Iraola

[sydenham red]

Ando will lead us to glory, he will outwit fellow Spaniards Enriqu and Arteta and lift European Cups. This is going to be a golden period again

[Daffydd]

I'm optimistic but a lot will depend on H'Edwards new signings (and sales) and I think Iraola may have to bring through some youth players.

I read that there was some bad feeling between Slot and the academy staff but Iraola has shown he is willing to actually coach and develop and trust young players.

An ideal time for Jayden Danns to get fit. Although I fear it's too late for Stefan Bajcetic barring miracles.

[Steveo]

Ando will lead us to glory, he will outwit fellow Spaniards Enriqu and Arteta and lift European Cups. This is going to be a golden period again

I like this...

and...

...I like the cut of his jib.. Looks every inch a Liverpool 'manager'

[jozza800]

A really good break down of both Slot's set up and what we're likely to see under Iraola.

This Josh Williams fellow seems to have been on every LFC video i've watched in the last few weeks! But he knows his beans.

[Steveo]

Hmm. Tactics didn't just break down last season - the entire club did.

Everyone's arguing about low blocks and isolated wingers - but the another major culprit here is the new F$G corporate committee. Look at the setup... Michael Edwards at the top - Richard Hughes as Director of Football - and a neutered "Head Coach" on the touchline. We’ve gone from a unified club with a true leader to a fragmented spreadsheet operation... and when everyone is responsible for "the model" - nobody is actually accountable for the results on the pitch.

Josh even admitted it himself... Hughes is just recruiting "blindly" for a data profile of speed and transition. They bought players - it didn't work under Slot - so they just swapped the coach for Iraola to match the metrics. It’s soulless.

I have high hopes for the man... but IF Iraola’s chaotic press leaves a 34-year-old Virgil exposed next season... is that on the coach - or is it on the boardroom for forcing a square peg into a round hole? Stop blaming the tactics... start looking at the structure. Until this committee takes actual accountability - I fear that changing the fella in the dugout is just rearranging deckchairs.

We shall see soon enough.

[jozza800]

Hmm. Tactics didn't just break down last season - the entire club did.

Everyone's arguing about low blocks and isolated wingers - but the another major culprit here is the new F$G corporate committee. Look at the setup... Michael Edwards at the top - Richard Hughes as Director of Football - and a neutered "Head Coach" on the touchline. We’ve gone from a unified club with a true leader to a fragmented spreadsheet operation... and when everyone is responsible for "the model" - nobody is actually accountable for the results on the pitch.

Josh even admitted it himself... Hughes is just recruiting "blindly" for a data profile of speed and transition. They bought players - it didn't work under Slot - so they just swapped the coach for Iraola to match the metrics. It’s soulless.

I have high hopes for the man... but IF Iraola’s chaotic press leaves a 34-year-old Virgil exposed next season... is that on the coach - or is it on the boardroom for forcing a square peg into a round hole? Stop blaming the tactics... start looking at the structure. Until this committee takes actual accountability - I fear that changing the fella in the dugout is just rearranging deckchairs.

We shall see soon enough.

I appreciate all that and i'm not in the FSG's 'model' is the bestest in the world camp ( I wouldn't have paid £120m for Isak..), but fundementally it comes down to 11 players collectively and individually carrying out the manager's instructions on the pitch.

There was more than enough talent on the pitch last season. Slot just didn't set them up well from game one, and nor did he want or try to change throughout the season.

One thing that I think was massively under-appreciated about Klopp was his tactics/system. I think he was often and unfairly sometimes seen as a just a bit of 'chest thumper' but he knew what he was doing with his team. Klopp would have figured out how to get the most out of them and wouldn't have just through motivation/inspiration.

As you say, we'll see.

[pob]

I like this...

and...

...I like the cut of his jib.. Looks every inch a Liverpool 'manager'

Really? I like his style of football, but he doesn't come accross as a particularly strong leader. From what I've seen of him anyway. Will he be able to control that dressing room? We'll see.
Hope I'm wrong, but it smells like another Roy Evans type appointment to me.

[Insidious]

This Josh Williams fellow seems to have been on every LFC video i've watched in the last few weeks! But he knows his beans.

Josh is a Data nerd and a lot of how he sees the game overlaps with how I see it, though he is more articulate than I am.

I highly recommend his book actually, which analyses (almost entirely positively) our use of Data to supplement our work under FSG. He discusses the rise of Data use, how we started to ask the "right questions" of Data (an area where we were ahead of the game) and how cutting-edge we were in the application of it.

The book is a few years old now and Iraola is mentioned in the closing pages as someone who is openly more welcoming of data than most, which is interesting given how things have panned out.

As an aside, a little conspiracy theory for you - Iraola announced he was leaving Bournemouth on the same day that we had our second leg against PSG.

[Insidious]

Really? I like his style of football, but he doesn't come accross as a particularly strong leader. From what I've seen of him anyway. Will he be able to control that dressing room? We'll see.
Hope I'm wrong, but it smells like another Roy Evans type appointment to me.

He says "mana-herr" and "skwad" like Rafa does.

Press conferences and post-match are going to be so nostalgic.

Regarding any dressing room egos, if we have any arrogant f**kwits at the club, we should actively ship them out.

[jozza800]

Josh is a Data nerd and a lot of how he sees the game overlaps with how I see it, though he is more articulate than I am.

I highly recommend his book actually, which analyses (almost entirely positively) our use of Data to supplement our work under FSG. He discusses the rise of Data use, how we started to ask the "right questions" of Data (an area where we were ahead of the game) and how cutting-edge we were in the application of it.

The book is a few years old now and Iraola is mentioned in the closing pages as someone who is openly more welcoming of data than most, which is interesting given how things have panned out.

As an aside, a little conspiracy theory for you - Iraola announced he was leaving Bournemouth on the same day that we had our second leg against PSG.

Cheers Sid.

I'm not particularly big on data. To me a good player is a good player, And you get the most out of good players with a good manager.

I've always been far more interested in the tactical side of things and Williams has explained in a fair few videos some of the issues we've had, though far more eloqently than I can.

[Ravo19]

Maybe i will be way off the mark and maybe im still feeling the slot effect but im really excited about iraola the more that comes out about him points to a top manager who is still leaning and improving,ticks all the boxes.

[Steveo]

I appreciate all that and i'm not in the FSG's 'model' is the bestest in the world camp ( I wouldn't have paid £120m for Isak..), but fundementally it comes down to 11 players collectively and individually carrying out the manager's instructions on the pitch.

There was more than enough talent on the pitch last season. Slot just didn't set them up well from game one, and nor did he want or try to change throughout the season.

One thing that I think was massively under-appreciated about Klopp was his tactics/system. I think he was often and unfairly sometimes seen as a just a bit of 'chest thumper' but he knew what he was doing with his team. Klopp would have figured out how to get the most out of them and wouldn't have just through motivation/inspiration.

As you say, we'll see.

I see where you're coming from, Jozza, but I think you're looking at football as a much simpler game than it actually is. Reducing it down to "good players doing what the manager asks equals success" just doesn't tell the whole story...There is far more to it than that.

Is that simplistic view really the answer to what Bill Shankly brought to Liverpool? Was "just following instructions" all it took for Klopp to turn a failing club with a "bang average" squad into world-beaters? We both know it wasn't the cash.

Shankly and Klopp didn't just give orders on a pitch - they built a culture...a psychological fortress...and an emotional connection that made players surpass their own limits. If it were just about executing a blueprint, any smart tactician could do it. But look at teams like Chelsea or United over the years - plenty of talent...plenty of managers trying to enforce a system - yet it's rarely enough.

Elite football is chaotic. When you transition from a generational figure like Klopp...you aren't just changing instructions on a whiteboard - the whole ecosystem has to be re-wired. I get the instinct to simplify things when a season goes wrong...but reducing elite football down to players just not doing what they're told hollows out what made our greatest managers the legendary.

[RedMagic]

I'm optimistic but a lot will depend on H'Edwards new signings (and sales) and I think Iraola may have to bring through some youth players.

I read that there was some bad feeling between Slot and the academy staff but Iraola has shown he is willing to actually coach and develop and trust young players.

An ideal time for Jayden Danns to get fit. Although I fear it's too late for Stefan Bajcetic barring miracles.

We still have gaping holes in both our first team and the entire squad as a whole. Klopp was often hamstrung by the constraints placed upon him. I doubt Hedwards' modus operandi will suddenly change, so Iraola will have his work cut out for him. Maybe, just maybe if Iraola has a good first season, because he has only signed a two year contract he may be able to apply a bit more pressure on the club to give him more say over transfers.

I think a lot of us are still recovering from the season just gone. I'm sure that as the summer progresses our enthusiasm will increase. A part of that will also depend on our transfer activity. If we were to just get in some good quality players for just the CB, DM and RW positions e.g. Diomande that would also provide a big boost to our optimism going into the new season.

[miller0863]

I have today purchased 2 tickets on the Kop for Iraiola’s Anfield debut, v Monaco on Sunday August the 9th.

Looking forward to it 🥳🥳

[teesred]

I have today purchased 2 tickets on the Kop for Iraiola’s Anfield debut, v Monaco on Sunday August the 9th.

Looking forward to it 🥳🥳

I'm going to the Perry Como game on 16th. Tenner for the urchins. Bargain.
Magic moments etc.