**Former scout Mick Brown believes there are long-term “tensions” on show at Liverpool, with head coach Andoni Iraola needing to address the situation.**
The Iraola era at Anfield is now firmly underway, but it isn’t all plain sailing, with Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai arguing on the pitch during the pre-season tour of the USA.
Speaking to [_Football Insider_](https://www.footballinsider247.com/liverpool/andoni-iraola-to-address-liverpool-dressing-room-concerns-after-bust-up), Brown claimed issues have been boiling under the surface since Arne Slot’s time in charge of Liverpool, even though it is nothing too serious:
_“These are issues that will have cropped up under the previous manager. Tensions don’t just rise overnight, a lot of the time the issues have been clear for a while, and then something happens and things spill over, and it looks like that’s what has happened._
_“Obviously, Iraola has to resolve the situation, he has to make sure it’s not something that’s going to have an impact on other players or grow and become more of a problem. But I’m led to believe there aren’t any real concerns about the atmosphere at Liverpool, it looks like it’s just an isolated incident._
_“To be honest, in my experience, having players who are willing to call each other out and challenge each other on issues can be a positive thing to have in the dressing room. Especially in pre-season, if they don’t think standards are being met and they want to address that and give each other a kick up the backside, then that’s not a problem._
_“These issues usually end up being resolved between the players, and of course the manager will be involved, but it doesn’t have to be a big thing. If there is any suggestion that there could be deeper problems, then it will be a concern, but it doesn’t seem to be anything more than a disagreement between the players.”_
**A huge job for Andoni Iraola at Liverpool**
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As Brown says, this is nothing to worry about too much for Liverpool – there is nothing wrong with disagreements between teammates – but there will be concerns over the team spirit after the Jones and Szoboszlai incident.
Iraola is tasked with turning things around after a dire final season under Slot, and he has to improve the football on show more than anything, with the relationship between the players generally feeling good.
The early signs with the Spaniard at Liverpool have been positive, with two wins out of three in the US, but there is still so much to work on, and several signings simply have to come in.