How Liverpool are shaping up under Iraola

Andoni Iraola has taken the helm as Liverpool's head coach, succeeding Arne Slot, and is already drawing comparisons to the beloved 'heavy metal' football style previously championed by Jurgen Klopp. While results in pre-season have been inconsistent, with victories over Sunderland and Wrexham contrasted by squandered two-goal leads against Leeds and Monaco, the team's approach under Iraola is generating significant interest.

Liverpool's possession statistics have seen a notable increase under Iraola, averaging 60.6% in pre-season, a substantial jump from Bournemouth's average under his previous management. This shift towards holding the ball more deliberately presents a new challenge, particularly against teams expected to adopt a deep defensive stance against Liverpool.

Iraola's tactical blueprint appears to retain the intense and dynamic elements that characterized his earlier work. The team is observed building play short from the back, involving the goalkeeper and defenders, with midfielders dropping deep to facilitate possession. This strategy aims to draw opponents into pressing before Liverpool exploits the resulting spaces with vertical counter-attacks or direct long passes, often capitalizing on second balls.

The influence of Marcelo Bielsa, a former manager and mentor to Iraola, is evident in the team's attacking principles. Iraola himself has acknowledged adopting numerous exercises from Bielsa, particularly regarding offensive dynamism and the willingness to embrace a degree of offensive 'disorder' to create scoring opportunities. This approach has resulted in Liverpool players operating in a fluid, busy manner, rarely adhering to rigid positional structures when attacking, mirroring Bielsa's signature style.

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I use a lot of exercises from Marcelo that I learned from him, especially with the ball. Offensively, his teams are very dynamic, willing to make all the runs to the space, he is ready to accept this kind of disorder offensively.