Andoni Iraola has admitted his Liverpool squad "cannot sustain the level we want" for entire matches after a difficult pre-season, but his time at Bournemouth suggests patience could be key.
Slow start at Liverpool
Iraola was appointed Liverpool manager in June, succeeding Arne Slot, after guiding Bournemouth to a historic sixth-place finish and Europa League qualification. However, his Reds side has struggled in pre-season, most recently throwing away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Monaco on Sunday.
The manager's post-match comments have sparked concern among fans, with the new Premier League campaign just over 10 days away. There is also work to be done in the transfer market, and some supporters have reservations.
Bournemouth's rocky start
Iraola's spell at Bournemouth began in equally underwhelming fashion. After nine games in charge, his team were winless and sat 19th in the Premier League, with sack rumblings beginning.
Former Cherries forward Antoine Semenyo said he and many other players doubted their manager and initially struggled with a more intensive approach to match preparation.
"I didn't see it at the start," said Semenyo, speaking on All Out Football's In The Mixer. "When he came in, he had his way of playing and it was very new to us, the way he structured the weeks."
"We didn't really have any days off, so it's very hard for a team to go from having Wednesday/Sunday off to having no days off. It was very different at the start. The results weren't going our way and the fans were saying he needs to be sacked. Everyone slowly got used to the system and it just went up from there."
Patience pays off
In an interview given in 2025, Iraola claimed the Bournemouth board heavily backed him and showed him data that belied the poor early results. Eventually, things started to click.
A 2-0 home win against Newcastle in November 2023 kick-started a run of seven unbeaten league matches. Bournemouth finished 12th in Iraola's first campaign, ninth in his second, and sixth last term to secure a Europa League spot.
Liverpool's players are likely experiencing similar doubts now, with predecessor Slot often criticised for the amount of time he gave them off. But if faith is shown in Iraola, he has proven that good things come to those who wait.
