Andoni Iraola arrived at Liverpool with a clear footballing identity: press high, run hard, and dominate through intensity. Four Premier League matches into his tenure, the results have been decent enough — an unbeaten run — but a limp 0-0 draw at home to Fulham last weekend exposed the fault lines that come with managing one of Europe's busiest fixture schedules.

Fatigue and a failing press

Liverpool had beaten Atletico Madrid in midweek, a draining Champions League contest at Anfield in which they came from behind. Three days later, they struggled to impose the same relentless energy against a Fulham side that had lost their opening three matches.

Iraola was direct in his post-match assessment. "A lack of freshness, definitely. We cannot hide it," he said, acknowledging that the turnaround between the two fixtures was among the tightest permitted under Premier League regulations.

He admitted the problem is structural, not one-off. "This is going to happen more times, maybe with one more day, maybe. But sometimes it is going to happen the same way during the season."

A demanding calendar ahead

The upcoming schedule gives those words real weight. After the international break, Liverpool host Manchester City before travelling to Austria to face LASK Linz in the Champions League — and then, inside 72 hours, they are away to Brentford. A month later, a home clash against Arsenal is followed by a midweek trip to Fenerbahce and then a Premier League fixture at Crystal Palace. In November, a visit to Club Brugge falls between home games against Manchester United and Everton.

Iraola has spoken openly about the learning curve involved. "I have to learn who is ready to play every two or three days and who is ready to rest so their performance level doesn't drop," he said. "For some of them it is new as they have not played as many games and we are learning."

The pressing numbers tell a mixed story

Liverpool's passes allowed per defensive action — a widely used measure of pressing intensity — currently stands at 8.6, lower than any full season recorded under Jurgen Klopp. The squad has also made the most sprints in the Premier League this season and climbed 12 places in total distance covered.

Yet against Fulham, the press broke down repeatedly in the first half. Iraola identified the issue clearly. "Especially in the first half, we were arriving late to the presses." The result was a split shape — defenders retreating while attackers pressed — that left gaps for Fulham to exploit. Goalkeeper Bernd Leno found easy passes out that effectively removed several Liverpool forwards from the play.

Rotation and recovery

Iraola has begun rotating Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, and the wingers to manage the load. But Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz were asked to start again against Fulham, and neither reproduced their Champions League form. Wirtz, ranked second in the league for distance covered at high speed, was particularly loose in possession — a player whose work-rate is not in question, but whose ability to sustain it across congested weeks is still being tested.

"You can put the same players in every game," Iraola conceded on Monday. "The problem is there will be a moment they are very tired and there is more risk of injury."

With striker Hugo Ekitike unavailable, the margin for error is slim. Iraola's task now is not simply to implement a pressing system — it is to make it sustainable across a relentless season.