Andoni Iraola wants Liverpool fans not to panic and to expect ‘ups and downs’ for the team after they lost consecutively against Arsenal and Fenerbahce.
Liverpool were beaten in their last two matches both in the league and in the Champions League, and at Selhurst Park on Sunday they will try to end that run against Crystal Palace. Iraola said the team needed to maintain their focus after a difficult week.
“It’s not easy in the moment because we react the same way,” he said. “When we lose a game, everyone is angry but we have to have some perspective. We know in the process we’ll have ups and downs and we have to get through this moment.”
He added: “We are not as bad as we look today, we were not as good we looked one week ago and now we have to have some perspective and this is part of my challenge also in terms of mood for the group.”
Iraola also questioned whether Liverpool players were being too honest in their games after they were denied a penalty against Arsenal for Jurrien Timber’s challenge on Alexander Isak.
Opta figures showed that 58% of fouls in Liverpool’s matches this season had been awarded against them, the highest share in the Premier League.
“I don’t want to talk too much about referees,” Iraola said. “I think we are quite an honest group – sometimes too honest.
“You cannot fake things. When we complain, it has to be genuine complaints because we think it’s a penalty or a yellow card or whatever. I feel we are a team that always wants to press, wants to be intense but I think the balance there [between fouls awarded for and against Liverpool], there is a big difference.”
Iraola also defended Alisson after Liverpool’s recent defensive mistakes and said he hopes the goalkeeper will stay at Anfield beyond this season.
Alisson was involved in the build-up to Arsenal’s winning goal last weekend and came under further scrutiny after the 3-2 Champions League defeat against Fenerbahce. But Iraola said the problems were shared across the team and should not be blamed on the Brazilian alone.
“We’ve conceded goals in the last week against Arsenal and Fenerbahce where it is difficult to blame just one player, especially the Fenerbahce goals,” the Liverpool manager said. “They were messy situations, especially the deflection off Cody Gakpo for the second goal.
Trey’s first goal for the Reds 👏⚽️ https://t.co/IoMiINL06O
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 5, 2026
“There have been more players involved than just Alisson. Even in the Arsenal goal, it’s true that we messed up in the goal kick. I assume part of that because I am the one who is telling them to play it. But even after we lose the ball we have eight defenders behind the ball, so Ali is not the one more responsible for those goals.”
Alisson has been caught out by risky passes in recent games, including against Arsenal, but Iraola does not want him to abandon Liverpool’s approach to playing out from the back.
“We try to help the players identify when the situation is clear enough to play those kind of balls on our edge, or when the press is so aggressive that we should go more direct,” he said. “Obviously we are going to make some mistakes in this process.”
The goalkeeper’s contract expires at the end of the season, as does that of captain Virgil van Dijk. Iraola said he would like Alisson to remain at the club but left decisions over his future to the player and Liverpool.
“I don’t know, that is a question you have to ask him,” he said. “I hope not, I hope he continues with us for more time but, when you ask me about contracts and these situations, it is a matter for the players and the club.”
