Liverpool’s squad has been served a stark warning ahead of Andoni Iraola’s takeover at Anfield this summer
Andoni Iraola is due to make changes at Liverpool this summer, which could take certain stars by surprise(Image: MI News/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Andoni Iraola’s tactics may come as a shock to Liverpool‘s players once he officially makes his arrival at Anfield this summer. That’s according to former Reds striker Dominic Solanke, who worked under the Spaniard during a fruitful spell together at Bournemouth.
Iraola, 43, has been appointed as Liverpool’s next long-term manager after Arne Slot was recently sacked after two seasons with the club. The Basque boss has signed a two-year contract on Merseyside and will attempt to lift Liverpool back to their former heights after limping to fifth in the Premier League this season.
However, Solanke has previously given a grave nine-word warning about what to expect under Iraola’s regime. And it painted a picture of just how thorough the former Athletic Club and Spain defender is in how he wants to set up his teams.
“We couldn’t take in all the information at first,” Solanke told The Times in 2023. Bournemouth infamously got off to a slow start under Iraola’s command following his arrival in 2023 and failed to win any of their first nine league games with him in charge.
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Solanke, who joined Tottenham for £55million in the summer of 2024, continued: “For me, I’m pressing with a No. 10 behind me and at first, our timing was off. We didn’t know when to press or to drop.”
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The Spurs frontman went on to explain how Iraola’s methods later became “second nature” once every player was in tune with what the manager wanted. And it showed in Bournemouth’s results as the Cherries steadily became a top-half regular during his tenure.
The south-coast club eventually finished his debut season in 12th place, then improved to clinch ninth the following term. However, he saved his best achievement for last as he took the club to sixth this campaign, qualifying for the Europa League having never feature in European competition before.
Former Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke described how he and other players initially struggled to keep up with Iraola(Image: Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
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Solanke’s comments are remarkably similar to the atmosphere that surrounded Anfield when Jurgen Klopp first took over. The German’s ‘gegenpressing’ ideology took some time to embed itself within the squad after he first arrived at Anfield but the Reds became a dominant European force once his ways were established.
It’s not only Iraola’s tactics that may come as a shock to certain players. Another Bournemouth alumnus, Antoine Semenyo, appeared on the In The Mixer podcast and said the coach can at times demand his players go weeks at a time without a day off.
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That unwavering commitment to his methodology has already worked wonders at one Premier League club. However, squeezing that extra percentage out of players at Liverpool and breaking into England’s upper echelon will be an entirely different task.
Getting players of even greater prestige to commit to his philosophies and potentially weather difficulties at the start will be a challenge in itself. However, Liverpool’s fans are well-versed in the potential rewards to be reaped once again if everything clicks under another new regime.
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