Iraola's Liverpool Faces Tough Test Against Tottenham in Carabao Cup

Andoni Iraola did not try to dress it up. Liverpool, unbeaten but unconvincing, are heading into what he calls the “worst scenario” of their early season – and he knows he has to gamble.

A flat 0-0 at home to Fulham has stalled some of the optimism around the new era at Anfield. Four Premier League games, three draws, no defeats, but not yet a side that looks fully his. Now comes Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, and Iraola is ready to shake the team.

Mamardashvili to start as Iraola rings the changes

The first big call is in goal. Alisson Becker, the undisputed No.1 and one of the most reliable keepers in world football, will step aside. Giorgi Mamardashvili will start.

“Yes. Alisson is proven, there are little doubts, he is playing very well,” Iraola told reporters, before turning to the Georgian. “I rate Giorgi very highly, I know him from his years also in Spain. We told him we tried to sign him for Bournemouth before I came here, he is a very good ‘keeper. He is going to start tomorrow.”

It is a clear signal. Iraola is not treating the Carabao Cup as a throwaway competition, but he is using it. To rotate. To test. To learn who he can trust when the games come relentlessly.

The defensive picture is slowly clearing, but not completely. Joe Gomez is back in the frame.

“Joe is training with the team and is available for tomorrow,” Iraola said. “It’s a matter of deciding how much he can play, or what the best thing is for him.”

That line says plenty. Gomez is fit enough, but not fully battle-hardened. Tottenham at Anfield may come too soon for a full 90 minutes, yet his return at least gives Iraola another option in a back line that has already been stretched.

Injury frustrations at full-back

On the right, the news is less encouraging. Conor Bradley remains some way off.

“He is not close to training with the team,” Iraola admitted. “He is training alone, but he has started touching the ball. Definitely I want him back as soon as possible.”

There is a hint of impatience there, the frustration of a coach who wants his full complement but must wait. Another defender, Leoni, is a little further along in his recovery.

“Leoni is a little bit ahead of him and it is going to take some time for sure.”

So Iraola moves into this congested stretch still without key depth in wide defensive areas, forced to lean heavily on those who are available while hoping the workload doesn’t snap anything.

Fixture chaos and the “worst scenario”

The schedule is his other opponent. Three games in quick succession, legs still adjusting to a new style, and the margins for error shrinking.

“It’s the third game, it’s the worst scenario in terms of schedule, we haven’t been lucky,” he said.

That blunt assessment frames everything he does this week. Liverpool have already felt the difference when they get a proper breather.

“After this one we have a little bit more before we play Bournemouth, also we had a little bit more between Ipswich and Atletico and Atletico and Fulham and you noticed. Five days in comparison to two to three days is a massive difference.

“It is what it is. After the international break we have four games in ten days, so we have to get used to it.”

That is the reality of life at a club like Liverpool: domestic cups, Europe, league pressure, all packed into tight windows. Iraola knows he cannot simply pick the same XI and hope.

“You can put the same players in every game. The problem is there will be a moment they are very tired and there is more risk of injury.”

Some players, he points out, thrive on the rhythm. Others hit a wall.

“But there are players who play every three days and have no issues, they can accept it and performances don’t change too much. Then there are other players where the risk is bigger and the performances are different.”

Iraola’s learning curve

This is where Iraola’s Liverpool project really starts: not on the training pitch, but in the grind of matches every two or three days. He is still working out who can live in that world.

“And I am in a position where I have to learn who is ready to play every two or three days and who is ready to rest so their performance level doesn’t drop. I had an idea with some of them, but for some of them it is new as they haven’t played as many games and we are learning.”

Unbeaten, yet searching. Rotating, yet under pressure to win. Injuries biting, fixtures piling up, and Tottenham arriving under the lights in the Carabao Cup.

For Iraola, this is not just another cup tie. It is an early stress test of his squad, his methods and his judgment. How quickly he finds the right answers will shape far more than one night at Anfield.