Andoni Iraola shares the details behind Liverpool’s training sessions

Andoni Iraola shares the details behind Liverpool’s training sessions Andoni Iraola Adapts Liverpool Training as Fixture Pile-Up Tests Squad Depth Andoni Iraola has already worked out one simple truth at Liverpool. If your team plays every three days, proper training becomes a luxury. That is the reality facing the new head coach as Liverpool juggle Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup commitments early in the season. Results have been steady enough, a win over Atletico Madrid, a goalless draw with Fulham and a 3-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur, but the bigger issue is what happens between the matches. Iraola built his reputation on intensity. Players noticed it in pre-season, and Liverpool wanted that edge when they appointed him in June. But wanting intensity and being able to deliver it across a packed calendar are two different things. At an elite club involved on several fronts, there is far less time on the grass and far more recovery, analysis and rotation. Liverpool training shifts with schedule Iraola put it plainly: “You have to get used to not being able to train.” That sums it up. There is no mystery here. When matches keep coming, coaches are left with video sessions, tactical briefings and short messages rather than long, high-octane drills. He explained the problem clearly. “Obviously when you play every three days, most of it are doing video (work), on the tactics board. Sometimes it is just saying what the team needs.” That may frustrate any coach who wants to drill ideas repeatedly on the pitch, but there is no point pretending otherwise. Liverpool are in a cycle now where freshness matters as much as tactics. The manager has to ration effort, not demand more of it every day. The numbers make the point for him. “We will definitely need more than 12, 13 or 14 players in this schedule. After the international break, we have four games in nine or 10 days or something crazy.” That is not a complaint. It is common sense. Top-level football punishes teams that rely on a core group for too long. Iraola knows it, and he is already saying openly that rotation is not optional. Squad depth matters more than transfer fees His view on squad management is refreshingly direct. Status does not matter, price tags do not matter, reputations do not matter. “Even if I want to repeat the same [team], I wouldn’t be able because there is a moment where the players cannot go again.” He also dismissed the idea that expensive players deserve special treatment. “For me the demands on the players and positions are the same. I don’t give different instructions to one player because he is more expensive than another player because he has cost us less money.” That is how it should be. A system survives on clarity. If one player presses and another strolls because he cost more, the whole thing falls apart. Iraola’s point is basic and correct, the standards stay fixed, even if the roles have to be tweaked according to the player. As he put it, “The demands are the same. But I also have to adjust to the things that some players can do and others cannot do. The strengths and weaknesses of players are different, so we have to always adapt the team to try and maximise the collective side of this.” That is the balance every serious coach tries to strike. Uniform commitment, tailored usage. Lewis Koumas earns praise but no free pass One player who caught the eye in the win over Spurs was Lewis Koumas. The 20-year-old forward picked up player-of-the-match and gave the side energy, movement and a clear willingness to work. Iraola liked plenty of what he saw, but he was careful not to overdo it. “I love the desire of Koumas, I love what he gives, but every player has different weaknesses and strengths.” Again, no fuss, no hype. Just a measured assessment. Photo: IMAGO Iraola sees Koumas as an example for younger players trying to force their way in. “He is a good example especially for the players coming from the academy, he is grabbing his opportunity and doing everything to try to gain minutes, he is ready to play as a No.7, 11, 10 or a 9 or wherever we put him.” That versatility helps, especially in a squad facing relentless demands. But praise came with a warning. “Everything is very positive but also I have to work with Koumas a lot in other areas. There are things he has to improve.” And that is the sensible conclusion. Useful player, good attitude, strong impact, still plenty to fix. Iraola finished with a line that probably tells you why Koumas is getting noticed at all. “His energy is good for the team, it is contagious but he knows also he must improve in other things and we are doing this.” Liverpool’s fixture list will keep stretching the squad. Iraola knows that now. Less training, more management, smarter rotation. No romance in it, just the job.