Few coaches have made as immediate and lasting an impact in recent years as Andoni Iraola. From his innovative work in Spain to his growing reputation in the Premier League, the former Atletico Bilbao right-back has earned widespread admiration for his tactical intelligence, demanding standards and ability to inspire those around him.

Few are better placed to offer a deeper perspective than Mario Suárez, who worked closely with Iraola during their time together at Rayo Vallecano. Having experienced his methods in the dressing room and on the training ground, Suárez witnessed the qualities that would later establish Iraola as one of Europe’s most highly regarded coaches.

In this exclusive interview with Dan Clubbe, Suárez reflects on Iraola’s leadership style, his tactical approach, the relationships he built with his squad and the traits that convinced him his former coach was destined for success at the highest level…

Liverpool Fans REACT To Andoni Iraola’s IMPRESSIVE First Interview!

On his first impressions: “I knew him before because I played against him a lot of times when he was playing in Atletico. I remember I was always joking with him that I wanted him in the Europa League with Atletico in the final, if you remember. Since the first day as a coach, you can see the way he understands football and the way he wants to play. He likes, as you said, to be there with Jurgen Klopp, rock and roll. He likes the players to run, to attack. It doesn’t matter who he’s facing. He used to play in the smallest, with all the respect teams like Rayo, as you said, with Mirandes in the second division here in Spain or in Bournemouth. Now he’s going to go to a big, big club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, for sure. But he’s not going to change. His style of playing is to attack, to play fast. He doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have possession of the ball, because what he wants to do is to win the matches. I’m sure you’re not going to get bored with him because it’s very funny to watch his teams.” 

On the difficulty of adapting to the style: “Well, at the beginning, it was tough because we were with another coach, Paco Jemed, who was now in West Ham with Nuno. Paco likes different styles of football, with more possession of the ball. And since the first day, he said, look, I don’t want what you were doing. I want this. He explained to us in the dressing room, and then we went immediately to the pitch. And with Pablo, his fitness coach, the training’s always with the ball. I think that’s a good thing that now it’s more typical, but maybe in Spain, three, four, five, six years ago, it was not so usual. It was normal, but maybe not all the clubs. And he has made his ideas very clear. I think he’s one of the strongest points of Andoni, that he’s not going to change even if he loses two or three matches, and he’s not going to change if he’s winning. He’s very calm in every situation. And as you said, he wants chaos on the pitch. He wants something to happen every time because he feels comfortable doing that. He doesn’t like the team defending in a low block. No, he wants to attack, to press high, to attack from the wingers, to put crosses on the box, to make something happen every time. And I think it’s very entertaining for the supporters, but also for the players. When you understand that you have to run, if you lose the ball, you have to press. Don’t complain to the referee because you are not going to do anything. Go, go, go and go. You, as a player, also enjoy it.”

On the demands of the intensity: “It’s true that he demands very intense work in everything that you are doing, in training and in the matches. Intensity. He likes the physical numbers, and in the sprints, the number of sprints, and the intensity. Also, Pablo, they both believe a lot in this. We were veteran players, Falcao and I, struggling a little bit with that. That’s why he’s intelligent enough. I guess we are going to talk more about him as a person, but he’s very intelligent. He’s very clever. That’s why one of the things that he put me as a centre-back in my last season and in the last two seasons, I played a lot of matches there. And I was struggling because he was also one to press high, put the defensive line higher. I’m not as fast as you can imagine, as Virgil van Dijk, for example, or Mo Salah in the past. But I think one of the key points from him is that he’s very clever. He understands what is happening in the dressing room, on the pitch, and during training. I think it’s going to be good. Maybe I can have some concern, but you can ask me whatever you want. You don’t come back to train if you are not able to train with the team. So if you are not ready to give the 100% that you have in that moment, of course, if you came from an injury, and then maybe you are going to be 80% and, sometimes. But if you are not ready to complete the full training session.”

What It’s REALLY Like To Play For Andoni Iraola

On his communication: “To be honest, he’s not a guy who likes to talk too much. I mean, he doesn’t want, or he doesn’t like to give explanations because of why you are playing, or you are not playing. He tried to keep the distance. But if you want to talk to him, he can talk, and he’s very clear in what he wants. He told me one day, ‘Look, Mario, the way I want to play, I don’t see you playing as a midfielder. I see you as a centre-back.
Not as a starter.’ I was in my last season also. He’s very clear in what he wants and what he has in his head. As I told you before, we were, I think, struggling with one consecutive match. I think it was 11 or 12 matches without winning. I hope that doesn’t happen there because I wish him the best. And he was not changing. We went to Barcelona to play against Dembélé, with the strikers. And we played the same, and we finally won. We won, and then we made a good streak of results, winning matches. So he’s very clear in what he wants. And if you don’t give him what he wants, you are not going to play. And he came to me, and when I talked to him,  he explained to me the things very clearly. He knows I was a veteran player, and the people in the dressing room follow me or believe me. And he talked to me clearly. I said, Mario, I want these things to happen easily, and have good relations with everyone. And it’s the truth. He’s not a person who likes to show his emotions or his feelings often. But it’s good because he keeps the count, even if you are winning, even if you are losing. He’s not the kind of guy who puts nerves,  who is going to start changing things. So I think it’s one of the key points from him. I like the way he acts in every moment, to be honest.”

On his team talks: “Never too high, never too low. He’s a very calm guy. But when he was asked to, in the dressing room, to make things clear, he did. I guess also in these three years, new experience in Bournemouth, successful three seasons there, he improved as a coach, he improved as a person, but his personality is what it is. But as I told you, a good leader doesn’t need to shout or to make the people respect him. And I think, as I told you, the way he is, I think you are not going to change. But the reality, and here is where we want to talk about different things, is that he never trained a big club like Liverpool. So now he has to handle big personalities because he proved that with smaller teams, as we said before, he did it amazingly. He believed in younger players, in young players. He believed in that. He put a lot of young players on another level, like Fran Garcia, for example, in Rayo Vallecano, who signed for Real Madrid. Santi Comezania signed for Villarreal and is now one of the captains. Huijsen to Real Madrid, another centre-back to PSG. So he proves that with young players, it’s amazing. And he’s going to do it for sure with the young players in Liverpool. He’s going to put them on another level. The problem now is you have to, not the problem, but the question here is how you are going to handle Virgil van Dijk, this kind of player, big personalities, big stars. But he’s a good human being. He’s a good guy. He’s the type of guy that you can talk with. But it’s true that he’s going to have to make decisions that in the bigger clubs, with bigger pressure, with a lot of journalists or media around him, it’s going to be different.”

On the step up: “To have the opportunity to coach one of the biggest clubs in the world, Liverpool, it is amazing. And to be honest, I think he’s going to do it amazingly. Because I think the way he understands football, the way he understands life, when I see last year’s Liverpool, it’s the way he wants to play. With some changes, for sure, because every coach has different types or different styles in some little details. But the only concern is about that. How to deal with the big personalities, how to deal with the pressure of the Champions League, how to deal with a lot of competitions, how to deal with the pressure that they are going to demand that you must win all the competitions when you participate. But you will never know until you are there. So let’s give him the chance. But as I said before, he is not the kind of guy who is going to be talking to you all the time. But he’s very intelligent. He’s very clever. And he likes to improve every time. But I’m excited about how it’s going to be because I wish him all the best, Pablo. And now I’m going to be a Liverpool supporter for sure.”

On the chances of success: “If we are talking about Andoni, from him and from Pablo, it’s going to be successful because they are hard workers. They are going to be 100%. They are really good, Pablo, in the physical part. And Andoni, as I told you, clever, tactically, intensity. I think his style fits perfectly with Liverpool’s style or the style you want. And if you convince the players and they follow you, I’m sure that Liverpool is going to be fighting for titles for sure. Because believe me, Andoni, his destiny is to train big clubs.”

It’s been reported that Andoni Iraola has now agreed to a deal in principle to take over Arne Slot’s role as head coach. It comes after a lot of fans were calling for Xabi Alonso to take over as Liverpool boss; however, the Liverpool hierarchy has seen Iraola as a better fit than the now-Chelsea manager. Here is why he is the top candidate for the role.

Firstly, Liverpool finds it very important to hire a good person as well as a manager, and Iraola is brilliant for that.

Senior sports journalist at the Bournemouth Daily Echo, Alexander Smith, spoke on how the players see him, which is quite telling of his character.

“They [James Hill and Alex Scott, who spoke to the journalist most this season] can’t speak highly enough of him. They clearly stepped up and wanted to give Iraola the send-off he deserved. It’s telling how much they bought into him and his football.

“I haven’t heard any whisperings about any discontent on that [players not getting enough game time].”

This shows how the players have bought into the system because they want to work for him as a good person, not just his quality as a manager. Iraola has had very high praise as a person, similar to what players under Jurgen Klopp had from the start.

Andoni Iraola’s PERFECT Mo Salah replacements 

One of the players managed by Iraola at AEK Larnaca, David Catala, also spoke about how easy it was to talk to him, saying, “All the time his door is always open, and he’s happy to speak to me, as he’s a very nice guy.” He had very good connections with the players and was a very good coach.

“These are the kind of coaches who can give you confidence with a few words to give you a good game.

“It’s not just a game, it’s more the person, and as a player, these are the things you remember about him.”

If you have a manager who is a good person, the squad is more likely to buy into him and work to meet his standards, which is a very promising start.

From a more tactical viewpoint, the biggest difference between Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot’s successes (and lack of) was in the intensity.

Salah made that Instagram post at the end of this season, criticising the lack of ‘heavy metal football’, which is what Klopp teams are remembered for. 

Last season, Liverpool were outrun in 27 of their 31 Premier League games. 

Iraola’s foundations as a manager are similar to Klopp’s in terms of how hard he demands his team to work, and that intensity is expected to return when he is appointed Liverpool boss.

Catala described his intensity as one of the biggest parts of his system…

“He has very clear ideas from the beginning.”

“The most I remember was the intensity training. When you lose one ball, try to recover the ball as fast as possible, try to press high, and try to be aggressive to recover the ball. He wants to make a team that doesn’t let the opposition breathe. He wants to win the ball higher, have an explosive team and be comfortable on the ball.”

From what has been said, it feels as if he has the Liverpool way about him in his style, reminding me of Klopp in the intensity he demands of his squad.

Manchester City and former Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo also mentioned his intensity in a recent interview about how the side never had days off during the season, which shows how much he expects from his players. This is more than Arne Slot, who had members of the squad complaining about too many days off during the season.

That increase in intensity will lead to the heavy metal football that we fans (as well as the players) would like to see. Pressing high up, turning the ball over in the final third and outworking every opponent are all reasons as to why Bournemouth went on the longest unbeaten streak in the Premier League, with an 18-game unbeaten streak that still stands today.

Players have bought into his system and tactics, which is a big indicator that he can positively lift up the Reds for the 2026/2027 season.

As a manager, he is very hands-on, which, for Catala, was a great indicator that he had a vision for the Larnaca side he oversaw, giving lots of instructions during training matches in possession.

“He likes to be involved all the time in the training, participating in the rondos and the sessions. He wanted to be involved a lot in the game and the possession and give instructions whilst on the ball.”

That system is what aligns with Liverpool more than Xabi Alonso does with Liverpool. Xabi Alonso played a back three at Leverkusen, using full-backs Frimpong and Grimaldo as wide midfielders who created a back 5 under pressure off the ball. That isn’t how Liverpool usually set up. Iraola, however, has played a 4-3-2-1 for most of his games at Bournemouth, suiting a lot of our squad a lot better and giving a perfect opportunity for Iraola to make signings to make his mark on the team.

As well as that, he is reuniting with former Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez, who made his name under Iraola’s management before coming to Liverpool. He is one of many players who could thrive under Iraola. Kerkez, in particular, will understand how good Iraola is and understand the Spaniard will get the best out of him, which means we could see Kerkez maintain a good end to the season and improve under his former manager.

The Cherries’ former manager also loved to trust his younger players, with the squad being the second youngest starting XI put out in the Premier League this season. This is what we fans have been calling for Slot to do more often, with Rio Ngumoha’s minutes being a highly debated topic across the season.

WHAT CAN LIVERPOOL FANS EXPECT FROM ANDONI IRAOLA?

Smith highlighted the importance of Iraola’s trust in the squad’s youth as a big factor for bringing some of the best footballing talent to the south coast, saying: “He won’t be afraid to give young players a chance in the first team. A lot of the players have signed partly because Iraola will give them a chance.”

Ngumoha is one player who will suit this, as the leading candidate to replace Slot would be more inclined to start him with more trust in playing his youth than the Dutchman may have had in the 17-year-old.

Not to say Arne Slot’s style and trust were wrong, but Iraola’s style seems to be a better fit for Liverpool than Slot’s style from the second season.

With direct comparisons between Liverpool and Bournemouth players able to be made, such as Ryan Gravenberch thriving in a similar ball progression role to Alex Scott’s for the Cherries, it seems like a fresh face who is Premier League proven could be the key to unlocking the best out of this team once again.

Smith also spoke about the way that change came into Bournemouth, saying, “He’s shifted the mindset.” They go into games thinking they can beat anyone. He’s very much of the philosophy that you play every game to win it.”

Liverpool thrives off a manager with a mindset like Iraola’s, and that could turn into trophies in the future.

Whilst there’s plenty of excitement around Andoni Iraola, because of what he’s done at Bournemouth in what was seen as overperforming, there are always concerns for any manager coming in that you hope he will brush off.

His lack of experience in cup finals and European competition could be a weakness. With two Premier League titles under the Reds’ belt in the last six years, many fans and the club will be looking at the Champions League as a competition the club needs to focus on to try and go all the way.

With Iraola, he won’t have that experience in those big European competitions, as his former sides, Rayo Vallecano and Bournemouth, haven’t featured in a European competition under the 43-year-old. Not winning a trophy is also something of concern, as Arne Slot had won titles, including the Eredivisie league title, before joining the Reds in the summer of 2024 and competing in Europe, meaning he had that prior winning experience that meant he could deal with that pressure.

Despite the experience lacking, it feels as if Salah’s final words on Instagram may have caught the attention of FSG, and the football that Iraola implements could bring back the old Liverpool that we all missed this season. Profile for profile, he seems to be the most fitting and heavy metal-like manager that can return the Liverpool way of playing football again.