Andoni Iraola has admitted Liverpool “haven’t been lucky” with how the September fixture list has fallen, describing the current schedule as the “worst scenario” for his side.
On Tuesday night the Reds will play at Anfield for the third time in seven days across three competitions. They opened their Champions League campaign with a win over Atlético Madrid last Wednesday, drew at home to Fulham at the weekend, and now face Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup third round. The Spurs tie was brought forward by 24 hours as part of a wider rescheduling that also moved Everton’s home game against Wolves to Wednesday.
Iraola is expected to make wholesale changes for the cup match and has already confirmed that Giorgi Mamardashvili will replace Alisson Becker in goal. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Liverpool head coach did not hide his frustration with the tight turnaround.
“It’s the third game [in seven days]. It’s the worst scenario in terms of schedule. We haven’t been lucky,” Iraola said. “After this one we have a little bit more [time] before we play Bournemouth and you noticed the gap between Ipswich and Atlético, and Atlético and Fulham. It’s a big difference. We have to get used to it.”
Had the Atlético fixture been played on the Tuesday and the Spurs game remained on the following Wednesday, Liverpool would have had all five of their September matches spaced four days apart before the international window. That would have been far more manageable, even allowing for the expected rotation in the Carabao Cup and the fact that all three recent games have been at Anfield.
This is Iraola’s first experience of such compressed periods. An even tougher run awaits next month, when Liverpool face four matches between 11 and 20 October, including a trip to Austria: Date Opponent Competition Kick-off (BST) Sun 11 Oct Manchester City (H) Premier League 4:30pm Wed 14 Oct LASK (A) Champions League 5:45pm Sat 17 Oct Brentford (A) Premier League 3pm Tue 20 Oct Villarreal (H) Champions League 8pm
Thankfully Liverpool have so far avoided any major new injury problems. With the calendar intensifying through the autumn, however, squad depth will be tested. After this three-games-in-seven-days stretch the Reds will then have only one more match in the following 25 days because of the international break, and they will at least enjoy four clear days before Iraola returns to Bournemouth next Sunday.
The schedule quirks of September have given the new head coach an early taste of the demands of managing a top club competing on multiple fronts. How he navigates the coming weeks will offer the first real insight into his squad management under pressure.
