Liverpool's Title Hopes Under Andoni Iraola: Predictions for the Season

Liverpool were the darlings of the BBC prediction panel last season.

Twenty-two of 35 pundits tipped them to win the title, and only three thought they would finish outside the top two. That wave of faith has ebbed away. This year, from 28 predictions, only four have Liverpool ending higher than third.

The mood around Anfield has shifted from expectation to curiosity. What does an Andoni Iraola Liverpool actually look like across a full campaign? And how quickly can it catch fire?

Hitzlsperger backs Iraola’s style

Thomas Hitzlsperger remains a believer. He has Liverpool down as runners-up.

“I've gone for them to finish second because I really like the way Iraola's teams play,” he explains. The admiration is clear: high tempo, aggressive pressing, front-foot football. Exactly the sort of identity that can grip a club like Liverpool if it clicks.

Hitzlsperger admits there is a personal angle too. “I am kind of biased here because I am really hoping Wirtz has the season now that people expected him to have last year.” If Florian Wirtz delivers the breakout many anticipated 12 months ago, Liverpool’s ceiling rises sharply. It’s a big “if”, but one Hitzlsperger is happy to lean on.

Murphy cools title talk

Danny Murphy is less bullish. He sees Liverpool in third and a little short of a title tilt, at least for now.

“Liverpool might need a bit more time before they are challenging for the title again,” he says, cutting straight to the point. The transition from the Jürgen Klopp era to Iraola’s demands may not be instant, and Murphy is wary of assuming a seamless handover.

His biggest question mark hangs over the attack and, more specifically, life after Mohamed Salah.

“I am also not sure whether they think they have already got enough to replace Mohamed Salah by bringing in Victor Munoz and maybe giving Rio Ngumoha a bigger role,” Murphy says. The alternative is a late plunge into the market: “or whether they are really going to go for Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola, or someone like him, in the next few days.”

That uncertainty over recruitment lingers. If Liverpool start the season without a clear, nailed-on Salah successor, Murphy’s caution will feel well placed.

Smith flags defensive worries

Sue Smith goes a step further down the table. She has Liverpool finishing fourth.

Her view of Iraola is positive, but measured. “I know it's a completely different level and expectation managing Liverpool and it's going be interesting to see how he does in that sort of step up,” she says. Anfield brings a different kind of scrutiny, a different kind of pressure. Every selection, every tweak, every bad week is magnified.

So she leans on the evidence available. “All you can judge Iraola on is what he's done at Bournemouth and I think he's been brilliant.” The work on the south coast earned him this chance: bold football, improved players, clear structure.

Yet Smith’s doubts sit at the back. Literally.

“Defensively is my concern, though. Especially the right-hand side.” In a league where margins are brutal and wide players are devastating, a fragile flank can wreck a season’s ambitions.

From title favourites in the eyes of most pundits to outsiders in their own conversation, Liverpool enter this campaign under a different kind of spotlight. The faith is thinner. The questions are sharper.

Now it’s up to Iraola and his reshaped squad to decide whether those lowered expectations are a warning sign—or the perfect fuel.