The Arne Slot era at Anfield ended as swiftly as it began, but as Andoni Iraola takes the reins, a fascinating new dynamic is taking shape behind the scenes at the AXA Training Centre.
Whenever a new manager/head coach arrives, the focus naturally drifts to the tactical shift on the pitch. Yet, history tells us that a manager is only as good as the brains and trust he surrounds himself with.
Iraola’s arrival from Bournemouth brings a distinct south-coast flavor to Liverpool’s backroom staff, filling the voids left by the departures of Slot’s Dutch contingent. It is a group tasked with engineering a massive transition, blending trusted lieutenants who understand Iraola’s high-pressing philosophy with deeply experienced specialists.
Foremost among the new arrivals is **Tommy Elphick**, who steps into the role of first-team coach previously held by Sipke Hulshoff. The former centre-back, who represented Brighton, Aston Villa, and Bournemouth during his playing days, is already a familiar name to those on the south coast.
Crucially for the Anfield faithful, Elphick is a boyhood Liverpool fan, meaning this move carries an undeniable emotional weight. Having served as the primary bridge between the players and Iraola at the Vitality Stadium since 2023,
Elphick is incredibly hands-on. Expect to hear his booming voice echoing across the training pitches and from the technical area on matchdays, where he will be heavily involved in individual player development and executing complex set-piece plans.
Flanking Iraola on the bench will be **Shaun Cooper**, another trusted voice who followed the Spaniard up the M6. Cooper’s trajectory mirrors Elphick’s; both were originally elevated to the Bournemouth first-team setup under Gary O’Neil before becoming indispensable to Iraola.
A former defender with Portsmouth and Sutton United, the 42-year-old cut his teeth in coaching within the Cherries’ academy. At Liverpool, his remit expands into defensive organization, detailed tactical analysis, and the implementation of innovative set-piece routines.
Iraola heavily relies on the tactical tag-team of Elphick and Cooper during the heat of battle, often positioning himself directly between them to absorb their real-time input.
### The right-hand man
While Elphick and Cooper handle the tactical heavy lifting on the grass, the physical blueprint of Iraola’s Liverpool will be drawn up by **Pablo de la Torre.**
Formally listed as an assistant coach, De la Torre’s relationship with Iraola stretches back long before their Premier League days, having previously assisted the manager during spells in Spain and Cyprus.
There was initial expectation that he would directly inherit the lead physical coach title from the departing Ruben Peeters, but his broader assistant coach designation reflects his immense influence.
Trained extensively in sports science and physical therapy, De la Torre is described by contacts in Spain as “meticulous, ambitious, and detail-obsessed.” He is the man tasked with ensuring the squad possesses the sheer physical capacity required to execute Iraola’s relentless out-of-possession triggers without breaking down.
### Decoding the opposition
In the analytical department, **Tom Webber** arrives to succeed Roderick van der Ham as the club’s new performance analyst. Webber, who boasts a strong pedigree following previous stints with Birmingham City and Leicester City, faces the immediate task of dissecting Premier League and European opposition.
His day-to-day responsibilities will center on tactical analysis, opposition scouting, and crucially for Iraola’s system providing players with data-driven breakdowns of opponents vulnerabilities to help identify precise pressing triggers.
Amid the influx of Bournemouth staff, Liverpool’s goalkeeping department retains a sense of continuity from the changes enacted last summer. **Xavi Valero** remains the head of first-team goalkeeping coaching. Valero, who famously served under Rafa Benitez during a golden era at Anfield, returned to the club last year to replace Fabian Otte after a highly successful seven-year stint at West Ham.
He continues to front an elite stable of keepers, working directly with Alisson Becker, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman, and young prospect Armin Pecsi.
Working alongside Valero is Colin Stewart, who serves as the goalkeeper development and pathway lead. Brought in last year to fill the sizable void left by Brazilian legend Claudio Taffarel, the Scot enjoyed a journey playing career before moving into coaching, which included a brief spell as joint caretaker manager of Rangers in 2021.
Stewart’s role is highly strategic, acting as the vital link between the first team and the Under-21s. Beyond coaching, he is heavily involved in designing loan strategies for the club’s young keepers, ensuring that the conveyor belt of goalkeeping talent at the academy remains directly aligned with the demands of the first-team environment.
While Arne Slot’s sudden exit left an initial void of uncertainty at Anfield, the rapid, cohesive assembly of Iraola’s backroom team suggests a club moving forward with a distinct and calculated vision to get the Reds challenging for trophies next season.