Liverpool's Challenge: Finishing Chances Against Nottingham Forest

Jeremie Frimpong says Andoni Iraola’s message since day one has been brutally simple: stop wasting chances.

Liverpool return to Anfield on Saturday lunchtime to face Nottingham Forest, still chewing over an opening-weekend 2-2 draw at Newcastle United that should have been wrapped up long before Dominik Szoboszlai’s 99th-minute penalty salvaged a point.

They created enough. They didn’t kill the game. The head coach hasn’t let that slide.

‘Just finish the actions’

“The message has been finishing your chances, finishing the actions, because that’s what gets you the result,” Frimpong told Liverpoolfc.com.

“You can keep the ball all you want but if you don’t finish then it stays 0-0 or they end up scoring, so [the message has been]: just finish the actions.”

At St. James’ Park, in Iraola’s first competitive game in charge, Liverpool dominated long spells but left the door open. Frimpong knows that’s part of a wider transition as the squad learns a new way of playing.

“It’s normal,” the right-back said. “I think every coach has their own type of system that they want to play and it takes time to adjust and for us to know, and get used to it [to a point] where we’re comfortable with it.

“So, we’re still working on it but I think it’s going the right way.”

A new home on the right

One of the clearest changes under Iraola is Frimpong’s role. The No.30 has been nailed down as a right-back and is relishing the clarity.

“This whole pre-season I played right-back and I’m getting more comfortable there,” he explained.

“Last season was a mixture of right wing and right-back, but right now it’s just been right-back. I feel like I’m defending more, I’m recovering more [and] I still attack, of course. But I like it, I’m enjoying it.

“Obviously first of all, [I am enjoying] just being on the pitch because last season [I had] injuries, so just being on the pitch and looking at my teammates and trying to help them out [is good].”

More running, more duels, more responsibility. And, crucially for Iraola, more structure down that flank as Liverpool try to tighten up without losing their attacking edge.

Back to Anfield – and a warning on Forest

Now comes Forest. Backed by Oliver Glasner, backed by a style Frimpong already knows can hurt Liverpool.

“This is home, this is where we’re comfortable at, this is where we are at peace,” he said of Anfield. “So, it’s going to be a tough game, but we’re happy to be home again with all of our fans… when you’re at home with fans like Liverpool’s, it’s amazing.

“Obviously we would have liked to win against Newcastle but I don't think it’s a bad result coming from St. James’ Park. But we definitely want to win against Forest for sure. It’s going to be a hard battle but we’ll see what happens.”

Frimpong has already done his homework. By chance, he watched Forest up close during pre-season.

“I’ve watched Forest. They had a pre-season friendly against [Bayer] Leverkusen and I went over to watch them. They play good football, they are really good.

“I really like how they play. Obviously they play similar to Crystal Palace last season because of the manager, and obviously we had a difficult time with Crystal Palace last season. So, like I said, it’s going to be a tough game, for sure.”

Liverpool know what’s coming: a well-drilled, aggressive Forest side with a familiar blueprint. The question now is whether Iraola’s men can turn control into goals – and chances into something more ruthless than another late rescue act.