Liverpool Faces Tottenham in Carabao Cup: Iraola's Rotation Strategy

Andoni Iraola didn’t bother dressing it up. Liverpool, still unbeaten, are already living in what he calls the “worst scenario”.

Four league games into the 2026/27 season, the new head coach is juggling an awkward reality: his team haven’t lost, but three draws from four, capped by a flat 0-0 at home to Fulham, have stalled the early momentum he craved. Now comes Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, and with it, a first real shake-up of his side.

Mamardashvili to start as Iraola rotates

The headline decision is in goal. Alisson Becker, the undisputed No.1 and in Iraola’s words “proven” with “little doubts”, will step aside for Giorgi Mamardashvili.

“I rate Giorgi very highly, I know him from his years also in Spain,” Iraola told reporters as he confirmed the Georgian will start against Spurs. Liverpool had even tried to sign Mamardashvili for Bournemouth before Iraola’s move to Anfield, and that long-standing admiration is now turning into opportunity.

Alisson has started the season strongly, but fixture congestion has forced Iraola’s hand. This is not a cup keeper thrown in for sentiment. It is a planned rotation in a week where Liverpool are being stretched to their limits.

Defensive picture: Gomez back, Bradley and Leoni still out

There is at least one positive on the injury front. Joe Gomez is back with the group and in contention for minutes.

“Joe is training with the team and is available for tomorrow,” Iraola said. “It’s a matter of deciding how much he can play, or what the best thing is for him.”

The right side of defence remains a concern. Conor Bradley is still some way off.

“He is not close to training with the team,” Iraola admitted. “He is training alone, but he has started touching the ball. Definitely I want him back as soon as possible.”

Leoni – another defensive option – is slightly further along, but neither will be involved in the short term.

“Leoni is a little bit ahead of him and it is going to take some time for sure,” Iraola added, underlining the thin margins he is working with across the back line.

‘Worst scenario’ schedule as Iraola learns his squad

For all the talk of tactics and selections, the calendar is currently dictating Liverpool’s season. Tottenham in the cup is their third game in a tight block, and Iraola made no attempt to hide his frustration with the rhythm of it.

“It’s the third game, it’s the worst scenario in terms of schedule, we haven’t been lucky,” he said.

He pointed out the contrast with earlier in the campaign: “After this one we have a little bit more before we play Bournemouth, also we had a little bit more between Ipswich and Atletico and Atletico and Fulham and you noticed. Five days in comparison to two to three days is a massive difference.”

That gap disappears after the international break. Liverpool face four games in ten days, a brutal stretch that will test not just their depth but Iraola’s ability to read his squad.

“You can put the same players in every game. The problem is there will be a moment they are very tired and there is more risk of injury,” he said.

Some players, he knows, can churn out high-level performances every three days without a visible drop. Others cannot. That, right now, is the key puzzle of his early months at Anfield.

“There are players who play every three days and have no issues, they can accept it and performances don’t change too much. Then there are other players where the risk is bigger and the performances are different.

“And I am in a position where I have to learn who is ready to play every two or three days and who is ready to rest so their performance level doesn’t drop. I had an idea with some of them, but for some of them it is new as they haven’t played as many games and we are learning.”

Unbeaten, yet under scrutiny. Rotating, yet still discovering who he can truly trust in the grind. Tottenham in the cup will not just be about progression. It will tell Iraola a lot about who can live with Liverpool’s new reality of “every two or three days” – and who can’t.