Iraola exclusive: I prefer Liverpool to be good rather than entertaining
Video credit: TNT Sports
In an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Iraola opens up on his plans for his new side ahead of the Premier League season, discussing a squad he says is "very ready to change", his hopes for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, and the rapid emergence of new signing Jeremy Jacquet.
He also addressed the pre-season comments that sparked headlines suggesting his Liverpool players could only run for 30 minutes, explaining what he really meant after his side surrendered a two-goal lead against Monaco.
Liverpool turned to Iraola this summer after parting company with Arne Slot just 12 months after the Dutchman delivered the club the Premier League title in his first season.
The style of football last season irked Liverpool fans as Slot's side slumped to fifth place in the league, with ex-Bournemouth boss Iraola recruited to inject energy into a team that was outrun by 11 Premier League rivals last season.
And he has already seen signs that his players are ready to embrace a new way of working - even if adapting to those demands has occasionally sparked a few arguments.
"I think the players have to be ready to change some of the things that they were doing, and they are very, very ready to change, very ready to learn new things," Iraola tells TNT Sports at the club's AXA Training Centre.
Who has the easiest start to the Premier League season?
"They are not getting it right straight away, but they want to know why. They ask the correct questions. I can even see them arguing. That is always a good thing.
"I think they are in the willingness of, 'OK, let's do it together, let's do it properly, let's fix this.' And I'm very happy with their attitude."
Teams that ran more than Liverpool in 2025-26 season (via Opta):
Team Distance per game (km)
Manchester City 117.8
Newcastle United 116.5
Brighton & Hove Albion 116.0
Arsenal 115.9
Leeds United 115.9
Fulham 115.7
Burnley 115.3
Crystal Palace 115.1
Brentford 114.7
Bournemouth 113.5
Tottenham Hotspur 112.6
Liverpool 112.3
Iraola will get his first real indication of how quickly his methods have rubbed off on his team when Liverpool open their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United on Sunday.
Then comes his first test at Anfield. Nottingham Forest visit on Saturday, August 29 for Iraola's first competitive home game in charge - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
"I think I was already very excited for the first friendly against Monaco, so imagine the first Premier League game against Forest," Iraola grins.
What did Iraola mean by '30 minute' comments?
Iraola raised eyebrows with his comments after Liverpool's 3-2 defeat to Monaco in pre-season, when they let a two-goal lead slip for the second time in a week.
He claimed his side "played really good first half, especially the first 30 minutes, but right now probably don't have much more in terms of the level required to play like this."
Those comments were widely, and somewhat creatively, paraphrased as "my players can only run for 30 minutes", with the Spaniard welcoming the opportunity to clarify exactly what he meant to TNT Sports.
"I realise I have to be very careful with the things I say here for Liverpool, because every comment you make, they talk a lot about it," Iraola says.
"It wasn’t just a physical thing. I think it was more in terms of keeping the mentality, the focus throughout the whole game - not giving up one throw-in, my quick positioning for a goal kick - mentally, we have to be in the right place.
"Obviously, when you start to get tired, these things cost a little bit more. I think we are physically better every week, the more we train, like most of the teams.
"It was more, 'OK, we have to be like a team that doesn't relax in any moment, doesn't take anything for granted'. Especially in two games, winning 2-0, and we lost those games. It’s a matter of, 'OK, don’t relax. Even if we are winning, even if you are feeling comfortable, no'."
Asked what he hopes people will say about his side this season, he says: "I would like them to say that our team is good. I prefer to be good than entertaining.
"And I think we have to be organised. I think we have to know what we are doing in every moment. Sometimes we will play better, sometimes we will play worse, but everyone should understand what his role is."
Iraola's hopes for Isak and Wirtz
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Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz could be key men for Liverpool this season
Iraola arrives at Liverpool with a reputation for high-energy, high-pressing football from his time at Bournemouth, who he almost guided into the UEFA Champions League after finishing the season with an 18-game unbeaten run.
The pressure, though, will ramp up significantly at Anfield.
One of the keys to Iraola's first season will be getting star duo Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak firing. Wirtz grew into the last campaign after a slow start, while Isak suffered a torrid time with injuries.
"I think they are both very good players," Iraola says. "It's true that they were in different places last season. Alex had a season full of injuries, so basically he couldn't really find the rhythm.
"And Florian, I think he played well. Probably he can play better and he can give a little bit more, but he has some continuity. We want to use him in good spots on the ball. I think he understands the spaces very well.
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'I would've loved to have played with this kid' - Gerrard hails Wirtz after Sunderland display
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Sometimes he gets too attracted to the ball, but he understands the game very well. I think he asks the right questions, he likes football, he likes the tactics, so I think he's someone that is easy to work in terms of coaching and I appreciate it."
On Isak, he added: "I think with Alex it's a matter of having him available, so it gives him games in a row, minutes in a row, a better physical condition, more confidence in his body.
"He has the technical ability, he's a number nine who can attack the spaces, who can come to receive, and to have both things at a good level is not easy.
"And he has this, so I hope we can put him in a right place mentally, physically, so we can show his level that we know is very high."
'Almost dangerous!' - Iraola excited by Jacquet
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Jeremy Jacquet is one of the new arrivals at Anfield
Liverpool signed off their pre-season with a 2-0 win over Cesc Fabregas' Como at Anfield last weekend, with the star of the show undoubtedly Jeremy Jacquet.
The French centre-back, 21, had his name sung by home fans barely 15 minutes into his first appearance for the club, while he rounded off a debut to remember with the second goal.
It was his first game since suffering a serious shoulder injury at former club Rennes in February - just six days after he agreed to join Liverpool in the summer.
"I think he had such a good first game that it's almost dangerous!" laughs Iraola.
"We will put the level there for him [gestures up high], 'this is your level and this is what we expect from every game.'
"But I think it's good because he hadn't played a game since February. So he played his first 45. I think he also finished in a good place. He scored a goal in front of the fans in Anfield. That is always special, your first game in Anfield.
"I'm very happy for him and now we wish he can continue and he can grow. We know he will make mistakes. He is very young, new in the Premier League. We have to accept this. But we trust him."
With Ibrahima Konate departing to join Real Madrid and Joe Gomez injured, Jacquet is in contention to partner Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the Liverpool defence for Sunday's trip to Newcastle.
Now comes the real test for Iraola - turning his ideas, enthusiasm and demands from the training ground into results when the 2026/27 Premier League season finally gets underway.