Andoni Iraola was asked to put his style of play into words after being unveiled as Liverpool head coach, with the Spaniard eager not to lose his coaching identity.
The season just gone was one of the most tiresome in memory for many Liverpool supporters, and the promise of a return to intense, aggressive football is tantalising.
That is exactly what Iraola offers, with the 43-year-old explaining his vision for football in his first interview with LFCTV.
“I think I have the advantage that I’ve been here already three years in the Premier League. People for sure have seen Bournemouth play,” he said.
“There are obviously some things that we need to change, coaching Liverpool, but I wouldn’t like to lose our identity.
“The intensity, the aggressiveness, the organisation, certain things that I would always like to have in my team.
“So obviously you have to adapt to the players you have, and it’s not the same one club or the other.
“But there are fundamentals that I also think match quite well with what has been Liverpool during a lot of years.
“I think we can make it work.”
Andoni Iraola new manager of Liverpool Football Club at Anfield on June 04, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Those principles are of course what drew Liverpool to Iraola, with a desire to return to the high-octane football which captured the imagination of Anfield.
But as he continued his interview, the Spaniard emphasised the importance of the fans in feeding that atmosphere – and he is aiming to “earn the right to belong” with them.
“I’ve been on the other side, I still remember the goal Chiesa scored at the end of the first game of the season,” he laughed.
“We were there with a 2-2 thinking probably we could take something. He scored and the place erupted.
“It was crazy. I want now to feel this from the other side.
“At the beginning when you arrive at any club I think you need to kind of prove yourself a little bit, you need to earn the right to belong.
“I want to do this as quickly as possible so that I can also celebrate with them and I can be part, properly, of those celebrations.”