Liverpool players are going to have to get used to a whole new way of working if Andoni Iraola’s appointment as their new manager goes through as expected.
The Reds are reportedly entering into formal talks with Iraola to take over as Arne Slot’s replacement, with the Basque notoriously relentless in his approach.
For some players, that will be a shock to the system after becoming accustomed to Slot’s more laissez faire approach to training. And as they wonder what to expect from Iraola, they should take note of a special mic’d up training session the 43-year-old delivered after taking charge of Bournemouth in 2023.
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Iraola demands aggression from his players
Although there are obvious question marks over Iraola’s appointment, there is no denying that Liverpool players need a little more energy injected into their football.
The former Cherries’ boss will provide that, as he demonstrated while addressing his new players in July 2023.
The training session was posted on Bournemouth’s YouTube channel at the time, with Iraola wearing a mic to pick up his instructions.
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While the whole session is worth a watch for Liverpool fans, one of the key moments comes when the former Athletic Bilbao player stands in front of his players with a tactics board.
Obviously keen not to give away their secrets ahead of the season, Bournemouth make sure the board cannot be seen, but it is still interesting to listen to Iraola’s instructions, with his focus on aggression something which Liverpool fans will be delighted to hear.
“Today we will focus on our press,” he says. “They play, let’s say, classic 4-3-3, we will start like this, pressing this way. The key is this, I don’t want to do this.
“Be really aggressive. Get used to this, because this for us we will do this every week.”
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Liverpool players must adapt or leave
Watching Iraola’s session, and it is clear that there will be far more intensity than the Liverpool players have become used to in the last two years.
There are now not many left over from the Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield, but those who did play under the German may find it easier to adapt to Iraola’s demands.
Those who cannot, or will not, change their approach to fit the new coach’s, should have no place in the team.
As Antoine Semenyo detailed recently, Bournemouth players did not have days off under Iraola. That is going to be a sea change from the previous environment, where midweek ‘city trips’ became a feature of Liverpool under Slot.
For fans, this switch to aggressive, pro-active, intense football is exactly what they have been hoping for.
It may take time for Iraola’s methods to fully integrate, and it is helpful that he will have a full transfer window to bring in players who should be better suited. But if fans are patient and can see the improvements happening, in the long-run things will surely improve once again.
There are different expectations on Bournemouth, so it is difficult to compare their situation with Liverpool’s, but their players showed that it is possible to employ this approach and be successful in the Premier League.
If there are any who are unwilling to get onboard at Liverpool, then they should be shown the door, no matter who they are. It is time for the Reds to get back to the pressing style which supporters know and love. Based on everything we’ve seen so far, Iraola is the man to do that.
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