Andoni Iraola still has a lot of work to do at Liverpool.

The head coach may have been appointed after Arne Slot was sacked but, Liverpool's problems didn't just disappear thanks to his arrival.

Admittedly, things were looking up before the international break with the Anfield outfit unbeaten across all competitions.

However, Sunday's 3-0 defeat against Manchester City was their toughest clash of the season and, thanks to Ryan Gravenberch's sending off, they got battered.

Sunday's defeat proved that many more additions need to be made to Andoni Iraola's first-team squad before they're ready to compete for the Premier League title again and, now, that looks like exactly what they're going to do.

Although the Reds' double pivot needs working on, their number 10 hasn't been much better.

Florian Wirtz has taken most of the responsibility and, for the £116 million that Liverpool paid for him, fans were expecting a lot more.

Of course, the manager and system change probably haven't helped the German find his feet this term but, with how poorly he's performed, it's now being questioned whether he was even worth Liverpool buying at all.

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "Andoni Iraola is about to save Liverpool with brilliant midfield transfer" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Transfer Wire metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

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