Jurgen Klopp has reacted to Andoni Iraola‘s appointment at Liverpool as he explained the need for everything to “click” for long-term success.
Klopp has made himself available for various media obligations this summer as he serves as a World Cup pundit on German TV, and his latest interview brought Liverpool into focus.
While he conceded to ESPN UK that he is no longer close enough to the club to cast judgment on what happened last season, he made sure to praise both Arne Slot and Iraola.
However, he warned that tactics alone are not enough, citing the need for time, cohesion, and a bit of good fortune.
“I have no idea, I’m not close enough to judge that,” Klopp said of Liverpool’s season.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 19, 2023: Bournemouth's manager Andoni Iraola (R) shakes hands with Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp at the final whistle during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool won 3-1. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“I was super happy that they won the league the year before, and I have no idea what was wrong in the year after.
“Nobody was really happy with the season, that was obvious, but they still qualified for the Champions League, that’s a great success.
“Now you can go again, and now they have a new manager.
“Andoni Iraola is a great coach as well, like Arne Slot is, but it has to click, it has to work together for a long time, and you need luck.
“There was a situation before last season at Liverpool that no one expected to happen, and to deal with these kinds of things is really difficult, so I don’t know exactly what went on.
“The last season is now passed, and now they can look into the future.”
The future will get underway next month when pre-season training starts and Iraola takes charge for the first time, hoping to oversee a shift back to the intense, attacking football the club demands.
What else has Jurgen Klopp said about Andoni Iraola?
Before Liverpool’s 4-0 win at Dean Court in January 2024, the German spoke glowingly about the then-Bournemouth coach.
Klopp said: “I really have time to admire what he’s doing there.
“So it was obviously a really difficult start for him at Bournemouth with the manager change and all these kind of things.
“I didn’t know a lot about him. At the start of the season the results went [bad] which, if you don’t have a proper look at Bournemouth, it can happen.
“They turned it around, wow. That’s real coaching I have to say, and he found a way to set this team up and they have a really good mix.
“They play football, they find direction in the right moments, they use Dom Solanke in a sensational way: the support he gets from the centre, from the wings.
“The way they defend [is] really good, really compact. So that’s proper.”