Andoni Iraola's Anfield Challenge: Breaking Nottingham Forest's Curse
Andoni Iraola has barely caught his breath as Liverpool head coach and already the job is coming at him from all angles.
A dramatic late escape at Newcastle, a £100m-plus deal agreed in principle for Bradley Barcola, a midfield under the microscope, a defensive balance to fix, and now a first Premier League game at Anfield against a Nottingham Forest side that tormented his predecessor.
No gentle introductions here.
Anfield debut, Forest scars
Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off against Nottingham Forest is no ordinary home opener. The Midlanders turned Arne Slot’s early Anfield days into a recurring nightmare, winning 1-0 in September 2024 and then dismantling his struggling side 3-0 last November, racking up a 4-0 aggregate across two league visits.
Iraola knows exactly what he’s walking into.
“It’s going to be a special moment for me to have first PL game at Anfield,” he said. “I already felt it in pre-season. I will be thinking of the game but it’s also going to be emotional, it has to be like this as it’s a special place. I hope everything goes well and I enjoy the game.”
Enjoyment will depend on whether Liverpool can crack Oliver Glasner’s Forest, who arrive with a clear identity and a stubborn defensive streak.
“He has been very successful,” Iraola said of Glasner. “You can see straight away the shape. They don’t concede many chances, against Leeds it was a very tight game which was won with a free-kick in the last minute. We will have to earn every chance, win our duels, nothing is for free. We have to be good on the ball and patient because defensively they are very solid and good and have very good players. In transitions they are good threats on the counter.”
Forest have already proved that Anfield doesn’t scare them. Iraola’s first task is to change that.
Barcola deal edges forward, but coach stays cautious
Transfer talk continues to swirl around Liverpool, and the headline move is clear. The club have reached an outline agreement with Paris Saint-Germain for France international winger Bradley Barcola, in a deal that would see a guaranteed fee of just over £100m potentially rise to around £120m with add-ons.
Barcola has been Liverpool’s top attacking target all summer as they attempt to remodel the frontline after Mohamed Salah’s departure. Significant progress was made in talks overnight on Wednesday, though the finer details of the transfer still need to be finalised.
Iraola, though, refused to be drawn into specifics.
“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 not up for debate.
“There are certain things we can but it’s true we need players in the wide areas,” he added. “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. It’s very uncomfortable for me as you are dealing with uncertainties all the time. In four or five days we will know what we have and then we can make proper plans.”
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has already called for more than just Barcola, arguing the club also require a right-back and a midfielder. Iraola didn’t go that far publicly, but he did acknowledge gaps.
“It depends on the other positions,” he said when asked if one or two wingers would complete the business. “We know from the beginning what we wanted. We are probably down a player in some positions due to long-term injuries and those have been our main issues.”
For now, the head coach is stuck in the same holding pattern as the supporters.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he admitted. “Even myself I have to be patient. 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. 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.”
Midfield debate and defensive balance
If Barcola dominates the transfer headlines, the midfield dominates the tactical ones.
The 1-1 draw at Newcastle, salvaged by Dominik Szoboszlai’s last-gasp equaliser, sparked debate over Liverpool’s defensive transitions and the protection in front of the back line. Iraola expected the scrutiny.
“Not surprised, I expected when I came here that everything would be magnified,” he said. “I’m starting to understand. But it’s just one game where we did a lot of very good things, even the players in midfield did, but there are definitely things we need to improve.”
The goals conceded, he knows, are where the conversation always lands.
“It’s football. You go to the goals always,” he continued. “If you make exactly the same mistake then it’s normal and I understand 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. We will soon be talking about something else.”
He liked much of what he saw at St James’ Park.
“I thought we controlled the game quite well, I felt 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 games. I felt good things in the first game.”
The challenge now is to keep Liverpool’s attacking edge without leaving the back door wide open.
“We can’t attack with everyone,” Iraola said, when asked about the midfield’s defensive responsibility. “I don’t want to tell Ryan Gravenberch don’t carry the ball as he scored against Monaco it came from his pass to Alex. But there is a balance, recognising the situation how we can balance those numbers in those positions. Sometimes you have to accept the players go forward, it isn’t always one stays back and one goes forward. If the opposition are defending deep maybe both can go forward.”
That word — balance — keeps returning.
“We don’t want to lose the offensive side, the fluidity, the arrival of numbers, but we were punished the other day,” he admitted. “We have been intently working on it. It’s nothing new, we always want to control that. But there is a balance, we can’t go from one way where we send a lot of people forward to putting everyone back and it looks stale. It’s a matter of identifying the situation. 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.”
Selection calls: Chiesa, Elliott and a young defender
Team news brought a couple of notable absentees. Federico Chiesa will miss out.
“Fede is not available, in the game against Como he felt something in his back,” Iraola confirmed.
Harvey Elliott, meanwhile, is fit but not guaranteed a place in the matchday squad.
“With Harvey and some of the players I can only choose 20,” Iraola said. “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.”
One player who did seize his chance was young defender Jacquet, whose debut impressed the head coach.
“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.”
Gakpo’s importance and the reality of the market
Cody Gakpo’s display at Newcastle was one of the bright spots, and Iraola made a point of underlining his importance while acknowledging the unpredictability of a live transfer window.
“After performance he had in first game I say the same, he’s playing very well for us,” he 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.”
Can he guarantee Gakpo stays?
“When the market is open and we bring in expensive players I cannot guarantee anything. But I don’t know,” Iraola 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.”
That is the reality he is operating in: planning for Forest, preparing for the season, and all the while knowing one late phone call can reshape his squad.
The noise around Liverpool will not quieten any time soon — not with a record Barcola deal on the brink, questions over further signings, and Forest arriving with recent memories of Anfield dominance.
For Iraola, though, the equation on Saturday is brutally simple.
New coach. New era. Same old demand.
Beat Nottingham Forest.
