Liverpool's start to life under new head coach Andoni Iraola has hit an unexpected snag, with the club failing to win either of their opening two home league fixtures for only the third time in 63 years. A goalless stalemate against Fulham on Saturday means the Reds have now managed just six points from their opening four Premier League matches, a modest return given the excitement surrounding Iraola's arrival.
The draw was particularly striking given the context. Just days earlier, Liverpool had produced an energetic and purposeful display in beating Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, a side that reached last season's Champions League semi-finals. Against Fulham, however, the team looked drained, both physically and mentally, offering little resemblance to the vibrant unit that had impressed in midweek European action.
Iraola did not shy away from identifying the problem. "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," he said. While Liverpool remain unbeaten this season, three draws in four league outings represent a slower start than many at the club would have anticipated.
Goalkeeper Alisson was blunt in his assessment of the result. "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," he told Sky Sports. The Brazilian also acknowledged the demands of a congested fixture list, noting that Liverpool will need to find the right mentality to handle matches coming in quick succession. "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," he added.
Saturday's match marked the first league start for Liverpool's costly attacking triumvirate of Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz, a trio assembled for a combined £364m. Yet the front line struggled to make an impact. Isak was involved in just 16 touches over the full 90 minutes, the second-lowest tally recorded for an outfield Liverpool player, only surpassed by his own performance of 14 touches against Nottingham Forest two weeks prior. Wirtz, so influential against Atletico, appeared well below his best, while any understanding between Barcola and Isak remains a work in progress.
Iraola pointed to fatigue and a lack of sharpness among his squad, particularly for Barcola. "Bradley is one we are building up physically with games and the games will give him the condition we want," the coach explained. "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."
The head coach made wholesale changes as the match wore on, with all three alterations to his starting XI substituted by the hour mark, including half-time replacement Kostas Tsimikas and 60th-minute withdrawals for Ryan Gravenberch and Victor Munoz. Fresh legs in the form of Milos Kerkez, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Rio Ngumoha and Jeremie Frimpong failed to spark a marked improvement.
Iraola conceded that his squad's tiredness was evident, describing the turnaround between the Atletico win and the Fulham draw as the shortest of the season so far in terms of recovery time. He suggested that moments of individual quality or set-piece efficiency may be required to salvage points during such demanding stretches. With a Carabao Cup fixture against Tottenham looming and at least seven more Champions League matches on the horizon, Liverpool will need to quickly adapt to a punishing schedule if they hope to mount a serious challenge across multiple competitions this season.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.