Andoni Iraola has revealed that he and close friend Xabi Alonso stop talking to each other when their teams meet, describing it as a "respect thing" ahead of Liverpool's Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Chelsea at Anfield this evening.
Iraola, Alonso and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta were born seven months apart and all played together at amateur club Antiguoko in San Sebastian. The Liverpool head coach said the friendship remains, but competition takes priority.
Friendship set aside on the pitch
"Everyone knows that we were close friends, we grew up together, we played in the same team," said Iraola. "We played as football players against each other, we played together in the national team in Spain and with the Basque country."
"But now he's the opposition and we want to beat him – and the same way he will do with us. After the game, we can talk, definitely."
He added: "I said the other day with Inigo and it's the same with Xabi, once we are playing against each other, the relationship is not good because you kind of stop talking to the other, kind of a respect thing. But he's a very good friend and I wish him all the best, definitely."
Earning the respect of the fans
Iraola was always the preferred choice to replace Arne Slot, who was jettisoned two years after Jurgen Klopp quit in 2024. Alonso had already accepted the Chelsea role by that time.
After Sunday's Premier League home win over Brighton, the Reds head coach received a warmer ovation from the Kop. "I said it since the first day, you have to earn the right to belong and you only get it with good performances, with wins, and this will take time," he said.
"But I am glad because I felt the other day the supporters helped us a lot and they were enjoying it the same as we were and I think the players had a very likeable performance in terms of they gave everything, we were blocking everything, we were tackling, we were fighting, we were winning duels, we were making the runs in behind."
Asked if he had started to earn the respect of the Liverpool fanbase, Iraola added: "Start, yes. I would say start. Still we need more wins, we need more performances so we need more time."
Strong team planned for cup tie
This is the sixth of nine games in 29 days for Liverpool, and Iraola has vowed to field a strong team despite rotation. Kostas Tsimikas, Joe Gomez, Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are pressing for a start, with doubts over Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz. Giorgi Mamardashvili is expected to replace Alisson Becker in goal.
"I think every competition is an opportunity, especially when you are the coach of Liverpool," said Iraola. "You have to take it like this. I would love to win and have the chance to get further in the competition. But I know that we have to play very well, we have to beat a very good team."
"It's also a team that doesn't play in Europe, so for sure for them this competition is also very important. So, it's not going to be easy."
