Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has completed his first 15 matches in charge. Despite two successive defeats, the Spaniard's results are comparable with the starts made by Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.
Defeats to Arsenal (0-1) and Fenerbahce (2-3) have given Iraola his first run of setbacks at Liverpool. However, his record over the first 15 matches remains reasonably convincing.
Iraola has won eight, drawn four and lost three during that period. His team have scored 29 goals and conceded 21.
By comparison, Arne Slot had 13 wins, one draw and one defeat after his first 15 matches, with 35 goals scored and 10 conceded.
Jurgen Klopp made a more modest start, with seven wins, five draws and three defeats. Liverpool scored 23 goals and conceded 15 under the German.
Iraola is therefore ahead of Klopp on wins and goals scored, but his side have been noticeably less reliable defensively.
After the two successive defeats, the Spanish coach urged supporters not to jump to conclusions. At Friday's press conference, he said:
“It's not easy now because we all react in the same way. When you lose a match, everyone is angry. But we need to look at the bigger picture. We understand that there will be ups and downs in the development process, and we need to get through this period.
“Of course, we would like to always play well, win and get positive results, but that isn't usually how it works. Sometimes you have a good run, as we did before the Arsenal match, and then you lose twice in a row and doubts immediately arise. But I understand that. If I were a supporter, I would react in exactly the same way. That's normal.
“But we work every day and we know what we're doing. We're not as bad as we seem today, and we're not as good as we looked a week ago. We need to assess the situation objectively.
“We're still doing a lot of good things.”
Before losing to Arsenal, Liverpool had won four matches in a row and knocked Chelsea out of the EFL Cup. Iraola believes the team need time to fully adapt to his demands.
