Andoni Iraola Under Pressure as Liverpool Search for Cohesion Before LASK Clash

Liverpool head to Austria this week needing more than a response. They need a shape, a purpose and, above all, a bit of evidence that this team is actually becoming something under Andoni Iraola.

The 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield did not simply sting because of the scoreline. It hurt because it exposed how fragile Liverpool still look when the game turns against them. Ryan Gravenberch’s red card changed the contest, of course, but what followed was every bit as worrying as the dismissal itself. Heads went, distances between players grew, and the familiar failings were laid bare.

That is why the criticism aimed at Iraola has started to gather force. Didi Hamann former Liverpool midfielder did not hold back, saying: “When I look at Liverpool, they aren’t a team. They’re a collection of individual players.” It is a harsh line, but one that will resonate with plenty who watched the weekend unravel in front of them.

There is also a deeper concern in that judgement. As he put it, “The manager hasn’t managed to instil any real sense of cohesion.” That is the nub of it. Liverpool have good players, and enough of them to expect better. What they have not shown consistently is understanding, rhythm or the sort of collective will that carries sides through rough patches.

LASK test comes at awkward moment

The trip to LASK now takes on added weight. European away games can sharpen the mind, but they can also expose uncertainty. Liverpool’s record under Iraola so far, four wins, three draws and one defeat from eight games, is hardly catastrophic. Yet numbers can flatter if the eye tells a different story.

This side still feels like it is being introduced to itself. There are moments when the press clicks and the passing has tempo, but they fade too quickly. Too often, Liverpool look like a team waiting for someone else to seize control.

Florian Wirtz criticism adds to noise

Iraola is not the only one under the microscope. Florian Wirtz has already been dragged into the debate after a slow start, with Hamann saying: “I don’t know if he still believes he can make it.” He went further, adding, “When I see him for Liverpool, I often get the impression that he’s not happy.”

Those are serious doubts to throw at a player still trying to find his feet, and Liverpool will hope the noise around Wirtz eases once performances improve. Right now, though, one problem feeds another. When a team lacks clarity, individuals always carry the blame.

Champions League stage demands a reaction

This is where Liverpool must show a bit of backbone. Not talk, not excuses, just a performance with some authority about it. Iraola needs more than a result at LASK, he needs signs of a side beginning to trust itself. Because if Liverpool drift through another flat, disjointed display, the questions around their Champions League hopes and around Iraola himself will only grow louder.

For more background on Iraola’s Liverpool record, see his managerial history here.