Andoni Iraola has confirmed that Pablo de la Torre will serve as his assistant at Liverpool and stressed the importance of the three coaches he brought with him from Bournemouth. The new head coach signed a two-year deal in early June after leaving Bournemouth, where he secured European qualification for the first time in the club's history.
Coaching staff reshuffle
Iraola was insistent that Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Pablo de la Torre all moved to Merseyside as part of the shake-up following Arne Slot's departure. Slot left alongside assistants Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who have since returned to Feyenoord.
De la Torre, previously credited as Iraola's fitness coach, will now work directly as his No.2. “For me, it was important they came with me,” Iraola said on the club's pre-season tour of Chicago. “Pablo is a physical coach but has been with me almost all the years I have been coaching. So for me, he is much more than a physical coach, really. He is an assistant and we know each other very well.”
Elphick and Cooper's roles
Elphick and Cooper, former players at Bournemouth, have taken on roles as first-team coaches at Anfield. Iraola praised their understanding of English culture and their ability to connect with players. “They were very prepared, they were very helpful for me in terms of understanding the English culture, the mentality of the players, what they were used to, what they like in training,” he said.
Iraola also outlined their specific duties: “Tommy does defensive set plays, Shaun does more offensive, more creative ones. But also we are working very well here with the set-piece analyst, who was very good in the second half of last season.”
Set-piece improvements
No team conceded more set-pieces than Bournemouth last season, with a Premier League-high 26. Liverpool also struggled, conceding 23 before sacking Aaron Briggs at the turn of the year. Elphick and Cooper will work closely with first-team set-piece analyst Lewis Mahoney, who played a more prominent role after Briggs left.
Iraola emphasised that the players remain the most important part of the team. “I always consider the players the main part of this. Coaches are important in terms of trying to maximise the potential of every player and try to create the environment to perform better,” he said.
