Liverpool is under ‘construction’ — Iraola deserves time to build his team

Liverpool supporters have become accustomed to success. Under Jürgen Klopp, challenging for trophies became almost an expectation. Arne Slot maintained those standards, ensuring that Liverpool remained firmly among England’s elite.

But football changes quickly.

Now, Liverpool are entering another period of transition, and the biggest mistake supporters can make is expecting a new manager to produce a finished team overnight.

Andoni Iraola has inherited a squad with quality, ambition and enormous expectations, but he is not simply tweaking Klopp or Slot’s Liverpool. He is attempting to build something different.

That process will take time.

Iraola’s football is energetic, aggressive and direct. His teams press intensely, attack with purpose and look to transition quickly when possession changes hands. It is exciting football when everything works, but it demands discipline, understanding and, above all, chemistry between players.

Liverpool have not yet had enough time to develop that chemistry.

The club finished fifth last season. Slot has gone, Iraola has arrived, and the squad has also lost significant experience in Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté.

That is an enormous amount of leadership and institutional knowledge to lose in one window.

Personally, I would have liked to see Salah remain at Liverpool for another two seasons. His goals alone would have been valuable, but his experience, personality and understanding of the club could have given Iraola an important bridge during this transition.

But football rarely gives you everything you want.

Iraola now has to move forward with the squad he has.

And there is plenty to be excited about.

Alexander Isak is the obvious headline arrival. He has the pace, movement and finishing ability to become a devastating Premier League striker. But expecting him to immediately transform Liverpool would be unfair.

A striker does not operate in isolation.

Isak has to understand the movements of the players around him. His teammates have to understand when he wants the ball, where he will run and how he likes to attack space. Those relationships take time.

The same applies to Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz’s first season did not reach the extraordinary levels some expected, but writing him off now would be premature. A new manager, a different tactical system and greater familiarity with English football could produce a completely different player.

If Wirtz and Isak develop a genuine understanding, Liverpool could become extremely dangerous.

There is also quality elsewhere, with Hugo Ekitike, Jérémy Jacquet, Ronald Araújo and Victor Muñoz adding further options.

But football is not FIFA.

You cannot simply buy talented players, put them in the same shirt and expect instant chemistry. A squad must become a team.

Players need to settle into a new dressing room. They need to understand the manager. They need to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League. They need to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

That is particularly important in defence.

For me, Liverpool’s biggest concern is not whether they can score goals. They have enough attacking quality to cause problems for virtually any opponent.

The question is what happens when they lose possession.

Iraola wants Liverpool to press aggressively and play on the front foot. That can be devastating when executed correctly. But aggressive pressing also carries risk.

If the first wave is beaten, space can open behind it.

Liverpool have already lost Konaté and Robertson, two players who brought experience and defensive understanding. New defenders will need time to develop the coordination required to operate within Iraola’s system.

That is why I would be reluctant to judge the defence too harshly in the opening months.

There is another area I believe Liverpool should address: midfield.

Ryan Gravenberch can operate as a No. 6, but I would still like to see Liverpool have a specialist defensive midfielder capable of protecting the back four, controlling space and providing balance when the full-backs push forward.

A natural No. 6 would give Iraola another tactical option and could become particularly important against teams capable of breaking Liverpool’s press.

The key, therefore, is patience.

If Liverpool are fourth, fifth or even sixth in October, I would not panic.

What matters is whether there is progress.

By September, we should be seeing the foundations. By November, the players should have a clearer understanding of Iraola’s demands. By January, the team should look significantly more cohesive.

And by February or March, we should have a much better idea of what this Liverpool is capable of becoming.

That is why I believe Liverpool could be a much better team in January than they are in September.

There is a temptation in modern football to demand instant results. Managers are judged after a handful of games. New signings are labelled successes or failures before they have properly settled.

Liverpool cannot afford to fall into that trap.

This is a rebuilding project.

My realistic prediction is third or fourth.

A top-six finish accompanied by clear tactical and individual development would represent a positive season. A top-four finish would be a good campaign. A top-three finish combined with a genuine title challenge would be an excellent one.

Could Liverpool win the league?

Of course they can.

We are talking about Liverpool. Supporters are allowed to dream, and the Premier League has repeatedly shown that football can surprise us.

But realistically, I see this season as the foundation rather than the finished product.

If Iraola can organise the defence, find the right role for Wirtz, keep Isak fit and establish greater balance in midfield, Liverpool could look like a completely different team by the end of the campaign.

And that is the real objective.

Not necessarily to win everything immediately, but to build a side capable of sustaining success.

Perhaps the Liverpool of 2026/27 will not be the Liverpool that wins the title.

Perhaps it will be the Liverpool that lays the foundation for the team that does.

The supporters have earned the right to expect excellence. But they also need to recognise when their club is entering a rebuilding phase.

Liverpool are not finished.

They are under construction.

And sometimes, the most exciting part of football is watching a great team being built.

The author is a soccer enthusiast, Esther Patricia.