Andoni Iraola says Liverpool must think collective as he settles in at Anfield

Andoni Iraola’s first days as Liverpool’s new head coach are being spent far from Anfield, but the themes he wants to imprint on the club are already clear. Speaking in Chicago during Liverpool’s pre-season tour, he set out a view of football built around the collective rather than the individual, linking that philosophy to the success of Basque and Spanish coaches across the game. That idea matters because it gives an early clue to how Iraola plans to shape Liverpool’s identity. The club are entering a new phase, and the task is not simply about tactical tweaks or fitness work on tour. It is about restoring a sense of connection and confidence to a squad and a fanbase that will quickly judge whether the new regime feels coherent. According to The Guardian Football’s interview with Iraola, he sees a broader pattern behind the rise of coaches from Spain and the Basque Country. He points to the way those managers have collected major honours across Europe and beyond, arguing that their success is rooted in the strength of the team idea rather than any one personality taking over the narrative. That is where the line about not becoming the protagonist fits in. For Iraola, the manager should set direction without making the project revolve around himself. It is a neat framing, and one that sits well with Liverpool’s culture when it is at its best: strong identity, shared responsibility and a clear sense that the whole is bigger than any individual. The timing is striking. Iraola has arrived as Liverpool begin to reshape themselves ahead of a demanding season, and his first public remarks suggest he wants to speak less about reputation and more about process. In practical terms, that means pre-season is likely to be used not just for conditioning but for embedding habits, relationships and a style that players can trust when the pressure rises. There is also a wider football context to this. Spanish and Basque coaches have had a major influence on club and international football in recent years, and The Guardian notes that several of them are again among the managers of leading Premier League sides. That trend has helped normalise a coaching culture built on detail, structure and a strong collective framework. For Liverpool, the significance is obvious. The club do not need another round of slogans or personality-driven theatre. They need clarity about how they want to play, how they want to compete and how they want the squad to function under a new head coach. If Iraola can translate his beliefs into performances quickly enough, the early signs from this tour could matter well beyond August. What remains to be seen is how far that philosophy will reshape the side in the short term. Pre-season comments can hint at direction, but they do not tell us how quickly players will adapt, which roles will change or how the team will look in competitive matches. Those answers will come only once the season begins. For now, though, Iraola has offered a useful first outline of his Liverpool project. It is a message about togetherness, discipline and shared purpose — and a reminder that, at a club of Liverpool’s scale, the biggest changes often begin with the simplest ideas.

Source: The Guardian Football - https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/23/andoni-iraola-liverpool-interview-spain