Andoni Iraola Prepares for Anfield Debut Against Nottingham Forest

Andoni Iraola walks into Anfield this weekend with a point already snatched from the fire and a transfer market swirling around him.

Six days after Dominik Szoboszlai’s last-gasp equaliser salvaged a draw at Newcastle in his first competitive game in charge, the Liverpool head coach now prepares for his Premier League home debut against a Nottingham Forest side that turned this fixture into a recurring nightmare for his predecessor.

Forest, the awkward visitors

Forest arrive for Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off having enjoyed themselves far too much on their last two trips to Anfield. Under Arne Slot, Liverpool lost both home league meetings to an aggregate score of 4-0: a 1-0 defeat in September 2024 in just Slot’s second home league game, then a bruising 3-0 loss last November as the Dutchman’s reign began to unravel.

Iraola knows exactly what that represents – a warning.

“Nothing is for free,” he stressed, highlighting how Oliver Glasner’s side rarely give much away. He praised Forest’s organisation, noting how few chances they concede and pointing to their late free-kick win over Leeds as another example of a tight game decided on details. He expects Liverpool to “earn every chance”, win their duels and stay patient against a team he sees as dangerous in transition.

Anfield debut: emotion and expectation

For Iraola, Saturday is more than just another league fixture. It is his first Premier League game at Anfield.

“It’s going to be a special moment,” he admitted. Pre-season gave him a taste of the stadium’s power, but this will be different. He insists his mind will be on the job, yet doesn’t hide that it will be emotional. Anfield demands that. He wants to enjoy it – and that usually means winning.

He arrives encouraged by what he saw at St James’ Park.

“I thought we controlled the game quite well,” he said of the draw at Newcastle. He felt Liverpool had “meaningful possession”, attacked with purpose and, for most of the contest, looked more likely to score than their hosts. For a first competitive outing under a new coach, it was a performance he clearly believes offers something to build on.

Barcola, big money and an uneasy market

Around him, the noise is deafening. Liverpool have reached an outline agreement with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola in a deal that would exceed £100m, potentially rising towards £120m with add-ons based on individual and team success.

Barcola has been Liverpool’s top attacking target all summer, earmarked as the marquee replacement for Mohamed Salah. Talks with the Champions League winners have been ongoing for some time and significant progress was made overnight on Wednesday, but Iraola stayed firmly on message.

“As you know, we are trying to sign in that position,” he said, refusing to name Barcola directly. “We can’t talk about players who right now aren’t ours.” What he did make clear is that Liverpool “need players in the wide areas” and are short on numbers there. He hopes for “good news soon”, but underlined that they are “still not there” on a final agreement.

The Basque coach cut an honest figure when discussing the wider window.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he admitted. He has a clear plan, one agreed with the club “from the beginning”, and the hierarchy “know what we want”. The challenge now is turning that into completed deals. The uncertainty, he said, is “very uncomfortable” as he tries to prepare a team with the market still open.

He expects clarity once the window shuts on September 2. “Then we get to September 2, this is who we have and the options we have, then we can start thinking,” he said. For now, patience – his and everyone else’s – is the only option.

Transfers, gaps and the squad puzzle

The priority is obvious: wingers. “We need players in the wide areas,” Iraola repeated, while also acknowledging that long-term injuries have left Liverpool “down a player in some positions”. That has shaped their recruitment focus.

Asked if he would be content with one or two wide players and nothing more, he was cautious. “It depends on the other positions,” he said. The plan was set early, but absences have complicated it. If opportunities arise to strengthen elsewhere, Liverpool will look, yet he knows the market has its own logic.

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has already called publicly for more, arguing that Barcola’s arrival must be followed by moves for a right-back and a midfielder. Iraola didn’t address those specific calls, but his words hinted at a coach aware of the squad’s fine margins.

He also made no promises over outgoings. Speaking about Cody Gakpo, who impressed at Newcastle, Iraola praised the forward’s form since returning from the World Cup and his “right attitude”, describing him as potentially “very influential” for Liverpool. But he stopped short of guarantees.

“When the market is open and we bring in expensive players I cannot guarantee anything,” he said. Experience has taught him that “if there’s an opportunity the last day you can do something”. That goes for signings and sales.

Midfield scrutiny and the balance issue

If the transfer market is loud, the noise around Liverpool’s midfield is deafening. Iraola expected it.

“Not surprised,” he said of the reaction to the performance at Newcastle. “I expected when I came here that everything would be magnified.” One game, one set of defensive transitions, and the debate ignited.

He pushed back on the idea that it was all negative. He felt Liverpool did “a lot of very good things”, including from the midfielders, but accepted there are “definitely things we need to improve”. The conversation, he knows, will always “go to the goals”.

He pinpointed the first goal at Newcastle as the more damaging in terms of positioning when Liverpool lost the ball. He felt the team improved “during the game” in that area, getting “much much better” at having the numbers back. This week, the work has been “intense” on that balance.

“We can’t attack with everyone,” he said, before immediately defending his players’ instincts. He does not want to tell Ryan Gravenberch to stop carrying the ball, referencing the midfielder’s impact in pre-season – including his involvement in a goal against Monaco. The key, Iraola argued, lies in reading the situation: when both midfielders can go, when one must stay, when the opposition’s deep block allows more risk.

“We don’t want to lose the offensive side, the fluidity, the arrival of numbers,” he insisted. Liverpool were “punished” at Newcastle, but he will not simply drag everyone back and accept a stale attack. The best players, he said, “smell whether they can take the risk of going or staying”. His job is to help them recognise those moments more consistently.

Selection calls and early impressions

Team news brought a couple of notable absentees. Federico Chiesa is out after feeling an issue in his back during the game against Como. Harvey Elliott again missed the squad at Newcastle, a decision Iraola framed as one of balance rather than criticism.

“With Harvey and some of the players I can only choose 20,” he explained. Elliott is “trying and improving every week” but for that match he “preferred other options” on the bench, which is why James McConnell was included. A new week, he said, brings “new chances for everyone” – and the players must keep that mentality.

One of those who seized his opportunity was young defender Jacquet.

“He played very well considering it was his first game,” Iraola said. The youngster tired late on, which forced a substitution, but the coach liked his confidence on the ball and his work without it. At the same time, he warned that “very young” players will make mistakes and those must be accepted as part of their development.

Glasner, details and the next step

Across the technical area on Saturday stands Glasner, a coach Iraola clearly respects. He spoke of Forest’s clear shape, their defensive solidity and their threat on the counter-attack. Liverpool, he said, must be “good on the ball and patient”, and must win individual battles all over the pitch.

The challenge is layered. Break down a disciplined side that has twice silenced Anfield in recent memory. Manage a squad in flux as one of Europe’s biggest deals inches towards completion. Tighten a midfield under the microscope without blunting an attack he believes can overwhelm opponents.

Iraola has already felt Anfield in pre-season. On Saturday, he feels it for real. How quickly his Liverpool can turn emotion, noise and a looming record signing into points will tell plenty about where this season is heading.