Why Saturday’s Visit from City Matters More Than Iraola Will Admit
A Fixture Shaped by Circumstance
Our take on this one starts away from the pitch, because it has to. City’s ongoing entanglement with the Premier League’s charges hangs over every fixture they play right now, and Anfield on Saturday is no different. We are not going to pretend that context does not colour how this match is being discussed outside Merseyside, but from a purely Liverpool perspective, the only thing that matters is three points. Andoni Iraola has had five league games to stamp something of his own on this squad, and a home game against City, however the visitors arrive, is exactly the kind of fixture that tells you whether a new manager’s ideas are taking hold.
It would be easy to get swept up in the theatre of it all, the noise about City’s situation, the history between these two clubs, the sense that every meeting between them over the last decade has meant something. We would rather look at where Liverpool actually are after the international break: a draw against Fulham that frustrated everyone connected with the club, followed by cup and league wins over Tottenham and Bournemouth that steadied things without fully convincing anyone that the questions have gone away.
The Selection Puzzle Iraola Must Solve
The team news is where this preview gets interesting. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are both carrying knocks picked up around the international break, and neither should be rushed back if there is any real doubt over their fitness. That almost certainly means Lewis Koumas leading the line, flanked by Bradley Barcola’s directness on one side and Florian Wirtz drifting in from the other. It is not the attack most people expected Liverpool to field against City this season, but there is enough craft and pace in that trio to hurt a defence that likes to push up and squeeze the game.
Midfield is where we think Iraola has the harder call. Trey Nyoni alongside Alexis Mac Allister looks bold on paper, perhaps even reckless against a side built to dominate the ball, but we understand the thinking. Ryan Gravenberch has not looked comfortable in a double pivot for weeks now, and asking Dominik Szoboszlai to play that same restrictive role wastes exactly the qualities that make him useful, his energy, his pressing, his habit of arriving late into the box. Nyoni gets a stern examination of his positional sense if he starts, but the alternative is blunting your own best attacking midfielder to shore up a system that was not working anyway.
Behind them, Jeremy Jacquet has quietly been one of the better stories of Iraola’s short time in charge. Pairing him with Virgil van Dijk, with Ronald Arauájo offering some physical presence on the right side of defence, gives Liverpool a back line that looks far sturdier than it did a few months ago. Milos Kerkez continues at left back, and Alisson remains the obvious choice between the posts. On paper, there is enough there to contain City, provided the pressing in front of that defence is coordinated rather than chaotic.
Where This Game Will Actually Be Won
We keep coming back to the same point when we think about how Liverpool beat City these days. It is never really about who has the better individual players, both squads are stacked, it is about who controls the moments when the game threatens to become chaotic. Iraola’s whole approach is built on relentless pressing and quick transitions, and City are precisely the kind of opponent who will punish a team that presses without a plan. Get the triggers wrong, press when you should hold your shape, and City’s midfield will walk through the gaps you leave behind. Get it right, and you can force the kind of turnovers high up the pitch that turn into genuine chances within seconds.
Anfield itself still counts for something in all of this, even if we are wary of leaning on atmosphere as a substitute for a plan. A crowd that senses City are vulnerable, for whatever reason, tends to lift a Liverpool team rather than just make noise for the sake of it. But Iraola’s side cannot simply wait for the ground to do the work. Mac Allister needs to dictate tempo rather than just recycle possession sideways, Nyoni needs to show he can protect the back line under sustained pressure, and the front three need to be clinical with whatever sight of goal they get, because City rarely gift you a second chance after wasting the first.
Our Call
Results against Tottenham and Bournemouth will not tell you much on their own, but they matter because they came after a result that genuinely unsettled people around the club. This feels like the kind of fixture that either confirms Liverpool are moving in the right direction under Iraola or exposes how much work there still is to do. We think the attacking talent on the pitch, even with Isak and Gakpo both doubtful, gives Liverpool enough to hurt City if the pressing is disciplined rather than frantic. Backed by a crowd that wants a statement result, we are going for a narrow home win, Liverpool edging it 2-1, with the game decided by whichever side handles the transitional moments better.