Andoni Iraola Sees Clear Fitness Problem as Liverpool Lose 3-2 to Monaco at Anfield
Liverpool lost 3-2 to Monaco at Anfield and the headline is obvious enough. They were two goals up, playing well, then faded badly and conceded three. Pre-season results do not define a season, but patterns matter, and Andoni Iraola was direct enough afterwards to point to the one that matters most right now, fitness.
For half an hour, Liverpool looked sharp. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz gave them a 2-0 lead and there was fluency to the attack, energy in the press and enough control to suggest a comfortable afternoon. Then the level dropped. Monaco got one back from the penalty spot before half-time, equalised soon after the break and completed the turnaround late on when Paris Brunner glanced in a near-post header from a corner.
Iraola did not dress it up when speaking after the game. “I think quite similar to the game we played against Leeds. I think we played really good [in the] first half, especially the first 30 minutes, but right now probably we don’t have much more in terms of the level required to play like this. Then they were much better in the second half, in the same way were better in the first half they were much better in the second half, and they deserved to turn around the game, yes.”
Liverpool fitness levels exposed against Monaco
That is the key point from this Monaco defeat. Liverpool can hit the right intensity in bursts, but they cannot hold it. In pre-season, that is common enough. It also needs fixing quickly. Iraola’s game asks for running, aggression and structure. If one of those drops, the whole thing starts to wobble.
He made clear that some senior players are still building up, which explains part of the drop-off. “I think they were in different levels but mostly they were in a good place. I think the ones that it was their first game, or even the ones that it was their second game, they had energy. The problem is right now probably they don’t have the energy for 90 minutes and they start to get tired. It will take time with them, we need more training with them. But we can take a lot of positives, but also a lot of negatives from today.”
That is blunt and accurate. Liverpool have enough quality to look good early, but if the legs go, spaces open, duels are lost and games turn. That is exactly what happened at Anfield.
Injury update on Curtis Jones and Jeremy Jacquet
There was also an update on two absentees. Jeremy Jacquet was close, Curtis Jones less so, though neither issue appears serious. Iraola said: “Jeremy Jacquet, we were in doubt whether to put him [in the squad] today, we decided not but he should be fine for the next one. It is taking a little bit of time, as we expected. Curtis [Jones], he has trained every day but yesterday finished with issues in the hip. It doesn’t look anything big but it didn’t make any sense to risk and those are the ones, more or less, closer to a return.”
That is sensible management. There is no point forcing minutes in July and August if it costs weeks later.
Anfield reaction and what Liverpool need next
After four friendlies, Iraola knows where his squad stands. “I think we are, right now, especially considering we won the first two games but the last two, we cannot sustain the level that we want for all the game. As soon as we have made some changes they start to get tired, we cannot sustain that level, so we have work to do.”
Again, no drama, no spin, just the obvious truth. Liverpool have ideas, they have quality and they have enough in the first phase of games to trouble teams. What they do not yet have is the physical base to keep doing it for 90 minutes.
The crowd response mattered too, particularly for a new head coach taking charge at Anfield for the first time. Iraola said: “Yeah, lovely, lovely – especially in the first half when we were pushing and everything was going so well, we were enjoying it. The second half has been harsh because when they are expecting you to go and you are not able, and you cannot give them what we wanted, it is frustrating, yes.”
That sums it up neatly. Good for 30 minutes, second best after that. Liverpool v Monaco offered encouragement and a warning. Right now, the warning carries more weight.
