Andoni Iraola wants Liverpool to make their supporters feel they would do exactly the same in the same position when Nottingham Forest visit Anfield on Saturday lunchtime. The manager, taking charge of his first Anfield fixture in the Premier League, said the team must show desire, energy and commitment if it is to give the home crowd a reason to believe.
The timing is sharp because Liverpool are still looking for a winning start to their 2026-27 home matches after opening with a 2-2 draw away at Newcastle United. That result leaves this first home game carrying more weight than a routine league date: it is the chance to reset the tone, and to do it in front of a stadium that expects more than effort alone.
Iraola laid out the message plainly in an interview for TNT Sports with Steven Gerrard. He said one of the team’s goals is to build a connection with the fans, and that the supporters have to feel they would do the same as the players if they were on the pitch. In his view, that means the basics must be right first: following every ball, attacking the spaces, pressing, heading the ball and winning the second balls.
He did not present that as a slogan. It was the standard he wants the team held to. If the players are trying and giving everything, Iraola said, the crowd stays closer to them. If that bond is created, he believes Liverpool become much, much better. His point was that the relationship is not built by reputation or name alone, but by repeated work in the moments supporters can see for themselves.
That is where the friction sits. Liverpool are not arriving at Anfield off the back of a home win, and the 2-2 draw in Newcastle showed how quickly control can slip away when a match turns into a contest of energy and repeated duels. Iraola’s message suggests he knows the crowd will judge not only the result but whether the players match the effort level fans expect from themselves.
What comes next is straightforward. Nottingham Forest are at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime, and Iraola will finally see how his first home crowd in charge responds when the match asks for more than familiar names and a strong venue. If Liverpool do their part, he believes the other side of that connection will follow.
