Andoni Iraola made a good first impression as he spoke to the media for the first time as Liverpool head coach, with the Spaniard making a brave choice by uttering two words fans have come to loathe
04:00, 14 Jul 2026
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - JULY 13: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Andoni Iraola head coach of Liverpool during a press conference at AXA Training Centre on July 13, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola speaks during his first press conference as Liverpool head coach(Image: Getty Images)
Two years on from Arne Slot and Richard Hughes walking through the corridors of the AXA Training Centre, this felt like a slightly more understated welcome for Andoni Iraola to Liverpool.
Perhaps that wasn’t entirely by coincidence. The Spaniard doesn’t come across as the sort to blow his own trumpet — by his own admission, the hardest question he faced in his first press conference on Monday was about how he’d describe himself.
Of course, at this stage, any manager or head coach in his position would just want to get down to work with his new squad. Coming from the school of Marcelo Bielsa, it feels like Iraola is happier on the training ground than in the limelight.
Not that he’s under any illusions about the increased scrutiny he’ll be under now in his new job, and as first impressions go, it was a positive start from Liverpool’s new man at the helm.
Change was clearly needed after last season. Performances had gone stale, and fans weren’t shy about voicing their displeasure about what they were being offered up on a regular basis. As a fellow Premier League boss, Iraola must have been aware of the souring mood at Anfield, even if it didn’t seem like that on his last visit.
It was something of a brave move, then, for the new Liverpool boss to bring up two words that supporters had become increasingly tired of hearing from his predecessor: low block.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Arne Slot, head coach of Liverpool, reacts after a missed chance during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park on May 15, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Arne Slot regularly bemoaned low blocks during his time in charge(Image: Getty Images)
Every negative result — and there were plenty of them last season — seemed to be followed by Slot bemoaning what has become the go-to phrase in the Premier League, but there was little sign of him actually finding a solution.
Iraola though took a different approach. What Slot saw as a problem, his successor sees as an opportunity.
"I always say, I prefer to face low blocks in terms of, 'Okay, we will be in control of the game, probably we will concede less chances, we will spend a lot of time in the opposition half and those are the scenarios that we have to find,'" Iraola told reporters on Monday.
“Some teams, they give you straight away that situation, perfect, other teams they don't give it straight away because they will try also to control the game, to play in your half.
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“I'm looking forward to spending as much time as we can in the opposition half, with the ball, without the ball, because I feel we are closer to scoring than the opposition if that is the situation.”
You can instantly feel a shift in mentality. Clearly, there’s a lot of work for Iraola to do to get this squad in a position where they can consistently break down those barriers, but it’s just a welcome change in the messaging that will lift spirits.
What Slot did in winning the title and giving fans the best day many would’ve ever experienced should never be forgotten, but it was clear by the end of last season that he couldn’t continue, or at least not in the manner that had become established.
Iraola is the refresh that was needed, and it feels fitting to give him the final word before he embarks on the biggest challenge yet in his career.
“I would like to give them a team that they can feel proud of,” he said. “I think football, and especially Liverpool, for me is about connecting, connecting with the people, connecting with our supporters.
“I've been in the other side at Anfield. I've experienced, I always say, the goal that [Federico] Chiesa scored in the first game of the past season, where you can feel this stadium – and I would love to have this every game we play.
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“And it has to come from us from inside the pitch and we have to be a team that works hard, [is] intense, aggressive, vertical so everyone can be identified, everyone can feel comfortable supporting this team.”