Two Gakpo passes, two Isak goals in nine minutes: Iraola's first win comes from the press, not from control.
The numbers
| Liverpool | Ipswich Town | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 55% | 45% |
| Shots | 10 | 14 |
| On target | 7 | 5 |
| xG | 0.69 | 0.75 |
| Touches in opp. box | 20 | 16 |
| Pass accuracy | 88% | 83% |
Result the chances deserved: Liverpool 29% / 38% / Ipswich Town 33% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, van Dijk, Kerkez, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Muñoz, Wirtz, Gakpo, Isak.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Scherpen, O'Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis, Lukić, Palacios, Fatawu, Enciso, Maeda, Emersonn.
Ipswich Town subs: Clarke (64', Maeda), Flemming & Ouattara (66', Emersonn & Palacios), McAteer (78', Fatawu). Ipswich manager: Gary O'Neil. Line-ups from FotMob, Liverpool FC and Last Word on Sports; bookings for Mac Allister, Enciso, Jacquet and Kerkez (FotMob).
Key moments, move by move
- Liverpool win the ball back high; SI credits Kerkez's aggressive defending for starting the move.
- Gakpo drifts infield from the left and punches a pass into Isak on the right side of the box.
- Isak takes one touch to set himself.
- He hammers it at the near post. Scherpen gets a hand to it but can't keep it out.
- Gakpo, from around halfway, hits a pass with the outside of his boot down the left channel.
- Isak runs onto it with Greaves tracking him.
- Isak's footwork unbalances Greaves and he shifts the ball onto his left foot.
- He rolls it past an out-of-position Scherpen: two goals in under three minutes.
Win it high, then find Isak early
- Press, then go vertical. Iraola said Liverpool were "much, much better" in their press than in the two draws, recovering the ball high. Kerkez's aggressive defending started the opener (SI), and Szoboszlai forced saves from Scherpen after high regains (Liverpool FC).
- Gakpo as the passer. Listed on the left, Gakpo drifted infield to feed Isak twice: a punched pass for the first goal, an outside-of-the-boot ball down the left channel for the second. FotMob made him player of the match.
- Araujo at right-back. On his first start he made seven clearances. Ipswich Town's Gary O'Neil aimed his side at Liverpool's right flank, and Araujo and Jacquet dealt with it (NBC Sports).
- The second half. At 2–0 Liverpool eased off and Ipswich Town had more of the ball. They took 14 shots, ten from outside the box (beIN SPORTS). Isak had a third ruled out for offside (33'), and VAR cancelled a Szoboszlai penalty for an offside in the build-up.
Recreate it in FM26
Liverpool · Iraola's press: win it high, find Isak early · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Iraola's press: win it high, find Isak early
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Alisson | Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Araujo | Full-Back | Holding Full-Back |
| RCB | Jacquet | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | van Dijk | Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Kerkez | Full-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| RDM | Szoboszlai | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Mac Allister | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Muñoz | Winger | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Wirtz | Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Gakpo | Wide Playmaker | Inside Outlet Winger |
| ST | Isak | Channel Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Attacking TransitionCounter-Attack
- Passing DirectnessMore Direct
- TempoHigher
- Creative FreedomMore Expressive
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Trigger PressMore Often
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
- TacklingAggressive
The idea: Win the ball high, then play forward at once: Gakpo as a Wide Playmaker drifts inside to pick out Isak's runs in the channels. You need a left-sided creator who can pass with either foot and a striker who attacks space, not feet.
What FM26 can't copy: Liverpool's second-half drop in intensity at 2–0 was a game-state choice this card doesn't capture.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 4-3-3, Gravenberch on at 55' (for Mac Allister), Ngumoha on at 64' (for Gakpo). Keep the press for the first hour, then add Gravenberch early to keep the ball in the second half and protect Gakpo's adductor at 2–0. Small gains: the result was never in real danger. It moves Liverpool's win chance from 29% to 36% (xG 0.69–0.75 becomes 0.74–0.55). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Liverpool needed
Ryan Gravenberch
After 2–0 the game became Ipswich Town's: more of the ball, 14 shots and a second half NBC Sports called a possession exercise for them. Gravenberch can carry the ball out of pressure and keep possession in midfield. Starting him, or bringing him on at half-time for a booked Mac Allister, would have let Liverpool rest on the ball instead of defending long-range shots.
Martín Zubimendi
The problem was the second half: Liverpool won the ball high early, then lost control once the press eased. Zubimendi's strength is receiving under pressure, keeping the ball and positioning in front of the back four. He would give Szoboszlai and Mac Allister a fixed base, which suits a side that wants to press high and then slow the game down once it is ahead.
What the analysts said
“Feels good. We needed this one. We were close on the other two and couldn't do it. We started really strong today and I think that was the key.”Andoni Iraola
“Obviously Cody found me twice pretty good. He's done amazingly [in] assisting and finding me in those situations and in good positions where I enjoy having the ball.”Alexander Isak
“We were talking about when we win the ball to get forward as quickly as possible because that's when things are quite open.”Alexander Isak
“If he's fit, if he's available, if he's in good shape, I think he will produce the numbers.”Andoni Iraola on Isak
Two passes won it. The second half is the warning.
By xG this was close to even: 0.69 for Liverpool, 0.75 for Ipswich Town (FotMob). The difference was two passes. Gakpo drifted infield and punched the first into Isak after six minutes, then found him again with the outside of his boot three minutes later. Isak took two shots and scored both (SI). Per beIN SPORTS, no Liverpool player had scored twice this early in a Premier League game since Maxi Rodríguez in May 2011.
The goals were the plan working. After conceding early at Newcastle United and against Nottingham Forest, Liverpool started on the front foot. Iraola said the press was "much, much better", and Isak described the brief: when the ball is won, go forward as quickly as possible. Kerkez's aggressive defending started the first goal (SI). Both goals came from a regain or a first pass forward, not from long spells of possession.
The second half is the warning. At 2–0 Liverpool dropped their intensity, and NBC Sports described the half as a possession exercise for Ipswich Town with only flashes of danger. Ipswich took 14 shots, but ten came from outside the box, so the xG stayed low. Araujo (seven clearances) and Jacquet handled the pressure down Liverpool's right. That was enough against a promoted side. Against better opponents, giving the ball away at 2–0 is a bigger risk.