Iraola’s Liverpool: is his high-intensity football delivering results?

/OR ASSOCIATIONS.Andoni Iraola has now been in charge of Liverpool for five months. In this 1xBet.ie review, we’ll assess how well the Spanish manager’s tactical approach has taken root at Anfield.

What Iraola’s football is

When Bournemouth’s bosses invited Andoni Iraola in 2023, they took a calculated risk. Under the previous head coach, Gary O’Neil, the Cherries played pragmatic football with an emphasis on counterattacks – it was precisely this approach that helped them retain their Premier League spot after a disastrous start to the 2022–23 season and Scott Parker’s dismissal.

The decision to replace O’Neil with Andoni Iraola drew a fair amount of criticism, particularly following a poor start to the new campaign – under the Spanish coach, Bournemouth failed to win any of their opening nine games. But eventually Iraola completely rebuilt the team, introducing a style of play characterised by relentless high-intensity pressing and winning the ball back in the final third. This style became the hallmark of the club from the south coast of England.

Iraola drew inspiration from the systems of Marcelo Bielsa and Ernesto Valverde, under whom he played for Athletic Bilbao. While managing Mirandés and Rayo Vallecano, Andoni employed an aggressive, attacking model intended to pin the opposition back in their own half.

At Bournemouth, the Basque refined this approach. The Cherries no longer sat deep in their own half, waiting for their opponents to make a mistake. Instead, they pressed high up the pitch: the striker and the attacking midfielder sought to isolate the opposing centre-backs. The central defensive midfielder moved boldly between the lines, closing down space before the opposition playmaker had time to develop his play. At the same time, Bournemouth centre-backs engaged in challenges much higher up the pitch.

The statistics confirmed that Iraola’s high press was one of the most effective ways of disrupting the opposition attacks. During the 2025–26 Premier League season, Bournemouth were a tough side to beat, particularly at their home ground, Vitality Stadium, where even the top clubs’ playmakers were given no time on the ball, and the visitors’ attacking momentum was stifled right from the start. In the spring of 2026, the Cherries were competing with Liverpool for a Champions League spot, but finished sixth, achieving their best-ever result in the Premier League.

Iraola’s career growth

Andoni Iraola’s appointment at Liverpool – where the foundations for high-intensity pressing were laid by Jürgen Klopp – was a perfectly logical move. Besides, the Spanish coach was given top-class players to put his ideas into practice.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that opponents play differently against Bournemouth and Liverpool. The Cherries didn’t have a star-studded squad and were used to playing as underdogs. But the Reds are almost always favourites in their matches. Many teams adopt a defensive approach against them, so Iraola’s system requires significant adaptation. Since taking charge of the top club, Andoni has retained his trademark verticality and aggression when out of possession, but has added flexibility to the positional control phase.

First results of Iraola’s time at Liverpool

Like any sport, football involves a series of actions to achieve the desired result. In other words, it’s important for Iraola’s players not only to neutralise their opponents’ attacks early on, but also to create – and, most importantly, to convert – their own scoring opportunities.

As for the first aspect, the Reds concede an average of one goal per game in the Premier League, which is even fewer than in their title-winning 2024–25 season. Meanwhile, the second aspect requires some serious work. Liverpool’s scoring average stands at 1.22 goals per match, which is lower than that of Ipswich Town and Bournemouth, Iraola’s former club. Since the summer of 2025, Liverpool have invested hundreds of millions of euros in their attacking line, but these investments haven’t paid off yet.

Andoni had a difficult start with his new team, who were forced to come from behind in the matches against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. In the crucial home fixtures against Manchester City and Arsenal, Liverpool lost 3-0 and 1-0, respectively. Their last three Champions League games have been high-scoring affairs, but conceding three goals in each match against Fenerbahçe, Villarreal and LASK should be a cause for concern. But for now, Iraola enjoys the full confidence of the club’s bosses and is not at risk of being sacked.

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