Anfield, intensity and rotations – how Iraola is improving Liverpool

Iraola is a believer that possession itself is not overly important but he wants his team to produce the better chances.

“Whoever controls the game is whoever controls the chances,” he said, after Liverpool‘s 2-0 win over Brighton, where the Reds only had the ball for 35.6% of the playing time.

Liverpool went more direct against a Brighton side that likes to keep the ball and it worked. Liverpool are averaging 24.9 long balls per Premier League game this season, compared to 21 last term.

In terms of high pressures in the opposition half (165.9 per game, compared to 160.1) and sprints (128.3 per game, compared to 123.2), Iraola’s side are doing more in comparison to last season but they are actually covering marginally less distance (111.1 km per game, compared to 111.7km)

Asked what has changed under Iraola, captain Virgil van Dijk offered an interesting response earlier this week.

“The ‘intensity’ word has been said so many times, sometimes a bit of chaos and there is this risk-reward that’s going on now as well,” he said.

“If we press high, I ended up at one point almost putting Cody [Gakpo] in one versus one on goal when I intercepted the ball on the right-hand side – when I’m a left centre-back. It’s this sort of intensity that we try to get into our press.

“It’s still a work in progress, but if you defend with a lot of intensity you have a big chance to win the ball high. Sometimes, that creates some risk and it could be vulnerable, but we’re working on it a lot in order to be able to take that risk, but still not be as vulnerable as we have been sometimes.”

There is more to come from the approach and Iraola insisted “there has to be another level” after arriving late to Friday’s news conference because training overran.

If his side can find that, starting against Arsenal, then talk of a title challenge will only grow.