Before Liverpool, the Basque coach didn't have any major stints, yet he was all the more convincing with his work: a Cypriot Super Cup title with AEK Larnaca wasn't a major calling card, and he only stayed there for half a year.
A secure mid-table finish and a Copa del Rey semi-final with surprise team CD Mirandés were more significant. Also, that he subsequently led Rayo Vallecano back to LaLiga and to the Cup semi-finals.
Iraola proved for a third time in Bournemouth that his footballing approach can extract a lot from limited resources – before now facing his first really big challenge with Liverpool FC.
How does he play?
Given his previous clubs, it's not surprising: the collective must be the success factor, not outstanding individual players. The opponent's options are to be curtailed, given that his own team's were limited – but without 'parking the bus'. Iraola's football is indeed intense.
The key is a playing philosophy described as 'controlled chaos': it's meant to be difficult to predict. Decisive is intense pressing, the game against the ball. Early, relentless, and still organized in zones when triggered, the play should ideally be shifted to the wide areas. There, it's man-on-man, where the reduced space further pressures the opponent.
Where this pressing is triggered is a crucial question regarding its effectiveness. And what is done with the ball in the first few seconds after winning possession.
Because controlled possession play has less priority; after winning the ball, it should go quickly vertical. In the preferred 4-2-3-1, typically five players remain behind the ball, while the other five commit to the attack.
Accordingly, central tasks in the (supposedly) defensive midfield include: winning second balls, initiating build-up play quickly, and bypassing the opponent's press. This poses a problem when later looking at the squad options.
In Bournemouth, this approach worked well: in 2025/26, opposing teams only managed 9.9 passes before the defensive action took hold, the lowest figure in the Premier League.
If all goes to plan, Liverpool's football should represent a healthy middle ground between Arne Slot's controlled approach and Jürgen Klopp's "Heavy Metal" style.
What are the potential weaknesses?
However, the approach reveals weaknesses against individually strong teams whose players don't immediately get rattled when attacked while in possession.
Iraola's high-pressing central midfield can thus become a weakness, leaving space open where it becomes dangerous. Especially if a tackle is lost and other players have to react quickly.
This has already become apparent in the initial phase of the season, as the execution of Iraola's system evidently still requires time. Then, "controlled chaos" quickly turns into actual chaos.
The leaders play at the back
There is no radical, but a noticeable upheaval in the squad as well. Most prominently, Mohamed Salah's departure weighs heavily, even though the Egyptian superstar had already passed his peak at Liverpool recently.
Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté, two defensive stalwarts, also departed.
The biggest remaining figures of identification, who are still meant to form the backbone, are thus captain Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker in goal. They are meant to be the calm anchors not only off the pitch but also, in the 'controlled chaos', mark the last bastion.
The midfield congestion, which still lacks something
Florian Wirtz, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai: Theoretically, this smells like a luxury problem. But not all that glitters is gold in Liverpool's midfield.
Going forward, there is an oversupply of quality, but there is no adequate alternative to Gravenberch for more defensive tasks – Waturo Endo lacks the class for that. This is precisely at a supposed weak point in Iraola's system, which even showed signs of emerging under a different playing style last season.
This problem is cushioned by the full-backs of the back four and their asymmetry: Milos Kerkez operates offensively on the left, while Ronald Araújo remains withdrawn on the right.
While Mac Allister, who had been struggling a bit recently, recovered after the World Cup and is currently the first choice, the supposed marquee signing Florian Wirtz is causing chronic headaches.
"Ich finde, Liverpool hat ihm genug Chancen gegeben, und ich denke, er muss aus der Mannschaft herausgenommen werden."
Much trust is placed in the German in his attacking role, but the former Leverkusen player has yet to come close to justifying his €125 million transfer fee: He makes many wrong decisions and doesn't always seem physically up to the Premier League. He continues to receive trust but recently had to endure some criticism from Jamie Carragher ("It's not working, he needs to be taken out of the team">>>).
The problem up front
The attack has been costly: Alexander Isak alone cost 145 million, and this summer, Bradley Barcola was added for 125 million and Victor Muñoz on the wing.
However, concerns remain, especially in the centre, recently fueled primarily by injuries. Neither Isak nor Hugo Ekitiké has managed to set off fireworks yet.
When Isak, Ekitiké, and Cody Gakpo are all injured simultaneously, there's a real problem. It was precisely in the top match against Manchester City that youngster Lewis Koumas made his PL starting XI debut, where he was dismantled by Marc Guéhi.
The New Signings
The best summer decision was a loan: that of Araújo. In the right-back's first 285 Premier League minutes, Liverpool conceded not a single goal.
Barcola and Muñoz equally still need time to settle in and justify the value of their high transfer fees.
Otherwise, investments were primarily made for the future, but Jérémy Jacquet, even at just 21 years old, immediately hinted at his high potential and is currently even the first-choice alongside Van Dijk. Ifeanyi Ndukwe's situation is well-known in Austria.
Homegrown talent to play a stronger role
Another cultural shift from Arne Slot is the stronger reliance on homegrown youth. While promising talents recently sought opportunities elsewhere due to a lack of prospects, more doors are opening under Iraola.
Best example: Lewis Koumas. After a season in which he was an unused substitute 31 times in the Championship, a single week of pre-season was enough for Iraola to recognize the 21-year-old's potential. A transfer was called off.
Trey Nyoni (19), James McConnell (22), and winger Rio Ngumoha (18) also feel the new trust. Nyoni has already featured three times in the Premier League this season.
It's quite possible that against LASK – as was the case against Tottenham – everyone will get to play. With nine matches in 29 days, rotation is required.
Impressions from the season so far
Even if Liverpool fans won't like to hear it: patience will be required in Iraola's first months. The results so far also reveal this.
But even at Bournemouth, under entirely different external pressure, there was no full success in his first nine Premier League matches under his leadership. In that regard, the start at Anfield Road looks even better.
At least the numbers already point in one direction: Liverpool has the highest intensity in pressing attempts in the opponent's half across the league – long passing sequences by the opponent are stifled in the bud. And only Manchester United moves the ball forward more vertically and quickly after winning possession than Liverpool.
Especially defensively, the "Reds" are difficult to play against. Before the 0-3 against Manchester City – where all goals were conceded while short-handed – there were three consecutive matches without conceding a goal.
Overall, the combination of rebuilding, squad gaps, and individual players' dips in form does not suggest that titles can be expected in 2026/27 yet. Not yet.
