Andoni Iraola is now 15 games into his tenure as Liverpool manager, and although he’s currently immersed in his first losing streak at the job, he’s posted comparable numbers to what his predecessors accomplished to start their reigns.

The Spanish boss celebrated his 15th game for Liverpool rather poorly, falling 3–2 away to Fenerbahçe in the Champions League.

The defeat in Istanbul saw Iraola lose consecutive games for the first time since joining the Reds. It followed the 1–0 defeat against Arsenal a weekend ago in which Liverpool failed to register a single shot on goal at Anfield for the first time in over 20 years.

The two defeats in four days already surpass the number of losses suffered by Iraola’s predecessor Arne Slot during the opening 15 games of his tenure. Still, Iraola would much rather replicate the success Jürgen Klopp enjoyed at Anfield’s dugout, and the Spaniard’s numbers are very similar to Klopp’s through 15 matches, even slightly better.

Iraola, Slot, Klopp: First 15 Liverpool Matches

Holding Iraola to the standards set by Slot in his first 15 matches in charge was always going to be nearly impossible. The Dutchman was the first manager in club history to win 11 of his first 12 matches in charge, and had 13 wins and just one defeat by the time he managed his 15th.

The Reds were the best team in England under Slot in 2024–25 from the moment the season started. Without needing to alter the team’s style or main cast of characters on the pitch, the Dutchman had a dream start of his tenure, bagging an impressive 35 goals and conceding just 10 through the opening 15 games of the season.

Slot inherited a juggernaut from Klopp, and the early success paved the path to the 2024–25 Premier League title in his debut term. It wasn’t until late in the season—and especially the following campaign—that Slot’s tenure started to collapse.

Iraola took over for Slot this summer, inheriting a side that’s vastly different from the one that won the league two seasons ago. Given the state of the team upon his arrival, it was never expected of Iraola to match what Slot did to begin his Liverpool career.

In fact, Iraola’s situation is much more similar—but still better—to the one Klopp encountered when he took over for Brendan Rogers 12 games into the 2015–16 season.

Iraola’s eight wins, four draws and three defeats through 15 games is almost a carbon copy of Klopp’s record to start his Liverpool tenure, just take away one win and add a draw. Furthermore, the 29 goals Iraola’s Reds have scored are six more than what they managed under Klopp at the same juncture of his tenure, but the German’s version had conceded six less goals.

It must be said that two of Liverpool’s three defeats under Iraola have come against Arsenal and Manchester City—two teams many considered better than the Reds since before the season started. Still the manner in which those defeats materialized—both at home—is what concerns Liverpool supporters.

But as was the case under Klopp, it will take time for Iraola to implement and perfect his style at Anfield, especially given how much turnover the club has experienced over the last two years.

Context matters. Slot took over a Liverpool team that almost played by memory. Iraola has a foundation and significant investment behind him. Meanwhile, Klopp essentially had to start from scratch and on the go.

Andoni Iraola: ‘There Will Be Ups and Downs‘

The mood surrounding Liverpool was significantly dropped in the aftermath of the pair of defeats, something Iraola himself admitted.

However, the former Bournemouth manager also recalled the overly positive mood that existed prior to the Arsenal game, when the Reds secured four consecutive wins plus progression in the Carabao Cup at Chelsea’s expense. For Iraola, perspective is key.

“It’s not easy in the moment because we react the same way,” Iraola told reporters on Friday. “When we lose a game, everyone is angry. But we have to have some perspective, and we know that in the process, [there] will be ups and downs and we have to get through this moment.

“We would love to have good performances, wins, good results, but normally it doesn’t happen. There are moments when you are in a good run like we were before Arsenal, now you lose two games and there are always doubts. But I understand, as a supporter I would do the same, it’s normal.

“But ... we work every day, and we know what we are doing. We are not as bad as we look today, we are not as good as we looked one week ago, and we have to have some perspective,” Iraola said, before finishing with: “We are still doing good things.”

Up next for Liverpool is a trip to the struggling Crystal Palace on Sunday in the final match before the November international break. There, the Spaniard will look to replicate what both Slot and Klopp accomplished: winning the 16th game of his Liverpool tenure.