Didi Hamann has issued a strong verdict on Liverpool under Andoni Iraola so far, with the Reds yet to click into proper gear, having changed head coach during the summer
Former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Didi Hamann has offered his thoughts
Former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Didi Hamann has offered his thoughts(Image: Sebastian El-Saqqa - firo sportphoto/Getty Images)
Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann has questioned the job that Andoni Iraola has done so far since the ex-Bournemouth boss arrived to replace Arne Slot.
The Reds have won just two Premier League games to date under Iraola and lost heavily at Anfield against Manchester City last weekend, with Hamann yet to be convinced that things are heading in the right direction.
Next up for Liverpool in the league is Brentford, and with two games a week for the foreseeable future, that means having time on the training field will be difficult to continue implementing his ideas. There are also currently several of Iraola's key stars who are sidelined through injury.
"When I look at Liverpool, they aren’t a team — they’re a collection of individual players," Hamann told Sky Germany. "The manager hasn’t managed to instill any real sense of cohesion."
It is not the first time that Hamann has been critical of Liverpool this season. He has also pulled no punches with his verdict on $157 million (£116 million) man Florian Wirtz.
"I don’t know if he still believes he can make it," Hamann said last week. "When I see him for Liverpool, I often get the impression that he’s not happy.
Florian Wirtz and his Liverpool boss, Andoni Iraola
Florian Wirtz and his Liverpool boss, Andoni Iraola (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
"That’s a player who has joy; you see that with every action and say he’s just doing it. He plays like a child used to on the field (when he's at his best).
"He just enjoys playing football. But I haven’t seen that in him for months, and I don’t know if he still has this belief to say, 'I will prevail'.
"Because of course, with every game, with every week, the criticism gets bigger, and the belief or this thinking that he says, 'No, I’ll get my way', might be a little less.
"I don’t know if he still has that. For me, he doesn’t make that impression at the moment."
Content Image
Content Image
Liverpool.com says: Certainly, the Reds still have a long way to go before Iraola's side is playing how he really wants. It is still early days, though.
Right now, with the injuries that Liverpool has, Iraola is very limited in what he can do to change things up. As a consequence, there is likely to be more inconsistency across the next few weeks.
For this week, the priority has to be Brentford on Saturday. That is a much more significant fixture to win rather than the Champions League tie with LASK or next week's visit of Villarreal.