Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool side has scored just nine Premier League goals in seven matches this season, struggling to break down deep defences despite prolific form in cup competitions.
The Low-Block Conundrum
Liverpool have faced a low block in 28% of their league games this season, the highest proportion of any team in the Premier League. Conversely, they have encountered a high block in just 15% of matches, representing the lowest mark in the top flight.
Iraola addressed the tactical challenge in his first press conference as Liverpool manager in July. I prefer to face low blocks in terms of the way we will be in control of the games – probably we will concede less chances and spend a lot of time in the opposition half,
Iraola said.
Read a full transcript from Andoni Iraola's first press conference as our head coach 💬
However, the reality of breaking down compact defensive structures has proved more difficult than anticipated. While the club’s expected goals (xG) figures suggest they should have scored 10.9 league goals, their actual return of nine tallies leaves them trailing eight teams in the division before the weekend fixtures.
Contrasting European Free-Form
While domestic outings have stalled, Liverpool’s attacking machine has functioned smoothly in cup competitions. The Reds racked up 15 goals across three Champions League matches and a Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham, including a 2-1 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid.
It’s true that the LASK game is different but against Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, I think we’ve been offensively, especially, really good,
Iraola noted on Liverpool’s scoring contrast, adding: In the Premier League, we are not scoring at this level and also we are probably defending better.
An analyst for a Champions League team noted that European opponents offer more moments of technical brilliance,
allowing new acquisitions like Bradley Barcola, Victor Munoz, Rio Ngumoha, and Jeremie Frimpong to operate with greater freedom. By contrast, Premier League opponents frequently deny the transitional space that Iraola’s style historically exploited at Bournemouth.
Defensive Gaps Expose Liverpool in Turnovers
Beyond the final third, former players have highlighted structural gaps that leave Liverpool exposed during turnovers. Charlie Adam and Paul Robinson assessed the side’s defensive equilibrium on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast.
They are still open to huge transition moments at times, when the turnover is there,
Adam stated, pointing out that the distances between the defensive line, midfield, and forwards proved too expansive during European fixtures. Robinson added that Iraola clearly wants his team to be forward-thinking rather than recycling possession passively, utilizing wingers running past full-backs.
Andoni Iraola describes the 'privilege' of taking charge of the Reds in the Carabao Cup 💬 pic.twitter.com/pqlZX4qwn9
With fixtures ahead against Brighton and reigning champions in Arsenal—who secured the 2025-26 title averaging 1.87 goals per game—Iraola must determine how to convert territorial dominance into sustained Premier League breakthrough moments. If they don’t sort it, they will concede a lot of goals in transition this season,
Adam warned.
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