Liverpool's Iraola: Games look much more comfortable with fast start

Andoni Iraola wants to see his Liverpool side make a fast start in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Fulham to avoid another match where they need to come from behind.

Iraola has made an unbeaten start to life at Anfield, but Liverpool have conceded first in three of his opening four games in charge, coming back to draw with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest before beating Ipswich 2-0 and coming from behind in a 2-1 win over Atlético Madrid.

Before Alexander Isak‘s brace sank Ipswich within the opening 10 minutes last Friday, Liverpool failed to score in the first half of their first two league games, and that is something Iraola is keen to change.

“I think the team has goals in it,” Iraola said. “In all the games we’ve been dangerous, we’ve created chances, we scored two goals (in every game), we could have scored more in some of those games, but now it’s about being more efficient.

“Not conceding the two goals against Newcastle, not conceding the goals against Forest, and also when the goals come because I think we are not starting too well in the games. We had the positive precedent of Ipswich and the games look much more comfortable when you start like this.

“The other games, we started losing and then you have to do a lot of effort to come back. I would like obviously to score the first goal and then everything looks easier, but we need to have the right mentality.

“Against Atlético I think we had a chance after something like 15 seconds, Alex (Mac Allister) had a very clear chance to score and then everyone says ‘incredible start’, you score and it changes, but I think the start of the games is probably one of the parts where we can be a little bit better.

“In the second half we’ve normally been better, but I want to try and impose ourselves from the beginning because it becomes easier, everything.”

Liverpool will face a Fulham side yet to pick up a point under former Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who has already come under pressure given their slow start.

“We have played just three Premier League games and to make big conclusions about any team, I think it’s too early, and I think Fulham is a great example,” Iraola said.

“I think they have played well in the three games, honestly. They’ve lost the three games by one goal. I think if you see a lot of the stats they have and you don’t know the points they have, you will think they have five points at least because they’ve been controlling the games.”

It will be a different sort of rivalry with Arbeloa for Iraola when they face each other on the touchline.

The pair were once Spain team-mates, although Iraola admitted the Fulham boss usually got the better of the former Liverpool defender back then.

“I think we played maybe very few times together in the national team,” Iraola said. “We were fighting more or less for the same position, but I think he was more successful in that he played more games than me!”