Andoni Iraola has set a clear message for Liverpool ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s Premier League meeting with Nottingham Forest at Anfield: the team must give supporters a reason to feel connected to what they are watching.
It will be Iraola’s first Anfield fixture in charge of Liverpool, and the occasion comes after the Reds opened the 2026-27 campaign with a 2-2 draw away at Newcastle United. Now, with Nottingham Forest visiting, the focus is less on tactical detail and more on the basics that can help the team and the crowd feel in sync.
The message to the players
Iraola said one of the main goals is to build a stronger connection with the fans. In his view, that starts with making sure supporters can look at the players and believe they would do the same things in that position.
He explained that fans may not be able to score from a free-kick into the top corner, but they can still identify with effort and commitment. The standard he wants is straightforward: follow every ball, attack spaces, press, head the ball and win the second balls.
“We have to do all those basics well,” Iraola said.
That is the core of the message before Nottingham Forest arrive. Rather than framing the game around a single tactical theme, Iraola is stressing energy, effort and the habits that keep a home crowd engaged.
Why the Anfield factor matters
Iraola also said that when fans feel the team is trying and giving everything, it keeps the side closer to the supporters. He added that when that connection is created, the team becomes “much, much better.”
That makes Saturday’s match more than just another early-season fixture. For Liverpool, it is an opportunity to turn the first home game in this stretch into a statement about identity, effort and togetherness.
His final point was simple: the team must do its part first. If that happens, he said, the supporters will be there too.
