Alexis Mac Allister’s struggles have mirrored Liverpool’s this season
Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders believes Andoni Iraola is facing pressure at Anfield as he attempts to gel a new-look squad following the loss of over 60 goals from last season’s attack.
Despite sitting sixth in the Premier League, Iraola is working to integrate summer arrivals while coping with injuries and navigating the relentless expectations that come with managing Liverpool.
And Saunders, who will have experienced the pressure of management during his personal stints with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wrexham, was keen to stress that all has not been straightforward for Iroala thus far.
Iraola faces plenty of challenges at Anfield says Saunders
“Andoni Iraola is trying to gel a new team together when you look at the players they have lost since winning the league,” Saunders told SveaCasino. “Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak were injured, Florian Wirtz is struggling to make his mark, both full-backs have struggled, and now a new manager has come in again.
“He’s looking to find what the problem is with the group. They’re still not playing as well as they were, but when you think about it, they’ve lost Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota under tragic circumstances, and Luis Diaz. Those three players scored 30-odd goals between them. When you add Salah’s 35 goals now he’s gone as well, that leaves over 60 goals missing from those four players. The new manager has come in and is trying to get Liverpool back to being Liverpool, because expectation levels are as high as they get.”
Saunders also pointed to midfield balance as a primary concern, insisting Liverpool currently lack a defensive anchor capable of reading danger.
“Every game he’ll learn. I don’t think they’re quite right in the middle of midfield,” Saunders explained. “None of those midfield players seem to smell danger like Rodri, N’Golo Kante, or Claude Makelele—players of that ilk. They need someone like Patrick Vieira in there who can read the game, smell danger, play brilliantly, and keep hold of the ball.
“Obviously they have a new front line as well. The centre-half situation looks good with Jeremy Jacquet playing alongside Virgil van Dijk, and the goalkeepers are brilliant. Then you look at Jeremie Frimpong—is he going to be good enough to play for Liverpool when you get into that final third? It’s a stark contrast from Trent Alexander-Arnold on the ball. But they’re doing alright, sitting sixth in the league with nine points. They play Brentford when they come back from the international break and they need to kick on now.”
Highlighting how quickly public patience wears thin in modern management, Saunders noted that media analysis has heightened scrutiny on head coaches.
“When you’re manager of Liverpool, you’re going to be under pressure after a start like they had before the Bournemouth win. Look at Roberto De Zerbi at Spurs or Frank Lampard who just got Coventry promoted and won the other day—it’s getting ridiculous,” Saunders said. “It used to be that you had 10 games as a manager, but now it’s down to six. If you don’t win for six games, you’re in big trouble.
“The public have been educated by Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher’s tactics on Sky Sports and they get a little bit more knowledge about football. But as a result, I think some of the public think, ‘Get him out. I could do better than that.’ But it’s harder than it looks. If they hadn’t won that game at Bournemouth, he would have been under fire.”
Recalling his own debut at Anfield, Saunders emphasized that excuses are never tolerated when representing Liverpool.
“I played for Liverpool and I remember sitting in the dressing room before my first game ever for the club. I’d just signed for a British record fee and as I was looking through the match programme, the back page listed our finishing positions over the last 10 years. The lowest we had finished in that entire decade was second,” Saunders added.
“We were playing Oldham at home in the first game of the season, and I remember thinking to myself that we had to win. You had to win every game. A draw for Liverpool is not a good result unless it’s against the top two, but that’s how you live. When you get to that level, you have to be the best. The price on that ticket is that you’ve got to produce every week. You can’t make excuses.”
