Iraola urges Liverpool to start fast against Fulham

Andoni Iraola has called on Liverpool to begin Saturday’s Premier League match against Fulham with greater intensity and speed, after his side were forced to recover from conceding first in three of their opening four matches under his management.

Liverpool have avoided defeat since Iraola took charge. They came from behind to draw with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, beat Ipswich 2-0 and then overturned a deficit to defeat Atletico Madrid 2-1.

The Reds failed to score in the first half of their opening two league matches. However, Alexander Isak scored twice inside the first 10 minutes against Ipswich last Friday, giving Liverpool the kind of start Iraola wants to see more regularly.

“I think the team has goals in it,” Iraola said at a news conference. “We have been dangerous in all the matches, created chances and scored two goals in every game. In some of those matches we could have scored more, but now it is about being more efficient.”

He added: “It is about not conceding two goals against Newcastle, not conceding goals against Forest and also the timing of when we concede them, because I do not think we start matches well enough.

“We had a positive example against Ipswich. Matches become much more comfortable when you start like that.”

Liverpool have often improved after half-time, but Iraola wants his players to impose their style from the opening whistle.

“In the other matches, we started behind and then you have to put in a lot of effort to come back,” he said. “Obviously I want us to score the first goal, because then everything becomes easier, but we have to have the right mentality.

“Against Atletico, I think we had a chance after about 15 seconds, and Alex Mac Allister had a very clear opportunity to score. Then everyone says it was an amazing start, you score and everything changes.

“But I think the beginnings of matches are perhaps one of the areas where we can improve a little. Usually we have been better in the second half, but I want us to try to impose our way of playing from the start, because everything becomes easier.”

Fulham have yet to collect a point under former Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who has already come under pressure following the club’s slow start.

Iraola warned against drawing firm conclusions after only three Premier League games.

“It is very early to make big conclusions about any team, and I think Fulham are a great example of that,” he said. “Honestly, I think they have played well in all three matches. They have lost all three by one goal.

“If you looked at many of their statistics without knowing how many points they had, you would think they had at least five points, because they have controlled the matches.”

The meeting with Arbeloa will also carry a personal element. The two coaches played together for Spain, although Iraola acknowledged that Arbeloa usually had the edge when they competed for the same position.

“I think we played together only a few times for the national team,” Iraola said. “We were competing more or less for the same position, but he was more successful because he played more matches than me.”