Iraola's first Anfield match as Liverpool manager ends in Monaco defeat
Liverpool manager Iraola suffered a defeat against Monaco in his first match at Anfield, despite an early lead. The team struggled to maintain energy levels throughout the 90 minutes, leading to a second-half comeback by the opposition.
Why it matters
It provides insight into the tactical adjustments and fitness challenges faced by a major football club during their pre-season preparations.
Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz put the Reds ahead, but like against Leeds last week in Chicago - when Liverpool were two goals up but lost 4-2 - they were unable to preserve their lead.
Aleksandr Golovin's penalty and Mika Biereth got Monaco back on level terms, before Paris Brunner headed in a late winner.
Iraola made 11 changes to his side in the second half and gave a first Liverpool appearance to new signing Victor Munoz.
"I think (this was) quite similar to the game we played against Leeds," said 44-year-old Spaniard Iraola.
"I think we played really good (in the) first half, especially the first 30 minutes, but right now probably we don't have much more in terms of the level required to play like this.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in