Liverpool may have massively underachieved in the Premier League last season, but there was one table in which they were not too concerned about finishing almost rock bottom. That, however, could be about to change if the managerial trends of Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth continue during his time in charge at Anfield.
Disciplinary Contrast
Only champions Arsenal — who remarkably went the whole Premier League campaign without conceding a penalty or picking up a red card — finished below Liverpool in last term's disciplinary table. The Reds finished with 57 bookings and one red card from their 38 top-flight games, with Arsenal having only 51 cautions. Manchester City and Brighton were the only other clubs not to have a player dismissed.
While the fact only Manchester City had a greater average percentage of possession per game than Liverpool's 59.3% goes some way to explaining that — after all, you do not need to foul if you have the ball — it does point to the fact the Reds were perhaps a little too comfortable to play against. Indeed, they made fewer tackles per game — 13 — than any other team, and also attempted the fewest. For comparison, Arsenal made 15.8 on average, while Tottenham Hotspur had the most with almost 20.
Iraola's Physical Approach
Bournemouth were ranked very much mid-table regarding average possession and tackles per game, registering 50.1% and 17.2 respectively. Nevertheless, it did not prevent them racking up a whopping 88 yellow cards and two reds in the Premier League season, a total surpassed only by Chelsea and Tottenham. Just Spurs and Wolves conceded more fouls per game than Bournemouth's 12, with Liverpool second to bottom with an average of just 10.1.
The Cherries also averaged the second most clearances and interceptions per game behind Chelsea and Crystal Palace respectively. The trend for toughness from Iraola's teams — their physicality becomes wholly evident when having watched Bournemouth play at close quarters — is nothing new.
Consistent Patterns
In 2024/25, the Cherries finished second to Chelsea regarding cards and were again ranked second for interceptions, pointing to their high-octane, high-pressure approach. Bournemouth were not quite so effective in that manner during the Spaniard's first season in charge in 2023/24, but much of that owed to the teething troubles that saw Iraola win only three of his first 14 games as his players took time to adapt to his methods.
Liverpool will hope the acclimatisation period is not quite so long in the forthcoming campaign. But the lessons from Iraola's recent past suggest he will want the Reds to be a lot more robust — and that could shape not only tactics but also the transfer market.
