Andoni Iraola's tactical tinkering in the goalless draw with Fulham showed he does not know his best Liverpool XI, or how to juggle his underperforming squad across competitions. The Reds produced their worst display of the season, being largely second best at Anfield.
Four minutes of added time had just been signalled when Dominik Szoboszlai was given a set-piece opportunity from fully 30 yards out. And everyone knows what he can do from there. Even those escaping the torture early stopped in the gangways. There was an expectant hush. Szoboszlai lined up his free-kick with the care of a Ryder Cup golfer on the 18th. And then hit it at the wall. That just about summed up his afternoon, that just about summed up Liverpool's afternoon.
Fulham's missed chances
It is going to be a steep learning curve for Iraola, that is for sure. But his team's tepid performance should take nothing away from Fulham, easily the more pleasing side on the eye in a largely forgettable contest. A statistic doing the rounds ahead of kick-off was that no other Premier League team had taken more touches in the opposition penalty area than Fulham this season. And they were clearly keen to consolidate their position in that particular table, over-elaboration meaning they somehow failed to capitalise on a shocking Alisson pass early in the first half.
In modern parlance, it is under-performing your xG. In old money, it is rank bad finishing. Mind you, it should not have mattered as Alisson's reckless attempt to compensate for his mistake should have given Fulham a penalty but, mysteriously, the officials decided otherwise. It was a strange one. It was a big let-off for Liverpool. In fact, the whole afternoon felt like a big let-off for Liverpool. Perhaps their Champions League exertions had taken something out of them but so early in the season, that seems hard to believe.
Iraola's substitutions
But for long spells, they were desperately ponderous. It would be harsh to single out any players but the adaptation period for Florian Wirtz is becoming worryingly lengthy. He seldom looks as though he is going to be clinical and was oddly wasteful with possession. It said everything about Liverpool's performance that Iraola had made three tactical substitutions before the hour mark. And it was five 10 minutes later.
Some new managers can hit the ground running, others take longer to fully understand the players they have at their disposal. Iraola is clearly in the second category. He started with Kostas Tsimikas but had seen enough by half-time and clearly has issues in the full-back positions. He also appears unsure of his best midfield combination. The one he started with against Fulham probably won't get too many more chances.
Late pressure not enough
Fulham walked through them at will. But Alvaro Arbeloa's side is still without a Premier League victory and they will be beating themselves up for not ending that winless run. They did not create many clearcut chances but frequently got into positions that should have enabled them to do exactly that. And in Josh King, they had the liveliest performer on the park - that was until Arbeloa decided to take him off for some strange reason.
The contrast between King and Wirtz was stark. But after the managers had finished substituting players, Liverpool finally picked up some momentum and had a couple of half-chances to steal what would have been an undeserved win. Rio Ngumoha threatened to cause more problems than Bradley Barcola had and Alexis Mac Allister also probed with some intent. But in keeping with Szoboszlai's long-ranger, though, their work in Fulham's penalty area lacked any sort of excellence. It was their worst display of the season, that is for sure. They were largely second best.
And while there were no jeers at the full-time whistle, there was a quiet disapproval of what had just been served up by the home side. If there has been any sort of honeymoon for Iraola - and he is still unbeaten as Liverpool manager, don't forget - it is over now.
