Liverpool's Stuttering Start Under Iraola: Isak Sounds Alarm

Anfield crackled, the rain of noise familiar, the script less so. Liverpool, chasing their first league win under Andoni Iraola, had to claw their way back twice just to escape with a 2-2 draw against Forest – and Alexander Isak was in no mood to dress it up.

The Swedish striker, who dragged the hosts level on the hour, cut through the post-match optimism with a blunt assessment: spirit is not the problem. Control is.

“We showed fighting spirit and never gave up,” he told TNT Sports, referencing both this game and last week’s effort. “Obviously we started the game pretty bad today as well. When we gained momentum by scoring a goal, that's where we need to be better, I think, because again today we conceded quite quickly after that.”

That pattern is starting to grate. Liverpool dig, they respond, they get punched again.

Slow start, sharp punishment

Iraola’s side opened flat. The tempo he demands stayed stuck in neutral, the pressing cues half a second late, the passing lacking conviction. Forest sensed it and stepped in.

Midway through the first half, Dan Ndoye quietened Anfield with a composed finish, the visitors slicing through a backline that still looks uncertain in transition. The groan around the ground felt familiar: another slow start, another deficit to chase.

Liverpool did what Liverpool usually do. They surged after the break. On the hour, Isak finally snapped into focus, finishing clinically to haul his team level and ignite the stadium. It should have been the turning point.

Instead, the momentum evaporated almost immediately. Forest broke again, Liverpool’s defensive shape buckled, and Morgan Gibbs-White restored the lead from the penalty spot. The air went out of Anfield as quickly as it had rushed in.

The late equaliser rescued a point, but not the mood.

Weight of the No 9

Isak has arrived as the central pillar of this new-look Liverpool attack, and he knows it. The responsibility is not something he shies away from.

“Yeah, of course. That's the job ultimately as a striker,” he said when asked if he feels a greater sense of responsibility this season. “Obviously I'm very happy to score the first one and hopefully it just keeps coming.”

He refused to turn the afternoon into a personal milestone, brushing off talk of targets or numbers. “Not really. I think every striker wants to score in every game he plays,” he added, offering a glimpse of the standards he sets for himself.

The goal will help. The context around it will not. Liverpool’s forward line looks dangerous, but the platform behind it remains fragile. Isak knows his contribution can only carry them so far if the team cannot hold their nerve when the game swings their way.

Living the Iraola shift

Change always comes with turbulence, and Iraola’s arrival has ripped up a well-worn blueprint on Merseyside. The Spaniard’s high-intensity, tightly drilled style – honed at Bournemouth and Rayo Vallecano – demands total buy-in and total clarity. Right now, Liverpool are somewhere in between.

“The new playing style and a new manager, there's always time to get used to that,” Isak said. “But we are really working hard to try to play the game he wants us to play and I think when we start doing that better, I have no doubt that the results will come.”

The theory is clear. The practice is patchy. Liverpool can press in bursts, then lose their structure. They can dominate spells, then concede seconds after scoring. It is the inconsistency, not the intent, that is starting to apply pressure to Iraola’s early weeks.

Anfield’s roar, and the road ahead

If there was a constant on this chaotic afternoon, it came from the stands. The Anfield crowd, back in full voice, refused to let the team drift.

“It was amazing. I think our fans were amazing,” Isak said, clearly energised by his first league outing in front of the Kop under the new regime. “Really happy to be back here at home and I can't wait to be back here again.”

They will be needed. Liverpool’s defence, repeatedly exposed on the break, must tighten up quickly if Iraola is to unleash the full power of his front line. The balance between aggression and control is not there yet, and opponents are exploiting the gaps.

Next comes a midweek trip to Ipswich Town, away from the comfort and noise of Anfield. The fight is there. The talent is there. The question now is simple: how long can Liverpool lean on spirit before the results have to match the ambition?