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Andoni Iraola is still getting warm in his Liverpool hotseat after replacing Arne Slot this summer.
This is Iraola’s first highly pressured job after his success with Bournemouth, including helping them to Europe for the first time in their history last season.
But while life was rosy at Bournemouth in the end, it didn’t start like that because Iraola struggled when he first joined the Premier League, and he has avoided such a start on Merseyside.
Following Liverpool’s win over nine-man Brentford, and ahead of the Villarreal Champions League showdown, Iraola reflected on his first ten games in charge, and how it’s about ‘learning every day’, as he told his pre-match press conference.
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Champions League football returns tonight – give us one bold prediction for this week 👇 Which games will you be tuning into?
Over 6.5 goals in Barca PSG 🔥
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I’d genuinely be annoyed if there’s less than six goals in that game 😂I can see another PSG vs Bayern-like match here
Andoni Iraola aiming for surge after ten games for Liverpool
It took Iraola eleven Premier League games to earn his first win as Bournemouth boss, and he admitted that it was a ‘difficult’ start to life in English football.
It needs to be noted that he did have to contend with a lot of injuries, so it wasn’t a surprise that it took a while for him to get going.
Thankfully, the same hasn’t happened with the Reds, although Liverpool supporters needed to wait until the third game of the season against Ipswich to pick up those first three points.
Either way, Iraola reflected on his first ten games as Liverpool boss, how he has faced ‘a bit of everything’, and hopes he can kick on as he did after his first ten matches with the Cherries.
“I don’t really have time to think about these things,” said Iraola. “You tell me ‘ten matches’, already ten matches. It has been a little bit of everything.
“But this doesn’t stop. We don’t even have time to reflect on a lot of things. As soon as we finished against Brentford, I was coming back on the bus with the Villarreal report; as soon as we finish against Villarreal, we will go with Brighton.
“So, now it’s almost learning through the process. Adapting to these circumstances all the teams will have, not just us. Trying to learn every day. You have to learn every day, and especially improve.
“I think the results were poorer; I guarantee you (first ten games with Bournemouth). It was a difficult start at Bournemouth, as you remember. But from then, we had a really good run of games. I hope here also we can continue after ten games in a good place.”
Iraola’s first ten games for Bournemouth and Liverpool compared
Of course, two of Iraola’s first ten games in charge of Liverpool include Champions League matches, added to the significant amount of pressure he is under as soon as he walked through Anfield gates.
But what’s interesting to note is that after winning two of his first ten at Bournemouth, he would lose just ten out of his next 30, which is pretty good going for Bournemouth.
The Spaniard will be hoping for a surge in these next few months, with fewer defeats, and if that happens, then his popularity inside Anfield will go through the roof.
Iraola’s first ten games at Bournemouth (All comps): two wins, three draws and five defeats. Two clean sheets, 20 goals conceded, and seven goals scored.
Iraola’s first ten games at Liverpool (All comps): Six wins, three draws and one loss. Three clean sheets, 13 conceded, and 20 goals scored.