Stan Collymore has exclusively revealed why Andoni Iraola need not fear the Liverpool sack in his first season at Anfield, though he has warned the Spaniard that expectations will be nothing like what he’s experienced before, and having set him a minimum requirement during his opening year.
Iraola was named as the successor to Arne Slot at Anfield on June 4, signing a two-year deal with Liverpool. Having guided Bournemouth to an incredible sixth-placed finish last season, Iraola will hope the move to Anfield can take his career to the next level.
Get it right, and Iraola will have the adoring admiration of one of the most fervent fanbases in world football; get it wrong and, as Slot found out, it won’t be too long before he has the wolves at his door.
Asked by TEAMtalk what the expectations are on the 43-year-old Basque tactician in his first season, Collymore is adamant that it would take a pretty spectacular failure to see him lose his job.
However, Collymore said: “It depends how far Liverpool go in other tournaments. If they get to a quarter or semi-final in Europe and, let’s say they win the League Cup, but they finished outside of the top three in the Premier League again, the Liverpool hierarchy wouldn’t judge him negatively for that.
“They’ve invested in him for the long-term, well, the medium at least, so they definitely won’t judge him after one season.
“His style of play is exciting and dynamic, and that is what Liverpool were missing this season.
“They were very passive and didn’t seem to play with any direction – they didn’t look like a Liverpool team.
“That has spurred FSG to bring Andoni Iraola in and tell him they weren’t happy with how slow and turgid they were under Arne Slot.
“The players will be used to that added tempo from Jurgen Klopp’s era and, if that comes back, the fans will be happy, and they won’t be worried if they finish 15 points behind Arsenal or Manchester City.”
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Collymore insists Liverpool are ‘miles off title discussion’
Indeed, Collymore is adamant that Liverpool, not what business they do this summer, will not be in the title conversation, instead insisting that getting the best out of his big-name stars will be paramount to how he is judged.
“Liverpool are miles off the title-winning discussion; watching them last season was like watching paint dry,” Collymore added.
“If they implement the new system quickly, play rock and roll football and Isak, Wirtz, and Ekitike find their tune, I think most Liverpool fans would accept that, and it would be season two where they’d expect a title challenge.”
“They are a big club, and they compete to win league titles, but they are also very patient supporters.”
Collymore’s views echo those of another former Reds star in Emile Heskey, who reckons the pressure at Anfield will be like nothing the Spaniard has ever seen before in his career.
“With Iraola, we’ve seen at Bournemouth that he knows how to win games, he knows how to set up structurally, and he knows how to change it structurally if he needs to,” Heskey told the Liverpool Echo.
“The only thing is he hasn’t done it at a club like Liverpool, where the pressure is immense.
“There’s no win, lose, or draw; you just have to win.”
Heskey continued: “It’s going to be very tough for Iraola. What I will say is that what I’ve heard him talk about sounds great.
“It’s aggressive football. It’s on the front foot. It’s what Liverpool fans have been so used to over the years – rock and roll football.
“He’s spoken about that, but I’m hoping he can be tactical and get the players on his side.
“One thing you have to do is get the dressing (locker) room on your side. If you haven’t got the players backing you, it’s very tough, as we saw with Slot.”
Collymore also recently ran the rule over Liverpool’s midfield plans and, after explaining why he thinks both Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will be retained, he backed Aston Villa to beat the Reds to a prime transfer target.
One man who could leave, however, is Curtis Jones, and now reports from Italy claim Inter Milan have set FSG a deadline by which time to accept their proposal.
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