Iraola warns Liverpool lack freshness after £400m attack misfires in Fulham stalemate

Liverpool’s £400m forward line failed to trouble Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno as the Reds were held to a goalless draw at Anfield on Saturday, leaving manager Andoni Iraola to acknowledge the physical toll of a congested schedule just 60 hours after their 2-1 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.

Iraola made only three changes to his starting line-up from the midweek European tie, and the fatigue was visible. His front four of Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz and Victor Munoz — signed for a combined figure approaching £400m — created little of note, while Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham arguably fashioned the better opportunities and were worth their first point of the Premier League season.

“When you draw, especially at home, you can’t be happy,” Iraola said after the match. “Today we lacked a bit of freshness and we did not do enough offensively to make the difference. In the first half we started the game slow, we lacked energy and it was not enough — we have to be offensively better.”

The Spaniard was candid about the reasons behind his team selection, noting that most substitutions were driven by fatigue rather than tactics. “It is less than three days, 60 hours, and a lot of players had to adapt. Most of the changes were for physical reasons because the players were tired,” he said, adding that Liverpool face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup in less than three days.

Barcola, the £123m summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain, started on the wing for the second successive game having squandered two clear chances against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. He lasted 72 minutes against Fulham but struggled to make an impact. Iraola suggested the winger is still being managed back to full fitness. “Bradley is one we are building up physically with games and the games will give him the condition we want,” he said. “But it is not just Bradley — we lack the freshness.”

Iraola remains unbeaten since taking charge at Anfield following his summer move from Bournemouth, but three draws from four Premier League matches represents a sluggish start to the campaign. The result leaves Liverpool without a win in the league since their opening fixture, with a trip to Iraola’s former club Bournemouth to follow next Sunday.