Iraola, 44, replaced Arne Slot as Liverpool head coach after last season, when the club finished fifth in the Premier League and lost a club-record 20 games. Speaking to reporters in Chicago as Liverpool's US tour got under way, the Basque coach outlined his early thinking.
"For me now, it is about creating a very difficult team to beat," Iraola said. "The team that I envisage now, that I see and think of - if we become that team - I think we are going to be successful. You have to create a team; improve the team. You have to find the best positions for every player - the good combinations for the team - and that is what we're now using the time for."
Liverpool travelled to Chicago on Monday for the start of their US tour, which continues with a friendly against Sunderland on Saturday. Iraola was candid about where the emphasis needs to lie in the meantime.
> "The most important thing that we can deliver is our performances. At the end, people just want to see the team play well and deliver good results. I know this is 90% of my job."
The manager also revealed how quickly his move to Anfield came together after he stepped down from Bournemouth following three years on the south coast. Iraola had been Liverpool's leading candidate once the decision was made to part ways with Slot at the end of May.
"It happened quite fast," he said. "Honestly, yes it was true that I was talking with some clubs. I think it was the first or second week after the season ended. Liverpool contacted me, and it didn't take a lot \[to say yes\]."
Iraola, who spent 12 seasons of his playing career at Athletic Club, also drew comparisons between his hometown club and his new one, pointing to Athletic's Basque-only recruitment policy as an example of the identity he hopes to help build at Anfield.
"It is a very special club," he said. "You have to maximise every player you have in the squad. As a player, you have to give extra. The only way that policy can be successful is if you give 100%. This creates a connection and you see they win things.
"They have never been relegated. I see a lot of things similar - this sense of belonging, of being a little bit different. This connection also, with players from the academy. The atmosphere of Anfield. This is one of the biggest clubs in the world and in some way the comparison probably isn't fair. But in a lot of ways I see a lot of things similar."
Liverpool have also confirmed a squad departure, announcing that goalkeeper Ármin Pécsi has joined Austrian Bundesliga side TSV Hartberg on a season-long loan.
The 21-year-old Hungarian international arrived at Anfield last summer from Puskás Akadémia but did not make a senior appearance during his debut campaign. Pécsi, capped once by Hungary, remains under contract with Liverpool until 2030, with the loan intended to give him the regular football he could not find on Merseyside.