Liverpool's Awakening Under Iraola – But Last Season's Lesson Remains

In football, there are moments you cannot call turning points, but rather reminders. Liverpool have just secured their first win of the season against Ipswich Town with a 2-0 scoreline. But if you think this article focuses on Alexander Isak's early brace, you are mistaken. This article is about an ambitious statement from Dominik Szoboszlai: the phrase "no one can stop us" – a sentence that reminds me of the summer rhetoric of teams before they hit disillusionment. Szoboszlai sat in front of TNT Sports cameras, chatting with club legend Steven Gerrard. He spoke about pressing schemes, about the box-to-box No. 8 role he loves, and especially about a new manager – Andoni Iraola. "I like him a lot. He has a really direct playing style – intense – which I love," the Hungarian midfielder said. Let's pause for a moment. Liverpool, a team that once dominated Europe with gegenpressing under Jurgen Klopp, lost what last season? Arne Slot arrived, the transition plan seemed perfect, and then everything collapsed. A disastrous defensive reign, a disoriented midfield, and a collective lacking belief. What Szoboszlai said today sounds like a confession: "This is what we missed last season." But here, as someone who has followed football through cycles, I must ask: Is intensity something that can be switched on and off like a button? Let me tell you about a moment in Kazan, where I learned that speed can disappear without a trace. In June 2026, after South Korea's 2-0 win over Germany, I spent hours analyzing Shin Tae-yong's 4-2-4 formation and the pressing trap from minute 70. I remember the euphoria of watching Son Heung-min sprint in those final seconds. Then I realized: The Koreans did not win that day because they were better. They won because they believed in something the Germans had lost – the willingness to run more. Iraola seems to have brought that back to Liverpool. The way Szoboszlai has been freed from the right-back position, where he sacrificed last season due to Jeremie Frimpong's injury, is a signal. "He made it clear one time that I'm not going to play right back, which meant a lot to me," Szoboszlai admitted. But deep down, I wonder: Is a single personnel decision enough to heal the wounds of a collective that has experienced a turbulent season? Let's talk about numbers. Liverpool last season, under Slot, finished with their worst defensive record in their Premier League era in terms of expected goals against (xGA). They faced 20% fewer shots than in their title-winning season – but in football, the problem is not conceding many shots; it's conceding shots from dangerous positions. Iraola's system, known for high pressing and a 4-2-4 shape in possession, demands each player to move like a machine. But there is a difference between pressing in one match and pressing across an entire season. When I write sports documentaries, I realize that documentaries don't film the match – they film the silence between matches. That silence is the training schedule, the recovery, the base fitness. If you only put in 70% physical effort last season, immediately increasing to 90% creates pressure on muscles and the nervous system. That's why managers talk about load management – not because they are afraid, but because they understand the human body has limits. My contrarian take here is: The win over Ipswich Town could be the worst thing that happens to Liverpool right now. Let me explain. When you win big against a weaker opponent, especially with an early brace from a striker like Isak – who has just returned from injury – you can delude yourself into thinking the problem is solved. But Liverpool are about to face Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone, a manager whose defensive philosophy tormented Liverpool in the 2026-20 season, is still there. And remember: Since the 2026 Champions League final, Liverpool have almost always struggled against teams that willingly cede possession. Kazan taught me one thing: There are mistakes worth pronouncing for a lifetime. And Liverpool's mistake last season was not that they lacked quality. It was that they stopped believing that quality was enough when they didn't run. Look at how Szoboszlai describes his favorite position: "Get the ball from the defender, give the long passes, but also arrive in the box, be there in the last third, also shots from a little bit farther." That sounds perfect, but it raises a tactical question: Who covers for him when he pushes forward? In Iraola's system, the other midfielder must take on defensive responsibility like a third centre-back during rotations. The box-to-box No. 8 is a romantic position in theory but brutal in practice. You need the stamina of a sprinter, the strength of a centre-back, and the finesse of a No. 10. When Szoboszlai talks about being liberated, he's talking about returning to instinct. But instinct in modern football often comes at the price of spaces left behind. I remember when I was 19, I cried with Woo Sang-hyeok in Tokyo, where sport touches something that cannot be measured in seconds. But I also remember another lesson: The difference between a great athlete and a winner is the ability to maintain intensity when no one is watching. You can talk about determination, but determination cannot replace preparation. Consider the case of Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutch player was expected to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold – who left amid a controversial farewell. His injury forced Liverpool to deploy Szoboszlai at right-back, a completely unfamiliar position. In documentaries, when a character must sacrifice their role for the team, it is often portrayed as nobility. But in real football, it creates quiet resentment. Szoboszlai said that Iraola clarifying his position "meant a lot." You can hear the relief in that sentence. But be careful what you wish for. When you are returned to your favorite position, you lose the excuse to avoid responsibility for results. This season, if Liverpool cannot deliver the high-intensity football Iraola demands, Szoboszlai – who just made a public statement – will be the first to face scrutiny. Speaking of media, I must emphasize one detail: This interview took place with Steven Gerrard on TNT Sports. Gerrard – an icon of a completely different era of Liverpool, where belief and fire were almost sufficient conditions for winning titles. But Gerrard's era is over. To win the Premier League today, you don't just need heart; you need a defensive system operated with Swiss-machine precision. Liverpool once had that under Klopp, lost it under Slot, and now Iraola – a manager who was criticized for his naive defensive style at Bournemouth – is expected to rebuild from the ashes. Data is necessary here: Iraola's Bournemouth last season, despite being successful in image, were still among the top 5 teams with the highest expected goals against. That means his high pressing created opportunities for opponents in counter-attacks. At a small club like Bournemouth, that is acceptable because they need to take risks to win. But at Liverpool, where every match is analyzed under a microscope, that risk will be punished – especially against top-quality opponents. Look back at the Ipswich match. Isak scored two goals in the first half, and the match was effectively over by the 20th minute. But do you remember how many chances Liverpool created in the second half? When you lead and the opponent is forced to push forward, that's exactly when high-intensity play reveals its weakness: chaos. Players run a lot, but running without intent creates gaps between the lines. Szoboszlai talks about being in the box – but who fills the space he leaves behind? Those who truly understand football will recognize that Liverpool's puzzle does not lie in the attacking line, where Isak is thriving. It lies in the midfield – where modern football is decided by tactical duels in an area roughly 30 meters wide. Liverpool lost Jordan Henderson and Fabinho during their rebuild, and those positions have never been adequately replaced. When Slot took charge, he tried to rebuild the midfield with attack-minded players. The result: a midfield that attacked well and defended terribly. Iraola understands this. But changing a system in one short summer is nearly impossible – even for Pep Guardiola. Football is not a game you can fix with a quick patch. So, what happens next? The match against Atletico Madrid will be the first test. When a defensive counter-attacking side as seasoned as Atletico meets a Liverpool trying to press high, the match will expose the difference between possession intensity and defensive intensity. Szoboszlai and his teammates will have to learn a lesson that every high-pressing team must learn: pressing is not only when you have the ball. However, as someone who has witnessed many team cycles, I sense a sincerity in Szoboszlai's words. He didn't speak in usual clichés. He spoke about lacking desire last season – something players rarely admit publicly. That makes me believe the Liverpool dressing room has reflected seriously. But self-reflection is only valuable when translated into action on the pitch. The stadium was empty, but I still hear the footsteps of 2026. That year, in Seoul, I saw how an athlete could run at an incredible pace only to have it all erased by one mistake. Football is the same. Szoboszlai has the right to say no one can stop them if they rediscover their own intensity. But in a long 38-match season – with Champions League, domestic cups, and a congested fixture list – intensity is not something you sustain through emotion. It must be sustained through intelligent tactics, sensible rotation, and a squad deep enough. Looking at Liverpool's fixture list for the next three months: besides Atletico, they face Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham. Those matches will define their season. If Iraola sticks to his pressing system without adjusting for bigger opponents, Liverpool will repeat the mistake loop of last season. There is an interesting paradox: Liverpool need wins to build belief, but wins against weaker teams tend to breed complacency. Szoboszlai talks about wanting it more than the opposition. But "wanting" is not a state that can be sustained continuously – it is a flame that needs refueling. And it is the difficult matches – the ones that challenge them in unexpected ways – that will determine whether that flame exists or is just a brief flicker. When I interview athletes, I often ask them about defeat, not victory. Because victory is fleeting, while defeat is the lens for deeper insight. Yesterday, Liverpool won a match in the opening round. This week, they enter a battle with a major European team. Will Szoboszlai's statement become a prophecy or just another reckless remark? Watch how they move – not every time they have the ball, but every time they lose it. That is where the truth is revealed. I will watch the match with the particular interest of someone who has written about disappearing speed – about how a team can lose its identity after just one season. Liverpool are searching for that identity again. But the road from one victory to a successful season is longer than what optimistic fans might imagine. And it is in this journey that Szoboszlai's question will find its true answer: Can they make Europe stop once more?