Liverpool fans hope Andoni Iraola won’t try the ‘failed experiment’ again after the Villarreal game.
Andoni Iraola has been asked to drop an experiment he tried during Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Villarreal in the Champions League.
The Reds came back from 2-0 down to tie it 2-2 before half-time, with goals from Alexis Mac Allister—his second of the night at Anfield—and Florian Wirtz giving them the lead. But the first half didn’t sit well with Liverpool fans, who made their opinions clear on social media.
Iraola made some changes from their Premier League win over Brentford, bringing in Lewis Koumas up front instead of Alexander Isak, and resting Bradley Barcola for Cody Gakpo. But his biggest move was putting Ryan Gravenberch and Trey Nyoni in for Wirtz and the injured Dominik Szoboszlai.
Nyoni played a deeper role, usually Gravenberch’s spot, while Gravenberch was pushed further up as an attacking midfielder. Liverpool went down 2-0 early, and in the second half, Iraola switched Wirtz back to attacking midfield and moved Gravenberch to right-back.
Fans were quick to say that Gravenberch shouldn’t play as a number 10. One said, “I don’t get what Iraola sees in Gravenberch as a 10—his strengths are wasted there. Play him deeper or not at all.” Others agreed, saying Gravenberch looked lost and that Wirtz should be respected more.
Although Liverpool won, their first half left some questions. Iraola rested some senior players like Isak, Barcola, and Wirtz, who will likely return against Brighton this weekend. But the game also highlighted concerns about the squad’s depth, especially with Szoboszlai out.
In midfield, aside from Wirtz and youngster James McConnell, the only other option was 21-year-old Michael Laffey, who hasn’t made a senior appearance yet. Defensively, Joe Gomez’s comeback has helped, but Jeremie Frimpong and Victor Munoz missed the match due to injuries.