What Liverpool Will Look Like Under Iraola
A New Era at Anfield Begins
Liverpool had a season to forget.
Fifth place. A defensive collapse. A fanbase is frustrated. And Arne Slot sacked — just one year after winning the Premier League.
Now the club has moved quickly and decisively. Andoni Iraola is the new Liverpool head coach. Two-year deal. Officially confirmed.
The 43-year-old Spaniard arrives after three impressive seasons at Bournemouth — most recently guiding the Cherries to sixth place and their first-ever European qualification.
But what does this actually mean for Liverpool? How will they play? What will they look like? And why should supporters be excited?
Here is everything you need to know.
Why Liverpool Picked Iraola
The short answer? He plays a style Liverpool supporters already love.
Iraola was hired because his teams press high, play direct, and never stop working. Sound familiar? It should.
That is the same identity Jürgen Klopp built at Anfield — fast, aggressive, relentless football that feeds off crowd energy and suffocates opponents.
Klopp himself gave the clearest possible endorsement. After facing Bournemouth in January 2024, he said:
“Wow, that’s real coaching I have to say. That’s proper.”
When the previous manager says that about someone else’s work, it means something.
There is also a personal connection. Sporting director Richard Hughes previously appointed Iraola at Bournemouth in 2023 before moving to Anfield himself. The trust between them is already established. This is not a gamble on an unknown — it is a reunion between two people who already know how the other works.
What Kind of Football Does Iraola Play?
Before the formation and the lineups, understand the idea.
Iraola builds teams around one simple principle: structure creates freedom.
He explained it himself: “Players do not demand freedom. They demand structure from their coaches. It is from that structure that they feel free and can make their own decisions.”
In practice, this means every player knows exactly where to be at every moment. Their runs are planned. Their press triggers are drilled. Their defensive shape is rehearsed until it becomes instinct.
And because everyone knows the structure, they can play with freedom inside it.
The Press: What Makes Iraola Teams So Difficult to Play Against
This is where Iraola earns his reputation.
His teams press from the front — immediately, aggressively, and as a unit. The moment the opposition has the ball in a vulnerable position, Iraola’s side moves together to win it back.
But it is not random pressing. It is organised.
Here is the simple version of how it works:
- The front two press high to force the opposition backwards
- When one central midfielder steps up to follow a deep-lying opponent, another player fills the space left behind
- The shape shifts constantly — sometimes becoming a compact front three, sometimes a diamond — always adapting to what the opposition does
- The goal is always the same: trap the opponent, win the ball in a dangerous area, and attack immediately
At Bournemouth, this system troubled teams far bigger and more technically gifted than the Cherries. At Liverpool — with faster, more experienced players — it should be even harder to escape.
Pep Guardiola said Iraola’s football is “the direction that football is going in.” That is not a small compliment.
The Formation: 4-2-3-1
Iraola’s preferred shape is a 4-2-3-1.
It is a recognisable structure — two banks of four, one attacking midfielder behind the striker, and width provided by the forwards and the full-backs.
What makes Iraola’s version different is the intensity at which every position operates. Nobody stands still. Nobody coasts. The full-backs push forward constantly. The number 10 leads the press. The striker makes runs in behind.
Here is how Liverpool’s squad fits into that shape.
Player by Player: How Liverpool Could Line Up
🧤 Goalkeeper — Mamardashvili
Giorgi Mamardashvili had a solid first Premier League season and fits Iraola’s system well.
One key detail: Iraola’s system often asks the goalkeeper to go long when under pressure — rather than playing out short. Mamardashvili is comfortable with that. He is also a commanding presence who sweeps aggressively behind a high defensive line. Exactly what Iraola needs.
🔵 Right-Back — Frimpong (For Now)
Jeremie Frimpong never looked comfortable under Slot’s system. The right-back position remains one of Liverpool’s biggest areas for improvement.
Iraola’s high-energy approach could suit Frimpong better — his speed and directness are qualities this system rewards. But a new signing is likely coming. Marco Palestra — named Serie A’s defender of the season after impressing on loan at Cagliari — has been linked.
Expect competition for this spot before the season starts.
🔵 Centre-Backs — Konate and Jacquet
Ibrahima Konate is the senior presence. Physical, fast, and excellent in one-on-one situations — he suits a high defensive line perfectly.
Jeremy Jacquet has quietly developed into a reliable Premier League performer alongside him. Together, they should provide more stability than Liverpool managed in 2025-26.
🔵 Left-Back — Kerkez ⭐
This is the most personal appointment in the squad.
Milos Kerkez made his name under Iraola at Bournemouth. The Hungarian full-back was one of the best left-backs in the Premier League last season — and he was shaped, coached, and developed by the man now managing Liverpool.
Kerkez’s forward runs, his defensive aggression, and his stamina make him the ideal left-back for a 4-2-3-1 pressing system. Bringing him to Anfield is the clearest signal of what Iraola is building.
🔵 Central Midfield — The Engine
Two midfielders in Iraola’s system carry different responsibilities.
Kobbie Mainoo is the energy — athletic, dynamic, and built for high-tempo football. He wins the ball, moves it quickly, and covers enormous ground.
Alongside him, Casemiro provides the discipline. The Brazilian’s positional intelligence ensures the defensive structure holds even when the press is pushed high.
This pairing gives Liverpool the balance Iraola’s system demands.
🔵 Number 10 — Szoboszlai Reborn 🔑
This is the role that could change everything for Dominik Szoboszlai.
Under Slot, he was misplaced and underused. Under Iraola, he leads the press from the number 10 position — the most demanding role in the team, but also the most important.
Szoboszlai’s attributes — relentless running, technical quality, and intensity without the ball — are almost perfectly suited to what Iraola needs in that role. Give him the right structure and the right licence, and he could become one of the most influential midfielders in the Premier League.
🔵 Wide Players — The Salah Problem
This is Liverpool’s biggest challenge this summer. Mohamed Salah has left.
His goals, his consistency, and his ability to produce moments of brilliance on the biggest occasions are irreplaceable. Whoever fills that right-sided role in Iraola’s system is the most important signing the club will make before August.
On the left, Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha are the current options. Both suit a more direct, high-energy system better than Slot’s patient possession play.
Florian Wirtz will also be a key part of Iraola’s attacking plans when fully fit.
🔵 Striker — Isak’s Second Chance
Alexander Isak had a frustrating debut Liverpool season. The talent was never in question — the consistency was.
Iraola’s system should suit him well. The Swede is at his best when he can run in behind defences — and Iraola’s direct, transition-based attacking approach creates exactly those opportunities.
A full pre-season, a clear system, and a manager who builds his attack around the striker’s strengths. This could finally be the season Isak delivers at Anfield.
Predicted Liverpool Starting XI (4-2-3-1)
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Mamardashvili |
| RB | Frimpong |
| CB | Konate |
| CB | Jacquet |
| LB | Kerkez |
| CM | Casemiro |
| CM | Mainoo |
| RW | To be signed |
| AM | Szoboszlai |
| LW | Gakpo |
| ST | Isak |
What Will Be Different From Slot’s Liverpool?
It is worth being specific about this — because the difference matters.
| Slot’s Liverpool | Iraola’s Liverpool |
|---|---|
| Patient build-up play | Direct, fast transitions |
| Measured pressing | High, intense, man-oriented press |
| Defensive caution | Controlled aggression |
| Szoboszlai at right-back | Szoboszlai as number 10 |
| Frimpong misfiring | Frimpong in his natural environment |
| Low energy, low crowd connection | High energy, Anfield alive again |
The identity shift is real. And Liverpool’s squad — full of players who are better when the tempo is high and the game is intense — should respond to it.
The Honest Conversation: Where the Risk Lies
Iraola is exciting. The appointment is logical. But one challenge deserves to be said plainly.
He has never managed a club of this size before.
Bournemouth were a mid-table side with limited expectations. Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world — Champions League football from September, a fanbase that demands trophies, and a dressing room that reportedly showed signs of unrest under Slot.
Managing all of that — while implementing a completely new tactical system and replacing Mohamed Salah — is a different challenge from anything Iraola has faced before.
That does not mean he cannot do it. His track record, his coaching identity, and the squad he is inheriting all suggest he can. But it is worth setting realistic expectations alongside the excitement.
Best Case vs Realistic: What 2026-27 Looks Like
🌟 Best Case
Liverpool press relentlessly from August. Szoboszlai leads the team, Isak finds his form, and Kerkez becomes one of the league’s best full-backs. Anfield roars again. A genuine top-four challenge. A deep Champions League run.
📋 Realistic Case
A season of transition. Stronger than 2025-26. A new identity is taking shape. Some early growing pains as the squad adapts. Progress — real, visible, encouraging progress.
Either way, it will be watchable. And after last season, that matters.
Final Thoughts: The Right Manager at the Right Moment
Andoni Iraola is 43 years old. He has built teams from scratch, won promotion, reached European competition for the first time in a club’s history, and earned the respect of Klopp and Guardiola.
Now he gets Liverpool.
His first words at Anfield said everything about where his head is:
“Liverpool is Liverpool. You don’t need a lot of things to get attracted by this club. The atmosphere, the supporters, the players, the chance to fight for titles.”
The pressing is coming. The intensity is coming. The heavy-metal football that Anfield fell in love with — rebuilt, reimagined, through a Basque coach who has spent years preparing for a moment like this.
The 2026-27 season starts August 22.
Get ready.
