Liverpool
Iraola to Liverpool: the dream XI that could reshape Anfield
Liverpool parted ways with Arne Slot following a deeply disappointing 2025-26 campaign, and reports now confirm that Andoni Iraola is the new Liverpool manager, with The Athletic’s James Pearce laying out five reasons for his appointment. The Mirror has published what the 43-year-old Spaniard’s ideal starting XI could look like, and it reads as follows: Alisson; Dumfries, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Diomande, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Isak. Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League, 25 points behind champions Arsenal, and conceded more goals than in any other top-flight season in their history, prompting the hierarchy to demand change.
Iraola to Liverpool: rebuilding with purpose
Iraola developed his coaching philosophy under the legendary Marcelo Bielsa, playing under him for two seasons and absorbing a completely different vision of football. That influence threads through every tactical decision he makes. His style draws comparisons to Jurgen Klopp’s “heavy metal” football, with former colleagues describing his approach as “rock and roll,” suggesting the high-intensity game that Liverpool supporters fell in love with is coming back to Anfield. Kerkez’s arrival at Liverpool last summer was shaped directly by his time working under Iraola at Bournemouth, and the Hungarian full-back should now benefit greatly from reuniting with the manager who first developed him at the highest level.
Yan Diomande is known for his explosive pace and end product on the right flank, and Liverpool are actively discussing personal terms to bring him in as the headline signing of the new era. Meanwhile, Alexander Isak faces a massive season ahead after an injury-hit debut year, and his profile as an intelligent high presser fits precisely the demands Iraola places on his forwards.
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Iraola to Liverpool: what this writer thinks
There is a clear logic to this line-up that goes beyond the neat aesthetics of fitting new names into familiar positions. Liverpool spent the Slot era looking soft in ways that their squad’s talent never warranted, and Iraola offers the structural correction they badly need. Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, as a double pivot, provide genuine athleticism, and Rio Ngumoha, still a teenager, represents exactly the kind of raw, high-ceiling talent that Iraola consistently turns into a weapon faster than anyone expects.
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The inclusion of Jacquet at centre-back also signals a forward-looking approach as the post-Van Dijk transition begins slowly and sensibly. Furthermore, Florian Wirtz, who had a lukewarm debut season, could genuinely thrive under a manager who demands intensity and rewards creative pressing. The Iraola to Liverpool appointment has real excitement, because this is a squad with the bones of something exceptional, and finally, there is a manager whose methods match the moment.