Andoni Iraola Sagarna during a previous match/ XINHUA
Andoni Iraola Sagarna arrived in a chauffeured car and walked through the security gate at Anfield. It was a week ago Thursday, and after two hours of meetings, he walked onto the hallowed turf of the Liverpool club with a red and white scarf around his neck.
He said, “I feel the responsibility and the excitement of being part of all this.”
He waved his arms around the terraces and focused his eyes on the famous Kop. It was a long way from his home in Spain, and he had just signed a new two-year-contract.
Iraola had woken that morning in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian, his native home since his birth in 1982. There he learned to speak Catalan, Basque and English. Later, in his football life, he mastered French, Italian and Portuguese. From there he flew to John Lennon airport, and a Mercedes-Benz V-Class limo took him the 10 miles to the club’s Kirkby training ground. He met his old colleague from Bournemouth, the sporting director Richard Hughes and the CEO of football at Liverpool’s owners, the Fenway Sports Group. The bond between Hughes and Iraola is as strong as ever, and the two often meet socially outside of football. He then went to Anfield.
After a press conference, Adoni was driven back to the airport, and he flew home to Spain to prepare for his new life as the manager of one of football’s most proud and famous clubs.
How Iraola will change Liverpool
It is one thing to turn around a small club such as Bournemouth - and in fairness, Iraola inherited a capable group of players from Eddie Howe who had already made an impression in the Premier League – however, it is quite different taking on one of the world’s largest clubs such as Liverpool with players who have very big egos but performed poorly last season. Can Iraola have the same success with this Liverpool squad as he did on the south coast?
An Iraola team attacks with speed and energy, enveloping an almost chaotic approach. Players have to be in peak condition and must be capable of winning the ball and moving upfield quickly, no square passing as a usual strategy and a defence which can tackle and win balls back. Under Iraola, Bournemouth’s players covered more grass at high intensity than any other team in the Premier League last season and across Europe’s big five leagues. Liverpool, by comparison, covered less distance than most clubs under Slot’s guidance. That was one of his most criticised problems.
Antoine Semenyo, Milos Kerkez, and Dean Huijsen joined Bournemouth for cut-price fees and were transferred for millions more because Iraola dramatically improved them. He prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation, which puts strenuous pressure and extra work on holding midfielders and left-sided attackers, plus the two up-front forwards.
Central defenders are expected to run and run, but also to move forward following their midfielders. It is a playbook which would have suited Trent Alexander-Arnold if he had remained at Anfield, but not so much the current defenders. Outgoing Ibrahima Konate would be comfortable with that method of play, but less so Virgil van Dijk, who could easily find he is left behind.
Solving the right back position will be high on Iraola’s priorities because, despite his blistering pace, Jeremie Frimpong has not proven to be a ball-winner, and Conor Bradley is subject to regular injuries.
In midfield, Szoboszlai is made for Iraola’s style with his pace, commitment, ball control and willingness to take on responsibility. It is common for an Iraola team to suddenly switch from a zonal defence to man-to-man marking, which often catches opponents out.
Liverpool have resources and will make money available for new players. Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will do well under Iraola, but could need more support from fast, speedy players.
Upfront, Florian Wirtz suffered under Slot, but Iraola could use his physicality and energy, combined with his ambitions to get in amongst the defenders using muscle.
Off-ball play is important, and midfielders will be expected to back up the forwards but get back quickly should attacking moves break down. Again, it is all energy and commitment.
Replacing Mo Salah will be vital to Liverpool, and they are targeting fast, skilful wingers such as RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande who can electrify down the wing. Rio Ngumoha could become a player who will improve quickly under Iraola, and he too could grow into Salah’s role.
Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak have all the ability for the new coach to embrace, but I don’t think we will see the Reds hitting the ground running. They might take a little while before we see a new title-challenging Liverpool once again.
Villa’s Rogers attracts Arsenal and PSG
Morgan Rogers has told close friends and his agent that if he leaves Aston Villa, his preferred destination is London, which puts Arsenal in prime position to sign him.
Mikel Arteta has held secret meetings with his own team assistants and several main directors of Arsenal and emphasised that to build on their title win and keep competitive for next season, the Gunners need to bring in fresh talent. The reason, he told the meeting, is that other top clubs are strengthening all round in a bid to remain at the top and to challenge Arsenal.
Despite several Premier League clubs watching the situation, the main competition for Morgan’s signature could come from Paris Saint-Germain, and the French club has deep pockets after winning the Champions League, securing approximately £ 200 million. Villa will fight to keep Rogers, who almost left Villa Park for Tottenham last year, but he was persuaded to stay with a very lucrative contract until 2031.
Mikel Arteta said he admired the way PSG played in the Champions League, and he plans to copy some of their strategies, and Morgan Rogers would fit perfectly into that plan.
**Barcelona’s attacking midfielder Dani Olmo has rejected rumours of a possible move to the Emirates. Olmo joined Barca two seasons ago from RB Leipzig for £51m and was part of the Catalan club's winning La Liga last season. He said, “No. Barcelona fans can relax.”
Ipswich Town shocked by McKenna’s resignation
Ipswich Town supporters were shocked and disappointed when Ipswich Town released the news on Wednesday late afternoon that their much admired manager/coach Kieran McKenna had resigned. He told chairman Mark Ashton first, having only made the decision to leave at the end of last week.
He gave the reason as wanting a rest from football and to spend more time with his family and to give himself time to recharge his batteries.
Fulham are hovering in the background trying to persuade him to move to Craven Cottage following Marco Silva’s exit. My sources inside Ipswich and Craven Cottage are that Kieran will resist any move, but of course, things can change overnight in football, but his loyalty to Ipswich over the last five years runs deep. He said, “Having achieved a second promotion to the Premier League last season, with another memorable final day in our stadium, and after reflection over the last couple of weeks, I feel this is the right time for me to step aside.”
Ipswich have some protection because Kieran’s contract means that if he joins another club, they will have to pay £7 million in compensation to secure his services.
Clubs close in on Tonali
Discussions going on behind closed doors at Newcastle centre around the interest being shown in midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Because Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United have all been linked with wanting to sign the Italian, the Magpies' board of directors have placed a £ 100 million price tag on the former Inter Milan player.
Mikel Arteta believes the Gunners are in a prime position to move for Tonali despite signing Martin Zubimendi last year. His final destination could depend on Manchester City, who have named Nottingham Forest midfielder Eliot Anderson as their first choice, but an initial bid has been rejected. When I checked, Arsenal, City and United were all ready to pay the £ 100 million, such is their belief that Tonali could strengthen their midfields.
He has expressed a desire to play for one of the top four teams, and Newcastle did not stand in the way of Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon when they wanted out of St James Park. They picked up £ 70 million for selling Gordon, having already banked over £ 100 million for Isak last year, so Newcastle are not short of money and therefore can let the Tonali transfer challenge run its course, but if they sell him, they will also have to spend to keep their midfield competitive for next season.
Tottenham look to spend cash
Behind closed doors, Tottenham and newly installed coach Roberto De Zerbi are working hard to spend some of the war chest provided by owners ENCI, which is 70% owned by the Lewis family headed by billionaire Joe Lewis. Lewis is a devoted Tottenham fan, and he has injected millions into the club over the years, and his group financed their brilliant new stadium.
The latest interest for Tottenham is Manchester City’s winger Savinho, who is rated at around £ 50 million. Savinho was a Tottenham target last summer, but the 22-year-old decided to stay at City and fight for his place.
He could be added to the incoming Liverpool free transfer, Andy Robertson. Spurs have also signed a deal for Bournemouth’s Argentine centre-half Marcos Senesi after having an offer for Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke turned down. De Zerbi said, “He's comfortable playing in a possession-based team, reads the game very well and has the personality to thrive in a demanding environment.”
Gyokeres tipped to step up a gear next season
Viktor Gyokeres endured a tough start to his Arsenal career, being put straight into the first team when he arrived from Portuguese club CP Sporting, and he struggled with the pace, energy and strength of the Premier League. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were both injured, and Gyokeres had to slot straight into the striker’s role.
At first, he attracted a lot of criticism for missed chances and a lack of pace, but gradually, he adapted and ended up with 21 goals for his first season. Many criticised both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard for bypassing Gyokeres and therefore limiting his opportunities in front of goal but gradually they began to trust him, and Arteta and his assistants stepped in to talk to the players in order to include him more in their attacking positions. Much depends on whether Kai Havertz remains fit and can deliver balls into the box for the striker. The Swedish international has proven that he can score almost at will when on form, and he recently bagged a hat-trick for his native Sweden in a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine. Many eyes will be on his performance in the World Cup, but his confidence has returned, and we could even see him challenging the likes of Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot next season.
Klopp is happy in his role at Red Bull
Jurgen Klopp vowed he would never coach another Premier League club after leaving Liverpool, and he said his close ties to them prevented him from competing against the Reds. The German has taken a 2-year break so far after leaving Liverpool, and his agent says he has no immediate desire to return to club management. He is working as Red Bull’s Global Head of Soccer and is enjoying his role. Florentino Perez beat Enrique Riquelme on Sunday and was re-elected as Real Madrid President. Riquelme had stated that he would approach Jurgen Klopp if he was elected, but Perez has confirmed that Jose Mourinho will now be the next manager at the Bernabeu. Mourinho has already said that one of his first challenges will be to organise a move for Tottenham’s fast, energy-packed attacking centre-half Micky van de Ven, who could be up for sale for a price of around £ 75 million.
Guardiola, the genius created by Johan Cruyff
It might seem remarkable, but Pep Guardiola admitted that he once knew nothing about football! Then he met one of the game's true genius talents: Johann Cruyff. The most memorable part of their incredible relationship came in the 1992 Champions League final when Guardiola, a Barca academy graduate, was put in the team by Cruyff alongside legends Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup and Hristo Stoichkov. Cruyff changed the Spanish game, and his disciple Guardiola has done the same in the Premier League. Guardiola has not only shaped our beloved game, but he has also influenced most coaches, and even down to the junior leagues, where they copy his strategies. Guardiola is responsible for some of the most talented coaches in football, notably Mikel Arteta, Luis Enrique, Enzo Maresca – a favourite to take over from him at City - Xabi Alonso and Vincent Kompany. He might have left his incredibly successful Manchester City team and the Premier League, hopefully only temporarily, but his influence will be felt for many years to come. The late great Cruyff once said, “Winning is just one day. A reputation will last a lifetime.”
Palace must sign players earlier.
If Crystal Palace want to remain contenders for a top-of-the-league place, which guarantees European football, they have to bring in new talent much earlier than in previous seasons. A lack of support after winning the FA Cup last season was one reason why Oliver Glasner said he was leaving, and he has been the best thing that has happened to Palace for many years. They will sorely miss him. When the season began last August, only back-up left wing-back Borna Sosa and reserve goalkeeper Walter Benitez had arrived, which led to a desperate rush of activity on deadline day, which saw Yeremy Pino, Christantus Uche and Jaydee Canvot walk through the door for the Eagles. Losing Eberechi Eze proved to be a blow. Glasner attacked the Palace hierarchy after winning the FA Cup, claiming the club did not back him strongly enough for the team to progress and that Palace’s squad depth was hugely exposed during the winter when Glasner had a challenging job putting out a first-team squad. The chairman, Steve Parish, has to have learned from the chaos, and especially now they have lost a brilliant coach and their top players, Adam Wharton, Maxence Lacroix, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr, and Daniel Munoz, are likely to be of interest to top-level clubs.
