Iraola turns up intensity as injuries unsettle Liverpool’s U.S. pre-season
"Faster, faster," bellowed Andoni Iraola throughout the open training session Liverpool held in Chicago on Friday. His first pre-season tour as Liverpool head coach concludes at Soldier Field Stadium on Sunday with a friendly against Leeds, and "faster, faster" could apply to all aspects of the club’s preparations with the new Premier League campaign beginning in three weeks' time.
The new head coach has been vocal about the need to address squad issues quickly, with the view that the transfer market must be used and defensive cover is vital as injuries hamper the US pre-season tour. Iraola positioned himself at the heart of every drill during sessions at Chicago Fire’s Endeavor Health Performance Center, the team’s base for the past two weeks in the United States. He worked closely with the players through tactical exercises and conditioned work, reinforcing his demands throughout training.
During one session the squad split into three teams of seven to concentrate on pressing patterns, with Iraola repeatedly shouting the same instruction. "Faster, faster," was the new head coach’s instruction to his players as three teams of seven worked on their pressing games. The rhythm of the drills was brisk, and the emphasis on tempo was clear across each phase.
After finishing the pressing work, Liverpool moved to a separate pitch to focus on set pieces where the coach sustained the same urgency. He also shouted it when they walked over to a different pitch, recently vacated by Robert Lewandowski and his new Chicago Fire teammates, to work on offensive and defensive set-piece routines. The team alternated between attacking and defending cues as coaches ran through specific scenarios.
Conditioning was integrated into the technical work, with repeated sprint demands tied to the rondo exercises. Sprints were demanded following every rondo, ensuring that the training maintained an intensity that matched Iraola’s vocal instructions. That combination of technical repetition and physical output characterised much of the open session observed on Friday.
The schedule now moves towards the closing friendly at the city’s famous stadium on Sunday, with the Premier League opener looming in three weeks' time. The concentrated two-week stay at the Endeavor Health Performance Center has given Iraola a chance to imprint his methods on the squad while identifying where reinforcements may be required.
Iraola’s insistence on speed and repeated corrections during drills underlines the immediate demands placed on the squad amid a short preparation window and injury disruption. How quickly the club can respond in the transfer market and get key players fit will shape Liverpool’s readiness when the league campaign kicks off.