the first time this season and slipped to consecutive defeats in all competitions: that his team were disorganised and lacked cohesion. As the visitors twice conceded late on to give up their lead for the second time, a 3-2 defeat to Dirk Kuyt’s side was Liverpool’s worst night since Iraola took charge.
It can put be down as a blip, particularly as the nature of the Champions League league phase – and Liverpool starting their campaign with three wins from three – meant they faced a hostile crowd and intimidating atmosphere in Istanbul but very little jeopardy. That was reflected in Iraola’s line-up as he tried out a strikerless attack that featured Bradley Barcola, Rio Ngumoha and Victor Munoz, with Isak and Gakpo kept in reserve. The move backfired. Barcola, so promising attacking from the left against Arsenal on Sunday, carried little threat as he played in the unfamiliar central role. Liverpool missed a presence up front, but it also was their lapses in defence that cost them.
“Cheap goals. Messy goals,” Iraola said. Liverpool conceded three times from set-pieces but if Mason Greenwood’s deflected free-kick was unlucky then losing Archie Brown at the back post from a corner was sloppy and Vedat Muriqi rising in the box following a long throw, surrounded by red shirts but otherwise unopposed, was just not good enough. It was also the third time in as many games in the Champions League that Liverpool had shipped three. They switched off late on while leading Lask in Austria before a dismal start against Villarreal at Anfield. At Fenerbahce, it felt as if there was an element of chaos throughout.
Afterwards, Iraola defended making five changes from Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. The nature of Liverpool’s lopsided squad has meant that Iraola has had to trust his options throughout a demanding period of six games in 18 days. At Fenerbahce, Iraola largely replicated the approach of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win against Chelsea last week, keeping his first-choice attacking options back before gradually adding strength later on. But also making changes in defence – with Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas withdrawn late on – was a gamble and did not help Liverpool’s security, instead adding to their instability.
“We have done this not just today, we have done it all season,” Iraola said in his defence. “All the games midweek we have been changing four or five as it’s impossible to retain the starting XI. I trust the squad to sustain the level and I don’t think it is the main reason why we lost. We have to look more at how we conceded the goals as the reason we didn’t win.”
Fenerbahce had lost 6-0 to Aston Villa just last month and were in a sorry state following the resignation of Ismail Kartal last week. No wonder interim boss Kuyt hailed victory over his former team as a “miracle”. But it was a wake-up call for Liverpool in the Champions League, too, while underlining the task Iraola faces to guide this curiously assembled squad on multiple fronts.
