Two Premier League matches at Anfield. Two draws.
For just the third time in 63 years, Liverpool have failed to win both of their opening home games of a league season – not exactly the flying start new boss Andoni Iraola would have been dreaming of.
After such an encouraging midweek performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, full of urgency, Saturday’s goalless draw against Fulham was a flat follow-up, especially with the Cottagers lacking in confidence and having conceded seven goals in their first three league games.
The Reds looked physically and mentally tired and, to put it bluntly, like an entirely different team to the one that won against a Diego Simeone side that made it to the Champions League semi-finals last season.
On the first real look at how Iraola’s style will cope with two games a week, this was certainly not what the Liverpool head coach, nor the Anfield crowd, would have wanted to see.
Former boss Jurgen Klopp would often speak about recognising his team based on their identity and intensity rather than just their colours and judging by Iraola’s words since he took over, the Spaniard wants the same too.
Iraola said: “What was lacking was quite clear, it is the first game we had problems to create chances and score goals and make the difference offensively, and that is the main reason we couldn’t create chances.”
His side are still unbeaten and it is hardly a crisis, but he will look at a return of six points from their first four Premier League games as disappointing, particularly by dropping four points at home to Nottingham Forest and Fulham, with another draw coming at Newcastle and their sole success at Ipswich.
Keeper Alisson told Sky Sports: “We are not happy at all with the draw. It is not something that should happen with Liverpool. To be unbeaten, but with three draws, is not something to celebrate too much with this shirt.
“If we want to do something special [this season] we have to cope with playing a game Wednesday, Saturday and then Tuesday.
“We need to have the right mental state and that was not the case from what we showed. Inside we have it, but we have to just put it out and put more energy on the pitch.”
The £364m attacking trio of Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz started together for the first time in a league game and although Liverpool had decent chances, they created nowhere near enough.
Isak’s 16 touches in 90 minutes was the second fewest for an outfield Reds player on record, having had the fewest (14) against Forest a fortnight ago.
German Wirtz looked a shadow of the player who was terrific in midweek against Atleti and while Barcola and Isak had a few encouraging moments, that is a partnership that will take time to develop.
“Bradley is one we are building up physically with games and the games will give him the condition we want,” Iraola told Match of the Day.
“But it is not just Bradley, we lack the freshness. I only remember one clear chance [for Fulham] and we kept the structure but offensively we need to do much better.”