Iraola Says Liverpool Are “Too Honest” After Referee Congratulated Them at Fenerbahce

• Andoni Iraola says Liverpool can be “too honest” after officials praised the club in Wednesday’s Champions League defeat at Fenerbahce, per Sky Sports.
• Liverpool failed to register a shot on target in a home Premier League game for the first time in more than 440 games in the Opta records that start in 2003.
• Iraola wants more players in the six-yard box and accepts it will cost Liverpool some control.

Liverpool’s Head Coach Wants Less Control and More Bodies in the Box

A referee congratulated Liverpool after their Champions League defeat at Fenerbahce on Wednesday, and Andoni Iraola has said he is not sure he liked that. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, the Liverpool head coach said his side can be too honest and must give up some control to score more.

“We are an honest group. Too honest, sometimes,” Iraola said. “The referee congratulated us after the game on Wednesday, and I don’t know if I liked that.”

“It has to be genuine. You cannot fake things. When we complain, it has to be a genuine complaint.”

“I feel we are willing, obviously, we’re a team that wants to press and be intense. But the balance there is a big difference.”

The Record That Exposed the Problem

The remark follows the Arsenal game at Anfield. Liverpool lost 1-0 to Arsenal last weekend and, for the first time in more than 440 games in the Opta records that start in 2003, failed to register a shot on target in a home Premier League game. Their expected goals figure of 1.05 would have been significantly higher had they been given a clear penalty for a shirt pull by Jurrien Timber on Alexander Isak.

Iraola admitted after the game that he felt a spot kick would have been awarded had Isak gone to ground. He went further and said he would tell Isak to go down next time, a call that drew a public challenge from Dominik Szoboszlai.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta replied to the complaints by saying he keeps a library of shirt pull footage showing what every team goes through. The bigger concern for Iraola is what Liverpool do once they get forward, and the numbers are poor. Liverpool have created the second-fewest big chances in the Premier League this season. They have scored only four goals in five home games, their joint-fewest at this stage of a season in their history.

What Iraola Wants Instead

Iraola arrived at Anfield last summer with a reputation for front-foot, direct football. He has had difficulties imposing his philosophy on his new players in the first three months of the season, and he now wants them to take more risks to turn their domination into clear-cut opportunities.

“Obviously, we want to score more and concede fewer. It’s a matter of controlling the games but also sometimes, against Fenerbahce we were controlling the game too much.”

“In possession we can have good positions, but sometimes we have to throw numbers inside the box, arrive with more players.”

“It will take a little bit of control away, but it will give us more threat when we arrive. Especially against Arsenal, the way we attacked the box had to be better.”

“We are one of the teams which arrives the most in the final third. In terms of volume of shots and crosses, we are very high – but if you analyse the quality level of chance, it is low.”

“When we start losing games, attacking against a lot of positions, it’s not going to be the quality of the chances.”

“The number of times we get to the box, we have to arrive better. Even if that means losing some control, we have to get into the six-yard box more. It will give us more clear shots.”

Where the Shots Come From

Liverpool’s 140 shots are the fifth-highest in the Premier League, yet they rank ninth for goals and 11th for expected goals. A large share of those come from distance.

Thirty-nine per cent of their shots come from outside the box, the fourth-highest proportion in the division, behind only Manchester United, Hull and Newcastle, who all sit in the bottom half of the table nine games into the season. Only eight per cent come from inside the six-yard box, the sixth-lowest. The two sides with the highest share of shots from inside the six-yard box are leaders Arsenal on 17 per cent and second-placed Manchester City on 13 per cent.

The Isak Factor

Isak is the one forward delivering. He has scored six of Liverpool’s 11 Premier League goals this season after struggling with injury and form in his first year at Anfield. He sits second only to Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot and has already doubled his league tally from last season. Iraola faced the puzzle of using Isak well back in August.

“Alex is a top goal scorer,” Iraola said. “If we can put him more in the position to score he will deliver, that is not a guarantee but is the closest thing to a guarantee.”

“Like every player, he can add more things to his game but we want to use [more] the things that he has. He is very good at attacking the space, attacking the channels, coming to receive the ball is very clean, also.”

“We are trying to use Isak in the best way.”

Palace Next

Liverpool travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday, with kick-off at 2pm. Iraola has set out what he wants from his players: more numbers in the box, more clear shots and a little less control. Sunday shows whether Liverpool can turn that into goals.