Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Liverpool supporters are slowly starting to see the difference having Andoni Iraola in charge can make, with the Basque beginning to implement his philosophies at Anfield.
Having become known as a manager who likes his teams to play on the front foot with an aggressive, pressing style, Iraola has attempted to light a fire under the Liverpool squad, whose football became lethargic, slow and ponderous under Arne Slot.
While the results are starting to become more clear, however, former Everton boss Sean Dyche has claimed that Iraola is not playing the same way as he did at Bournemouth, admitting his surprise that the 44-year-old has seemingly moved away from a very defined style after joining Liverpool.
I agree! It hasn't been spectacular, but maybe that is somehow a good thing? We need solidity, not fireworks, and I feel much, much more positive about the future than I did four months ago. I do think if things click we can challenge this season, Arsenal are nothing special and neither are City. The next game will be a big indication of where we are
Dyche claims Iraola has moved away from signature style
Liverpool supporters expecting to see Iraola’s version of ‘heavy metal football’ immediately after his appointment at Anfield were always going to be disappointed. It takes time to develop any style of football, especially with a group of players who had lost their way so spectacularly.
But while most fans are accepting of a transitional period as Iraola tries to tweak things to his liking, Dyche has questioned his approach, suggesting that he has given up on what made him so successful in the past.
“I’m surprised by him (Iraola),” the manager, who is currently out of work, said on The Overlap’s Fan Debate on Friday.
“I don’t know whether we’re gonna go on to Liverpool, but just quickly, I’m surprised, because I really liked what he was doing, playing hard, fast football, and he seems to have maybe changed. You know, sometimes, Carra [Jamie Carragher], I think managers are going to a new job, and they think, I can’t quite do that, and I think, ‘why?’”
READ MORE: Liverpool players warned what will happen if they don’t get with Andoni Iraola’s tactics quickly, ‘he’s a madman’
Has Iraola changed his approach?
As a manager who has taken over plenty of jobs during a long career, it is a surprise to hear Dyche fail to grasp the basics of why a football manager might look like his team are playing a different style when he walks into a new team.
Clearly, the approach has to work for the players as well as the manager, and if a coach has a very defined way of playing – as Iraola does – not all of the players will match up with that. Over time, the coach can tailor the team how he wants, but initially there will be a bit of give and take.
In terms of Liverpool this season, it is true that there has not been as big a difference as fans would have perhaps wanted. However, it is also clear that Iraola has put emphasis on fixing the issues in the Reds’ defence before looking more broadly at the rest of the team.
That change has certainly been a positive one, and given the energy expended by every player under Iraola, it is important to get the back line right before building up the rest of the XI. A solid defence gives a platform for those in front to thrive, and that is seemingly the approach here.
So, while it is true that Liverpool do not yet look like the swashbuckling, swarming team Iraola built under Bournemouth, it is unfair to say that he has given up on his principles entirely. His Cherries team were not built in six weeks, and Liverpool will not be either.