Iraola settling into Liverpool after summer two-year deal as unbeaten run continues
Andoni Iraola signed a two-year deal with Liverpool in the summer and, with the Premier League season under way, his side remain unbeaten as he prepares this weekend to return to Bournemouth, the club he managed for three years.
Only 12 months ago Liverpool began the season with five straight Premier League wins under Arne Slot, a sequence that began with a victory over a Bournemouth side led by Iraola on the opening night; by the end of that campaign Iraola had replaced Slot at Anfield and Liverpool are now six points worse off than they were at the same stage last season.
Iraola has moved from the south-coast seaside to the beach town of Formby and is reported to be settling in well around the city, having been spotted in the centre and enjoying coastal cycling routes, but he spends most of his time at the training ground where club sources describe him as a "six days a week" coach who is often first on the pitch marking out cones.
At Liverpool's AXA Training Centre in Kirkby Iraola rarely uses his own office and is frequently in the coaches' room with assistants Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Pablo de la Torre; de la Torre, who moved with Iraola from Rayo Vallecano to Bournemouth in 2023, is seen as a key figure in maintaining the physical standards Iraola demands.
Iraola's arrival has not produced wholesale structural change inside the club, given the defined head coach role, and he is adapting to Liverpool's congested schedule while showing willingness to listen to the medical and fitness departments as the squad faces at least 49 games this season, "a number that could climb into the 60s depending on Liverpool's cup runs."
Training patterns have been altered depending on kick-off times, with late afternoon and early evening sessions increasingly common compared with the more consistent daily timing under Slot, and there have been conversations with the academy and Under-21 coach Rob Page about aligning playing principles: "We have an understanding of how the first team play and key principles, like how we press, how he [Iraola] wants his number 10 to press, how he wants his number eight to press, how he wants his centre-backs to press - we mirror that absolutely," said Page.
One of the reasons for Iraola's appointment was his record of developing young players; Liverpool's average Premier League squad age this season is 25.3, with only five teams younger, and youngsters Rio Ngumoha, 18, Trey Nyoni, 19, and Lewis Koumas, 20, all started against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and are expected to play larger roles this season.
Intensity is repeatedly referenced by players and staff: Koumas said, "It's really intense. There's a lot of hard work and no sort of light days. Everyone's putting in 100%." The team have made the most sprints in the Premier League but looked flat in a goalless draw with Fulham less than 72 hours after beating Atletico Madrid in the Champions League; Sunday's trip to Bournemouth will be Liverpool's fourth match in 12 days, and after the international break they face four games in 10 days with nine matches scheduled between 11 October and 7 November.
Iraola conceded after a pre-season friendly against Monaco that Liverpool had "run out of steam after 30 minutes and did not have the energy levels at the time to play with the intensity that he wants," and while he presents as calm in news conferences he has adjusted his public approach after that comment was widely reported; he prefers to name his team on the morning of a game and holds post-match debriefs the following day.
Iraola remains unbeaten in the Premier League since January across his two clubs and, as vice-captain Alisson said last week, "draws aren't good enough for Liverpool," with a victory at Bournemouth on Sunday framed in the club as the ideal way to head into the international break.
