Iraola's Premier League Debut: Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest

Andoni Iraola walks into his first Premier League game at Anfield with Liverpool still buzzing from late drama, still wrestling with the transfer market, and still trying to solve a familiar problem: balance.

Last weekend at Newcastle, Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage‑time equaliser rescued a point and gave Iraola a chaotic but encouraging start. Now comes Nottingham Forest at 12.30pm on Saturday – a fixture that has haunted his predecessor.

Forest, the awkward visitors

Forest have not just visited Anfield recently, they’ve owned it. Under Arne Slot, Liverpool lost both home league meetings to an aggregate score of 4-0: a 1-0 defeat in September 2024, then a bruising 3-0 loss last November as the Dutchman’s reign began to unravel.

Iraola knows exactly what he’s walking into. Oliver Glasner’s Forest are stubborn, drilled and dangerous in transition.

“He has been very successful,” Iraola said of Glasner. “You can see straight away the shape. They don't concede many chances… We will have to earn every chance, win our duels, nothing is for free.”

He expects a tight game, much like Forest’s narrow defeat of Leeds settled by a last-minute free-kick. Patience, he insists, will be essential.

Anfield debut: emotion and expectation

This will be Iraola’s first Premier League game at Anfield as Liverpool head coach. Pre-season offered a taste; Saturday brings the full force.

“It's going to be a special moment for me,” he admitted. “I will be thinking of the game but it's also going to be emotional… I hope everything goes well and I enjoy the game.”

Enjoyment, though, will only follow control – something he felt Liverpool largely managed at St James’ Park.

“I thought we controlled the game quite well,” he said. “We had meaningful possession, were quite direct in attack. I was feeling good in the game, I felt we were closer to scoring than Newcastle in most part of the game.”

The performance pleased him. The defensive transitions did not.

The midfield storm and defensive balance

The debate around Liverpool’s midfield exploded after Newcastle, but Iraola sounded more amused than shocked by the intensity.

“Not surprised,” he said. “I expected when I came here that everything would be magnified. I'm starting to understand.”

He defended his players, stressing that plenty went right in the middle of the pitch, yet he didn’t dodge the obvious flaw: Liverpool were too open when they lost the ball.

“You go to the goals always,” he said. “If you make exactly the same mistake then it's normal we have to talk about the defensive transitions.

“I thought we improved during the game in that aspect, were much much better getting the numbers. I think the first goal is more to blame than the second in terms of how we positioned when we lost the ball.”

The message is clear: fix the structure, not the ambition.

“We don't want to lose the offensive side, the fluidity, the arrival of numbers,” he added. “But we were punished the other day. We have been intently working on it… We can't go from one way where we send a lot of people forward to putting everyone back and it looks stale.

“The players who are very good, they smell whether they can take the risk of going or staying. It's the quality of the player who takes those decisions.”

He used Ryan Gravenberch as an example – a midfielder he doesn’t want to shackle.

“I don't want to tell Ryan Gravenberch don't carry the ball… But there is a balance, recognising the situation how we can balance those numbers. Sometimes you have to accept the players go forward, it isn't always one stays back and one goes forward.”

Transfers: Barcola, wide men and uncertainty

While Iraola works on the pitch, Liverpool’s hierarchy have been working the phones. The club has reached an outline agreement with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola, a deal that would see a guaranteed fee of just over £100m, with add-ons potentially taking the package to around £120m.

Barcola has been Liverpool’s primary attacking target all summer as they remodel the forward line after Mohamed Salah’s departure. The structure of the deal is agreed, but there is still work to be done before it is completed.

Iraola, naturally, refused to talk directly about the France international.

“As you know, we are trying to sign in that position,” he said. “We can't talk about players who right now aren't ours. But we are trying to improve and fill that position as we don't have the numbers. I hope we have good news soon but we are still not there.”

The need for wide players is a recurring theme.

“There are certain things we can do but it's true we need players in the wide areas,” he said. “I'm sure if we can improve other areas we will but I don't know how the market is going to finish. I have to be patient as well as you.”

He admitted the constant uncertainty of the final days of the window makes his job uncomfortable.

“In four or five days we will know what we have and then we can make proper plans,” he said. “Then we get to September 2, this is who we have and the options we have, then we can start thinking. For now we don't know.”

The club, he stressed, understands his blueprint.

“I have in my head what I want, we've been talking since the beginning with the club, they know what we want. It's about closing the deals.”

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has already called for more – arguing that after Barcola, Liverpool should still move for a right-back and a midfielder. Inside the club, the conversation is clearly similar: wingers are the priority, but other areas remain under review.

Gakpo’s form and the market’s reality

One player already delivering for Iraola is Cody Gakpo. The Dutchman impressed at Newcastle, and his manager made a point of underlining his importance.

“After the performance he had in first game I say the same, he's playing very well for us,” Iraola said. “He's been very good since he's been back from World Cup. The right attitude and I hope we can keep him at that level. He can be very influential on us.”

Then came the caveat every coach hates to voice in late August.

“When the market is open and we bring in expensive players I cannot guarantee anything,” he admitted. “Our players, I cannot guarantee anything about how many we are going to sign or whatever. Experience tells us that if there's an opportunity the last day you can do something.”

Team news and selection calls

There were clear updates on availability. Federico Chiesa is out after feeling an issue in his back during the game against Como.

“Fede is not available,” Iraola confirmed.

Harvey Elliott, meanwhile, missed out at Newcastle for purely tactical reasons.

“With Harvey and some of the players I can only choose 20,” Iraola explained. “Harvey is trying and improving every week but I still prefer other options, about the balance on the bench. That's why James McConnell was in the squad, but it's now another new week and new chances for everyone. They have to keep that mentality.”

There was praise for young defender Jacquet, who started at Newcastle.

“He played very well considering it was his first game,” Iraola said. “It's true he was tired, we had to sub him as you could feel he was tired in the last five minutes. He is very confident on the ball and good without the ball. Very young, we have to accept he will make mistakes.”

A club in motion

The Champions League draw, the Barcola pursuit, talk of Ismaila Sarr and other winger targets, questions over whether the Yankuba Minteh deal is truly dead, possible midfield and full-back signings – the noise around Liverpool is relentless.

Iraola knows that. He also knows that for 90 minutes on Saturday, none of it will matter if Forest again walk out of Anfield with points in their pocket.

He wants his team front-foot, fluid and fearless. He wants them smarter without the ball. And he wants, above all, to make sure Nottingham Forest stop enjoying their trips to L4 quite so much.