Andoni Iraola was unveiled as Liverpool's new head coach on Monday, making a strong impression with his humility and clear-eyed understanding of the task ahead. The 44-year-old Basque coach, who led Bournemouth to European qualification for the first time in the club's history, acknowledged the significant leap from his previous role to managing a club of Liverpool's stature.
Iraola Emphasizes Need to Prove Himself
Without being prompted, Iraola insisted he must prove his worth at Anfield. 'I feel I have a lot of things to prove in terms of I've never coached a club as big as Liverpool. It's a big challenge for me,' he said. 'But there always has to be that first moment. My career has been slowly, slowly: going to a better club, to a better club, then you get a promotion, La Liga, then the Premier League, then you get to a better club. I've experienced this kind of change of goals or coaching in a bigger club, and there is always a time where I say: 'You have to prove that you belong.' And this is the first month for me now.'
Iraola, appointed six days after Arne Slot's sacking on 30 May, added: 'I need to prove myself and get everyone to know that I belong here, that I have the level to stay here, that I have the level to coach Liverpool. That's my challenge short term. Once you've gone through this process and everyone understands that you belong, everything gets easier – from the players, the supporters, the media and the opposition. But you have to go through this process.'
Connecting with the City and Supporters
Iraola stressed the importance of reconnecting the team with the Anfield crowd, a factor that contributed to Slot's downfall. 'I always talk about energy. I want my team to be energetic, to be dynamic, to play in the opposition half as much as we can, sometimes on the ball, sometimes without the ball, try to suffocate the opposition, especially at Anfield,' he explained. 'We have to make Anfield a very uncomfortable place to come. Sometimes I've been and it's a lovely stadium, lovely atmosphere, and you try to enjoy it. No. We have to make it so it's nice for us but the opposition is going to have a hard time. This requires also the connection with the supporters.'
He added: 'One of our biggest advantages is if we get this connection from the team to the supporters, from the supporters to the team, it will be very difficult to stop us, especially at home, because I felt it from the other side. That is probably one of the first things to do and achieve. Get this connection because this will help us.'
Navigating Club Upheaval
With Michael Edwards departing as chief executive of football at Fenway Sports Group and doubts surrounding Richard Hughes's future as sporting director, Iraola remains unfazed. 'I have to be honest, I'm focused on my job which is a massive one in terms of getting ready to start working with the players, trying to find the best spot for a player, trying to create a collective atmosphere where they can perform,' he said. 'I talk to Richard, I talk to [the FSG president] Mike Gordon, I talked to Michael Edwards – he seems super-smart so it is unfortunate he's not going to continue with us but he's explained very well his decision and his reasons. I think it's more at ownership level than something that is going to affect the coach.'
Iraola also acknowledged the challenges ahead, including replacing key players and managing injuries, but expressed confidence in the squad. 'When I came here, the owners told me everything is not perfect. They said we would have some challenges, we would have to replace important players leaving, we have some injuries, but we are here to solve these problems and to maximise what we have. In my opinion, we have a very good squad.'
A Humble but Determined Approach
Iraola, who started his coaching career at AEK Larnaca eight years ago, vowed not to change his approach despite the heightened scrutiny. 'You have to be very aware of the mistakes but I wouldn't like to be too careful,' he admitted. 'I would like to act quite normal. I'm not going to live in my bubble – just training ground, stadium, home. I would also like to go to the city, experience the city. I know some places I will have to take some pictures. But it's part of the magic of being the Liverpool manager and I would not like to change too much.'
