Liverpool's New Era Begins at Anfield Against Nottingham Forest
Anfield braces for a new era at lunchtime, as Liverpool step out under Andoni Iraola for the first time on home turf with Nottingham Forest the visitors and early-season momentum on the line.
Iraola’s Anfield bow
The Basque coach tasted a frantic 2-2 draw at Newcastle on opening weekend. It was chaotic, flawed, but alive. Today, he needs something cleaner. Something that looks and feels like a first statement win.
Anfield will expect it. Iraola will demand it.
This is his first competitive home game in charge of the Reds, a landmark moment in a club that measures itself in eras and atmospheres. The noise will be there. The question is whether his reshaped side can match it.
Bold call in attack
Iraola has not eased into the job. He has ripped up the front line.
Munoz is thrown straight into the starting XI, preferred to Rio Ngumoha, who drops to the bench. It is a brave call, a clear sign that the new manager wants energy and edge from the first whistle rather than easing his options into the season.
Alongside him, Cody Gakpo stays in the side. The Dutch forward is being heavily courted by Tottenham, his future the subject of constant speculation, but for now he remains central to Liverpool’s plans and central to their attack.
Gakpo and Munoz are flanked by serious quality. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak complete a forward unit that looks built to overwhelm, not just outplay. On paper, it is a front line that should stretch Forest in every direction and keep the Kop on its feet.
Defence shaped by injuries and faith in youth
At the other end, Iraola has chosen continuity over reputation.
Jeremy Jacquet, the highly-rated young centre-back, keeps his place at the heart of the defence. He lines up again alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, a pairing that blends raw promise with one of the most commanding defenders in the game.
Ronald Araujo, the eye-catching loan signing, must wait. He starts on the bench, a reminder that status alone does not guarantee selection in Iraola’s Liverpool.
Injuries have helped shape the rest of the back line. Joe Gomez is still out with a muscle problem, while Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley continue their rehabilitation from knee issues. The defensive pool is shallow, the margin for error thinner than Iraola would like.
Walking the tightrope of early-season fitness
The fitness problems do not stop there. Up front, Hugo Ekitike remains absent as he works his way back from a serious Achilles injury suffered in April. His return is a medium-term hope rather than an immediate solution.
So Liverpool enter this Forest clash patched up in places but loaded with attacking intent.
Oliver Glasner brings his Forest side to Merseyside knowing both clubs are chasing the same thing: rhythm. A foothold in the new Premier League campaign. A result that can turn an opening-day scrap into the start of a run.
For Iraola, though, this is more than just three points. It is the first time Anfield will see his ideas, his selections, his risk-taking, up close.
By full-time, the stadium will have a clearer sense of what this Liverpool might become – and whether this bold, front-foot XI can turn noise and anticipation into a first home win of a very different era.
