Programme notesAndoni Iraola: We're showing spirit and fight - it's our aim for every game

Having previously had to fight back against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in the league, the Reds also fell behind on Wednesday night in their Champions League opener versus Atletico Madrid.

But a strong response saw Iraola’s side turn around the score and prevail 2-1 courtesy of strikes by Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.

Now, Liverpool have to be ready to quickly go again as Fulham arrive at Anfield for a Premier League encounter this afternoon.

“It has been a quick turnaround since our last fixture, which was less than three days ago, and our focus since the final whistle was blown against Atletico Madrid has been on being ready for this one,” head coach Iraola writes in his matchday programme notes.

“This has meant we have had to strike a balance between recovery – because anyone who was at Anfield on Wednesday night will have seen the physical effort that the players put in – and preparation.

“Obviously, this is why there is always a lot of focus on teams who play two or three games per week and while it is a challenge, it is one I hope we can face right through this season as that would mean we are involved in more than one competition.

“Today is all about the Premier League of course and we have the chance to build on our win over Ipswich Town last week. This time we face Fulham, who we know will be ready to fight as they look for their opening victory after a start to the season in which their performances have not been matched by results.

“This makes them a dangerous opponent. Sometimes you can come up against a team whose form does not match how they are playing and this is one of them.

“The fact that Fulham have lost three games by one goal shows how tight the margins are in the Premier League, not just for them but for everyone, and it would not have taken much for them to be higher in the table than they are.

“I would definitely expect this to change and sooner rather than later, but hopefully not after today. We have our own need for three points and so do our supporters, who did so much to push us over the line against Atletico.

“There was so much focus on the atmosphere for a European night at Anfield and having experienced it for the first time I definitely understand why. I always think night games are different anyway – they just have a different feel – but what I enjoyed most about the energy our fans created was how they really sensed the moments to drive the team on.

“It is totally normal for supporters to react in a big way to goals and other big moments but I also felt that they recognised that the team was fighting. Whether we were behind, level or in front, they kept pushing us and this made a real difference to the outcome of the game.

“I always think this is a big, underrated quality when people discuss atmosphere at football matches and I expect we will need it again today after what was – as I have already said – such a quick turnaround between games.

“As Wednesday night showed, the more we can be together on and off the pitch, the better chance we will have of getting the results that we are looking for.

“The truth is we are still at the stage of our development as a team where we have to create our own shared experiences. We do not have two or three years of being together that would allow us to look back to reference points and moments we have learned from together so we are doing it ‘live’, which is why I have been so pleased with the number of times already that we have shown we can react to difficult situations.

“Of course I would prefer us not to go behind in games but when it does happen, we have to be able to react and this has now happened against Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Atletico. This is a big compliment to the players and we need to build on the spirit that they have shown.

“As a team, we are showing character and we are showing fight. This, for me, has to be our aim in every single game that we play. That is what our supporters expect and we have to do everything in our power to deliver it.”

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