Liverpool manager talks about the importance of wins for everyone

Liverpool manager talks about the importance of wins for everyone Andoni Iraola at Liverpool: Coaching Honesty, Ernesto Valverde Influence and Winning Culture Taking Shape Andoni Iraola is still in the early phase of his Liverpool reign, yet a clearer picture is already emerging of how he wants the club to function. Beyond results and tactical detail, the new head coach has opened up on the principles that shape his work, from squad management and staff culture to the coaching figure who has influenced him more than any other. There is a growing sense that Liverpool’s new era under Iraola will be defined by clarity, intensity and collective responsibility. His recent reflections offered insight into the path that brought him to Anfield and the standards he is trying to embed at the AXA Training Centre. Andoni Iraola never saw coaching as guaranteed One of the more revealing aspects of Iraola’s outlook is that he did not move into management with complete certainty. As his playing career drew towards its end, he was open to trying coaching but far from convinced it would become his long-term future. That uncertainty, in his view, proved useful. “I didn’t have it very clear that I wanted to become a coach. I wanted to try, but I wasn’t fully convinced,” Iraola said. “I think that benefited me because I was ready to make mistakes, I was almost expecting to fail and say, ‘OK, I’ve tried but prefer to do something else.’ But the everyday [work] makes you want to improve. “And now because I’m in Liverpool, you think, ‘OK, your trajectory has been upwards, upwards.’ No, it hasn’t been. Overall, probably yes, but in the trajectory there have been ups, downs, ups, downs, ups, downs. “From those downs is when you learn and you improve for the next time, you are better and then you can go step by step, go improving and [taking on] more challenges and more difficult things. “But in that trajectory, you ask every manager – even the most successful ones will have moments where they are thinking, ‘This is not for me.’ For sure.” That candour feels significant. Managers at elite clubs often project certainty above all else. Iraola appears more comfortable acknowledging setbacks as part of development, a trait that may help him navigate the scrutiny that comes with Liverpool’s dugout. Liverpool culture built around shared success Liverpool’s strong start under Iraola has brought immediate encouragement, but his focus extends well beyond the touchline. He has made it clear that victories matter because of their impact on the wider club, not only on players and coaches. “A lot of times when you win games, I think the people that work with us here don’t receive the recognition,” says the 44-year-old. “The people in the kitchen, the ones in the laundry room, the ones that help us with the boots. “And when you feel that they are happy, that they enjoy it, I feel lucky to be in this position so we can make people around us happy. “This is probably one of the best things that football can give you.” That approach aligns with what many successful clubs strive for, a high-performance environment where every department feels connected to outcomes. Iraola’s wording suggests he values emotional investment across the whole building, and that can be an important marker of a healthy culture during the opening months of a new regime. It also reflects a broader leadership style. Rather than presenting success as belonging only to the dressing room, he appears determined to widen ownership of it. For a club as large and demanding as Liverpool, that can have real value over the course of a season. Coaching honesty central to squad management Perhaps the strongest theme in Iraola’s comments was his approach to communication with players. Selection is one of the hardest parts of elite coaching, especially in a squad full of internationals expecting opportunities. On that front, he prefers directness over reassurance. “You cannot tell a player if he comes here to talk to you, ‘Don’t worry, you will have your chances’ and maybe he doesn’t have the chances. “I prefer to tell him, ‘Hey, you have to fight for your position. You are in a difficult place because I’m preferring this one in front.’ So it’s more a challenge. “And even if you are thinking that he will have minutes, I don’t like to tell him, ‘Don’t worry, you will play.’ Because that’s a mistake when you promise, ‘Don’t worry, you will play a lot, you will have your minutes.’ Maybe he’s not playing well or he’s not deserving the minutes and then you cannot give him those minutes and you have a problem there. “So, it’s like, ‘OK, you are the one that has to earn your minutes. If you do well, I trust you, I think you have the level to play for us, then I think you are going to play a lot.’ “But it’s going to be a matter of your performance, it’s not because I will give you a present with your minutes. You have to take the minutes from another player and it’s how it should work. “It’s impossible to be fair with everyone, but I prefer to say every decision has to be putting the team first. Even if it’s difficult for me, the decision, if it is for the benefit of the team you have to take it.” Those comments offer a useful insight into how competition for places is likely to be handled at Liverpool. Iraola is setting a standard where minutes are earned, not managed through soft promises. In practical terms, that should create accountability, while also removing ambiguity for those on the fringes. Ernesto Valverde influence and padel rule reveal standards When discussing coaching influences, Iraola pointed to Ernesto Valverde as the leading reference point in his own development. The pair crossed paths during his time at Athletic Club, and the admiration is rooted in simplicity as much as tactical thinking. “I think we copy a lot, as coaches,” says Iraola. “You go to watch one training [and think], ‘I like what I’m watching, I will try to do something similar or adapt something.’ “From the coaches I’ve had, it’s the same. If you ask me for one name, I always put Valverde as a reference. “Sometimes we look at managers like they have to be special, they have to be leaders. Sometimes it’s just having the common sense; the benefit of the team, the benefit of the group. I think Ernesto had a lot of those things that I tried to use.” That reference point is telling. Valverde has long been respected for balance, pragmatism and calm authority, qualities that can travel well into a club seeking both immediate competitiveness and long-term structure. There was also a lighter detail that says plenty about standards inside Iraola’s staff group. He and his coaches enjoy padel during downtime, but only under one condition. “If we haven’t won the last game, we don’t allow ourselves the time to play,” he stresses. “So, we should be more ready for the next time, so we will win and we can at least spend one hour playing!” It is a small anecdote, though it underlines a wider message. Iraola wants standards to remain high, even in the margins. For Liverpool, that combination of honesty, humility and competitive edge may become a defining feature of this new chapter. Further background on Iraola’s early Liverpool approach can be found here.