Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola must address two clear shortcomings as his team prepares to host high-scoring Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds come into the match after a dramatic 4-3 comeback win over Villarreal at Anfield on Tuesday, maintaining their perfect start in the Champions League. That followed another comeback victory at Brentford, who finished with nine men, and a 6-3 win over LASK in Austria.
The only defeat under Iraola remains a 3-0 home loss to Manchester City, a game that still contained plenty of incident.
Defensive concerns mount
Brighton, managed by Fabian Hurzeler, have scored 23 goals in seven Premier League games, a total only three teams in league history have bettered at this stage. They also share the best defensive record with Arsenal, having kept five clean sheets.
That attacking threat will worry Iraola, whose side conceded only twice in five games before the international break but have shipped 10 goals in four matches since. Just once in the last 17 years have Liverpool conceded three or more goals in three out of four games, a run that occurred last season.
The difference this time is that Liverpool won two of those three games, but Iraola will know such victories are not sustainable in the longer term.
Anfield league record a concern
Another issue predates Iraola's arrival. Since winning the Premier League title at home against Tottenham Hotspur in April 2025, Liverpool have won just 11 of 24 top-flight games at Anfield, compared with 19 wins in the previous 24 home league matches.
In European and domestic knockout competitions, the record is better, with 10 wins from 13 games. But in the Premier League, Liverpool have kept only three clean sheets at home since Brighton were beaten 2-0 at Anfield in December last year, two of which ended in goalless draws.
Team selection and Gakpo praise
Milos Kerkez faces pressure from Kostas Tsimikas for the left-back role, while injuries to Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley and Dominik Szoboszlai make Ronald Araujo a likely starter at right-back despite being substituted at half-time in two successive matches. Ryan Gravenberch could feature in midfield as Florian Wirtz returns.
Victor Munoz is likely to miss a second successive game, while Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak will expect recalls to the starting XI after being benched in midweek.
Cody Gakpo made his first start since injury and has impressed Iraola. "Cody Gakpo is a player who has been putting up numbers playing and performing for many years. Sometimes he isn't valued, and because he's just there you take him for granted. And he has surprised me, he really has," Iraola said. "I already knew him and had to suffer against him, but his consistency, personality, I would say Cody (is our most under-rated player)."
Iraola also praised the squad's embrace of his aggressive, front-footed approach. "For me, the positive surprise is the players," he said. "I had a bit of that fear not knowing to what extent the players are going to buy into that idea, they are used to other things and already have a different track record. And I am a very pleasantly surprised because they have helped us from the beginning."
