Danny Murphy, former Liverpool midfielder and current BBC commentator, believes that the Anfield club enters next season in a better position with Andoni Iraola than it was under the command of Arne Slot. “I'm quite excited because, having seen Bournemouth play, there's no reason to think they won't try to implement the same kind of ideas – courage, initiative, high pressing and attacking football,” he said.
For Murphy, the change of direction was inevitable: "When a mass of fans become disillusioned with a manager and his style of play — and start to turn against him — you are just delaying the inevitable. I believe that Liverpool are now better placed. Bringing in Iraola was the best option because fans start the new campaign with hope and enthusiasm, rather than fear. You don't want to start the season with players feeling anxiety from the first minute, and this was the best way for Liverpool to avoid it."
Still, the former England international has reservations about the scale of the challenge for Iraola. “You have never managed a club of this size and you will be a little surprised at how intrusive it will be in your life when you manage Liverpool,” he warned. “Even as a player, that changes from one day to the next, because it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and everything you do is scrutinized, locally and globally.”
Another sensitive point is the competitive requirement to play at high intensity every few days. "That requires a certain level of fitness - we saw that with Jürgen Klopp's teams: flying full-backs, dynamism in midfield and a lot of work from the forwards. It's hard to see how to create that with what's available at the moment, so the summer transfer window is huge for Liverpool in that regard. The current squad lacks legs and dynamism and isn't packed with brilliant players without the ball," concluded Murphy.
The expectation is that Iraola will try to replicate at Anfield the identity he displayed at Bournemouth — a compact team, aggressive in recovery and vertical with the ball — while the market dictates the extent to which the squad can be molded to sustain a model of high pressing and intense pace throughout the season.