Liverpool reality now facing Andoni Iraola as expectations could be lowered

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Liverpool have five Premier League games before the first international break - but what should be expected from new head coach Andoni Iraola? The start to Andoni Iraola's reign as Liverpool head coach in the Premier League has been mapped out.After a Sunday afternoon visit to Newcastle United on the opening weekend comes a Saturday lunchtime first competitive home game against Nottingham Forest and a Friday night trip to promoted Ipswich Town.After that is a Saturday afternoon home game against Fulham - now helmed by ex-Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa - before the Reds finish ahead of the extended September international break with Iraola's reunion at former club Bournemouth on a Sunday afternoon.Emotional narratives aside, it could have been a lot more difficult for the new boss as he takes his first steps in charge.

Have this squad turned the corner on that front after last season's troubles?Key to starting off on the right foot for the weeks ahead will be that performance and result, but after that the Reds face three fixtures in a row that it would be fair to deem more straightforward.A first taste of Anfield against Nottingham Forest will actually see Liverpool attempting to win against the visitors at home for the first time in three seasons but it's a game many will peg Iraola's side as favourites for.A trip to newly-promoted Ipswich Town and a visit from Fulham are also two games that Liverpool must take full value from but a trip to Bournemouth, Iraola's former club, might be tough.Now under Marco Rose, the Cherries are becoming known as some of the most astute decision-makers in the Premier League regarding recruitment. In fact, the aggressive approach instilled in them by Iraola, no less, will mean a testing examination awaits before the September international break, even if the new head coach's ideas are yet to truly resonate at the Vitality Stadium.Points tally: 11 from 15.Ian DoyleAndoni Iraola will be forgiven for wondering what exactly he's stepped into when Liverpool begin their season at Newcastle on August 23.Memories are still raw about the Alexander Isak transfer saga last summer, and with Newcastle having subsequently disappointed even more than Liverpool - and so far this summer in danger of losing some key players - emotions are sure to be running high in a hostile stadium.It doesn't get much easier after that with the visit of Forest, now under Oliver Glasner.

All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageIpswich away looks more appealing but perhaps not under the lights on a Friday night, while there will be a sense of the unknown for the home game against Alvaro Arbeloa's Fulham before the complete opposite - at least for Iraola - at Bournemouth.Iraola had a tough start to life with the Cherries three years ago when winning only three of his first 14 games in charge. Given the circumstances, a point would be an acceptable start here.A lunchtime kick-off against Nottingham Forest has already spoiled the opening home game of the season and having taken points off the Reds on their previous two visits, the combination of their opponents and new manager Oliver Glasner, who did plenty of his own damage to Liverpool with Crystal Palace, is hardly screaming comfortable home win, but I still think Iraola can get the job done.A Friday night trip to East Anglia is on no one's bucket list, but it shouldn't stop the Reds from picking up their first away win of the season against a newly-promoted side.At least Fulham at home is a 3pm kick-off, and if we're sticking with traditional values, then a Liverpool home win should be delivered.A much trickier prospect is Bournemouth away, but if Iraola doesn't know how to get at least a point at the Vitality Stadium, what hope for the rest of us?Would I be surprised if none of these predictions came to pass?