Liverpool have won five games in a row, but Andoni Iraola is the first to point out the catch. “It is five wins in a row, but just two are in the league,” the Liverpool head coach said before Sunday’s visit of champions Arsenal to Anfield. Even so, the mood on Merseyside has changed. A team six points behind joint leaders Arsenal and Manchester City now looks forward to the biggest home game of the autumn with confidence rather than worry.
Iraola arrived from Bournemouth to replace the sacked Arne Slot. In his first season he has relied on two things: heavy rotation of his squad and a renewed connection with the Anfield crowd. Victory at 16:30 GMT would cut the gap to the Gunners to three points.
Rotation as policy, not panic
The five-match run has come in three competitions. A Premier League win over Brighton showed Liverpool could defend under sustained pressure. A Champions League comeback against Villarreal showed they could recover from going behind. In midweek they beat Chelsea on penalties in the League Cup with a much-changed side that included several younger players.
That last result explains a lot about how Iraola works. Rather than relying on a fixed core, he has spread the minutes across his squad, and he has no plans to stop.
“We are changing a lot from game to game and I think we will continue this approach, because I think it’s going well,” he said at his pre-match news conference on Friday.
He described the task ahead of Arsenal as “getting the decisions right in terms of the loading, freshening the legs”. He singled out Ryan Gravenberch, who “lately is playing a lot of minutes”. Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz are both doubts. “They have a chance,” Iraola said, “but I don’t know for sure if they will be involved or not.”
Iraola built a reputation at Bournemouth for high-energy, front-foot football, and his description of how Sunday will be decided sounded the same: “running more than them, winning the aerial duels, winning the set-play mini-games.”
Anfield finds its voice again
Liverpool’s best results have always been closely tied to the atmosphere at Anfield, and Iraola has openly tried to rebuild that link. He described the crowd at the Chelsea shootout as “really, really good” and believes the fans respond when they see effort.
“I think, especially at Anfield, everyone feels when the team goes for it,” he said. “I think this atmosphere that we can create is special. It’s nice to recover, to feel these things at home, because we have a big advantage with respect to other teams.”
He chose the word “recover” carefully. Iraola’s first heavyweight game at Anfield ended in defeat by Manchester City earlier in October. That loss is a large part of why Liverpool are on 15 points from eight league games, while Arsenal and City have 21 each.
The ground has also been a problem for Arsenal. They have not won a league match at Anfield since 2012, when Mikel Arteta was still playing in midfield for them. Former Gunners midfielder Paul Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column that Liverpool need to win to be considered genuine title contenders.
What Sunday means
Arsenal arrive in mixed form. A 2-0 win over Everton last weekend took them level with City at the top. In midweek they were knocked out of the League Cup by fourth-tier Fleetwood, losing 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Max Dowman is also starting a three-match ban for violent conduct.
Iraola also has history with Arteta, who was described at Friday’s news conference as his childhood friend. He won three of his last four meetings with Arsenal as Bournemouth boss, but he played down how much that matters now.
“It’s true that we had good results with Bournemouth against them, but this doesn’t mean a lot, honestly,” he said.
He was just as careful about the title race, saying the focus was on improving performances, not on the table. “We definitely know what we want in terms of having to improve a lot of things,” he said.
What is at stake on Sunday is clear:
- A Liverpool win cuts the gap to Arsenal to three points and backs up Iraola’s methods against the champions.
- A draw keeps the six-point gap and keeps the run going, but does little to reduce the deficit.
- An Arsenal win opens a nine-point gap and ends a 14-year wait for a league win at Anfield.
Iraola’s rotation has kept his squad fresh and the crowd has responded. Arsenal at home is the first chance to show the improvement holds up against the best side in the league.
—
I checked the story before writing because it’s past my knowledge cutoff and I’d only known Iraola as Bournemouth manager. It’s real: he replaced the sacked Arne Slot at Liverpool. The quotes are taken word for word from Liverpool’s transcript of Friday’s news conference and from AFP’s report.
**Facts I left out or kept vague:**
– **League position:** the sources disagree on whether Liverpool are fourth or fifth, so the article only says they are six points behind.
– **Scores and dates of the five wins:** none of the sources gave them, so the article names the opponents only.
– **Appointment date:** I couldn’t find when Iraola took over.
– **Saka:** a Sky headline mentions an injury, but the article itself doesn’t confirm one, so I left him out.
The match kicks off at 16:30 GMT today, so this is a preview with no result. I saved these facts to memory for any follow-up report.
Sources:
– [Sky Sports – Paul Merson column](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13604012/liverpool-vs-arsenal-andoni-iraolas-side-must-beat-the-premier-league-champions-to-be-in-the-title-race-says-paul-merson)
– [The National (AFP) – Iraola downplays title talk](https://thenational.co.za/sport/2026-11-01-liverpool-v-arsenal-andoni-iraola-downplays-title-talk-as-mikel-arteta-defends-max-dowman-broadside/)
– [Liverpool FC – Iraola press conference transcript](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/andoni-iraola-press-conference-every-word-liverpool-arsenal-injuries-analysis)
– [Yahoo Sports – Liverpool vs Arsenal preview](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/liverpool-vs-arsenal-iraola-reds-142000075.html)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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