Andoni Iraola knows that if his Liverpool project is to succeed, restoring Anfield as one of football’s most intimidating venues must become a priority.
For years, visiting teams arrived on Merseyside expecting to be overwhelmed by Liverpool’s intensity and the noise of the crowd. That aura is now under serious threat after a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City left the Reds without a Premier League win at Anfield in five matches.
City expose Liverpool’s problems
Liverpool was competitive for much of the first hour against a Manchester City side that arrived with a perfect league record. Their shape, pressing and energy were encouraging, and the match remained finely balanced.
Everything changed when Ryan Gravenberch was sent off in the 62nd minute. City took control, scored three times and exposed the lack of leadership and cutting edge in Iraola’s squad.
“We played two different games: one until the red card, and then after,” Iraola told Match of the Day.
“For 60 minutes, the players were very good. The second game from the red card was where City were better than us.”
The defeat ended Iraola’s unbeaten run of 24 Premier League matches dating back to January, a stretch that included his time at Bournemouth. It also left Liverpool winless in three home league games this season, although they have won at Anfield in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Is Anfield still a fortress?
The wider trend is concerning. Since the start of the year, Liverpool have won only four of their 13 Premier League matches at Anfield. They have actually recorded more away victories than home wins during that period.
Anfield’s historical record remains extraordinary. Visiting teams have won just 12.5% of Premier League matches there, the lowest away win percentage of any stadium in the competition’s history.
But former players believe that reputation is weakening. Ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes said the crowd no longer has the same influence it did under Jurgen Klopp.
“When you go to Liverpool, especially when Jurgen Klopp was there, the crowd played such a major part. It feels like that’s gone,” Scholes said on The Good, the Bad and the Football podcast.
“I don’t think the fans are quite on board at the minute with what’s happening there. When we used to go there, I’d think, ‘how are we going to get the ball?’, because they were on top of you. Teams seem to have a lot more possession and look a bit more comfortable than they ever have.”
Former United midfielder Nicky Butt made an even stronger point, saying that teams such as Fulham once arrived at Anfield “beaten before they even go up the steps.”
Lack of leaders and attacking threat
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes the problem extends beyond atmosphere. He argues that Liverpool have become too easy to play against and lack enough commanding personalities on the pitch.
“The best teams in the world are also horrible to play against. Liverpool aren’t horrible,” Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“They’re an easy touch at the moment. They have too many players that are nice and they have to change that part of things.
“Liverpool have got a lot of work to do. They don’t have enough leaders at the moment, apart from Virgil van Dijk barking orders.”
Liverpool’s attacking numbers support that criticism. They have scored only seven Premier League goals this season, with just two coming at Anfield. Only seven teams have scored fewer.
City, by comparison, have 16 league goals, more than double Liverpool’s total. Across three home league matches this season, Liverpool have failed to score in two of them.
Injuries and missing quality
Liverpool’s attacking issues have been worsened by injuries. Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai were all absent against City, and together they have contributed six of Liverpool’s seven league goals this season.
Lewis Koumas worked hard in Isak’s absence, but the 21-year-old does not yet offer the ruthless finishing required at the highest level.
Greater responsibility now falls on Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola. Both were signed for more than £100 million combined, but neither produced the decisive moment Liverpool needed.
There was a clear example in the 55th minute with the score at 0-0. Wirtz had Milos Kerkez and Barcola in space on his left, but chose to shoot himself and dragged his effort wide.
“You learn a lot in games like today,” Iraola said. “I am very proud of my players. They put the work rate and everything in today. It’s a loss and we didn’t get anything from the performance but I liked it a lot.”
Still, Iraola will recognise that effort alone will not restore Liverpool’s status. Getting his expensive attacking signings to deliver consistently—and making Anfield feared again—must now be central to his plan.
