Why Liverpool’s goals have dried up in the Premier League

Liverpool have scored nine goals in seven Premier League matches, despite finding the net 15 times in three Champions League games and a Carabao Cup tie. The contrast has put the spotlight on how Andoni Iraola’s side are coping with the different challenges of domestic league football.

Liverpool’s league tally is 1.29 goals a game, against 3.75 per game outside the Premier League. They have already had 10 different goalscorers this season, but their nine league goals are fewer than the totals of eight other sides, including promoted Ipswich and Manchester United.

Iraola said he did not know the full reason for the gap. After Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Villarreal, he said they had played well going forward against both Villarreal and Atlético Madrid, but added that opponents and the nature of the matches mattered more than the competitions themselves.

Liverpool have conceded first in four of their seven league games, making it harder to break down teams that then defend deep. They have faced a low defensive block in 28% of their league matches, the highest share in the division, while only 15% of their matches have been against a high block, the lowest share.

Iraola said in July that he preferred facing a low block because it allowed his side to control games and spend more time in the opposition half. He has also said Liverpool are defending better in the league: they have kept three clean sheets and conceded eight goals in seven matches, compared with eight conceded across four Champions League and Carabao Cup games.

The team’s expected-goals figures suggest Liverpool might have scored more: the measure puts them at 10.9 league goals. But scoring chances have not yet translated into enough goals, and the remaining sample is small this early in the season.

Liverpool’s next league opponents are Brighton, who have scored 23 goals, and reigning champions Arsenal. The matches will test whether Iraola’s side can turn their attacking output into a higher league scoring rate.