NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola (L) and first team coach Tommy Elphick applauds the supporters after a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola (L) and first team coach Tommy Elphick applauds the supporters after a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Andoni Iraola‘s influence at Liverpool has already been highlighted, with Sunderland‘s Dan Ballard exposing just how different it feels from Arne Slot‘s side.
Liverpool had become slow and laboured in Slot’s last season at the helm, easy to score against and predictable in attack, leading the club to appoint Iraola.
Known for his high-intensity, progressive and no-excuse approach, the Spaniard demands high turnovers and quick movement, giving the opposition little time to breathe.
Even while missing several key players, Liverpool’s shift under his guidance has already been noted after the first pre-season friendly by Sunderland‘s Ballard.
In a telling admission, he told RedMen TV after the Reds’ 4-2 win that Sunderland were “surprised” last season by how much time on the ball they were given. This time, though, it was a different story.
“I think there were a lot of differences,” Ballard said when asked about Liverpool last season and his experience after the friendly in Nashville.
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“The new gaffer sets the team up in the press very differently, and he is very intense in the way he wants his teams to play, so we did a lot of work looking at Bournemouth‘s team last year.
“They’re very aggressive in the press, they play very vertically, and they go straight for goal, which is a little bit different to Slot’s team, a little bit more possession-based.
“They gave us a little bit more time on the ball last year which we were quite surprised at playing Liverpool, knowing them throughout the years.
“I think there’s a little tweak there.”
It is a candid assessment from an opposition player and underlines why Liverpool had to make a change in the summer.
And even Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris acknowledged why the club identified Iraola as their first choice, with intensity and high pressing the hallmarks of his style.
“We know the coach and how he played at Bournemouth, probably the [reason] why he’s connected to Liverpool, it’s about intensity, high pressing and verticality as well,” he told RedMen TV.
“We are not surprised about their shape and intentions: at the same time it is early in the pre-season and their first game, so I think the team reacted well.”
While the eye test from the first friendly showed the intensity had been restored, that the opposition can feel the difference is a telling sign, and a welcome one!
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2 collage diagonal (5)
Football – Pre-Season – Liverpool USA Tour Day 6 – Liverpool FC v AFC Sunderland
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe after a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Football – Pre-Season – Liverpool USA Tour Day 6 – Liverpool FC v AFC Sunderland
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)