Iraola warns Liverpool cannot sustain level after Monaco defeat

Andoni Iraola said Liverpool “cannot sustain the level we want” after his side threw away a two-goal lead for the second match in a row, losing 3-2 to AS Monaco at Anfield on Sunday. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz had put Liverpool 2-0 ahead before Monaco fought back to take the result, turning Iraola’s first home game as manager into an early test of how far his side can be trusted when it is ahead.

The defeat followed last weekend’s 4-2 loss to Leeds United in Chicago, when Liverpool again squandered a two-goal advantage. Across the two consecutive pre-season defeats, seven goals were conceded, a figure that has sharpened concern around defensive structure rather than isolated mistakes. Liverpool ended the United States tour with two wins and one defeat, but the repeated collapses after strong starts left a more troubling pattern than the results column suggests.

That pattern has already brought scrutiny to the make-up of the squad. Liverpool travelled on a 31-man pre-season group, with some World Cup players expected to join later, and BBC Sport noted that Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Alisson and Alexis Mac Allister were among the players linked to the evolving squad situation. Liverpool had said Iraola arrived at the AXA Training Centre to begin work with a group that would come together only gradually, and the timing of the friendlies has underlined how incomplete the picture still is.

The issues go beyond availability. ESPN said Liverpool’s paucity of defensive options was made clear in Iraola’s first game, while The Athletic’s early tactical analysis said the coach was already pushing for a more aggressive man-to-man press and a more vertical attacking approach. That combination can create control higher up the pitch, but it also demands sharper coordination and more reliable recovery when possession is lost, especially against opponents able to turn transitions into chances.

Liverpool FC had framed Iraola’s early days as a period of adaptation, with the manager saying in a pre-season interview that he understood what was expected and was ready for the challenge. The challenge now is more specific: stop a team that has twice built a two-goal lead from losing its grip before the season begins to matter.