With Liverpool making an impressive start under Andoni Iraola, club legend Steven Gerrard has said what the team must do to reach the next level

Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard believes that the Reds could reach a new level under Andoni Iraola by becoming "horrible" to play against for the opposition.

It comes after a positive start to the season for the new Reds boss, who has seen his principles of play settle in among his players after a few months in the dugout.

In the Premier League, a record of four wins and three draws from the opening eight games has the side sitting in fourth, while they also have a 100 percent win record in the Champions League and EFL Cup at this stage.

That is all while Iraola tries to balance the fixture schedule with a lack of squad depth at his disposal, and the roster of players seems to be buying into his ideas, as shown on the pitch so far, even if it hasn't always been a flawless display.

There have been plenty of reasons for Liverpool fans to be hopeful that the project is moving in the right direction, with a forward line that is starting to make decisive actions in games, a midfield balance that is starting to settle, and a functional defense without being spectacular.

While fans are still waiting for that perfect performance that sends a statement to the rest of the division, the start has certainly been positive and has brought the stability needed in recent months.

As Iraola considers the next steps to make the team even better, Liverpool icon Gerrard has called upon the manager to make them even tougher to face. Speaking on The Overlap Daily, he said: "Defensively, [Ronald] Araujo is on loan, so I'm interested to see what decision they make there. He was unbelievable yesterday [against Brighton], and [Jeremy] Jacquet is going from strength to strength each week, so you can see the future beyond [Virgil] Van Dijk.

"But as a team and a unit, they're still giving away too many chances. That's the next part of Iraola taking them to the next level. I thought they were soft early on in the season. They've got tougher, improved and become more physical. They're putting it about a little bit more, so there's been progress.

"But I still think the next level is becoming horrible to play against, getting even stronger and giving away fewer chances. That's the next step for Liverpool.”

That will be a task Iraola will look to face head-on, especially given the current Premier League meta of playing a stern defense, as seen with Arsenal over the past year. However, that won't be at the cost of his pressing style of play, which is likely to give up opportunities at this stage.

The early signs are that Iraola is willing to adapt and change within that idea, however, having been pragmatic about his options at Liverpool. Gerrard continued: "When he's first come in, it was a really imbalanced squad. He had some issues in the first few games of the season, struggling against counter-attacks, and they looked very open.

"He had a problem at right-back, but credit to the manager, he's fixed a few of those issues. Each week, with each performance, you can see more of Iraola's identity and philosophy coming into the team."

Whether that can translate into success remains to be seen, but the groundwork laid by the manager is clearly there for Liverpool to push on this season and reach the next level.