Former Team-Mate Reveals Why Liverpool Have Landed the Perfect Coach in Andoni Iraola

Andoni Iraola made his mark at Bournemouth to earn the top job at Liverpool – but his coaching career started in much different circumstances. 

Back in 2018, the former Athletic Bilbao fullback made the move over to Cyprus after landing his first job in the dugout with AEK Larnaca. 

Early during his stint in the Mediterranean, the 43-year-old lifted the Cypriot Super Cup, as well as overseeing the start of a Europa League campaign. 

Larnaca’s trips to the continent that season included a 4-2 defeat away to Bayer Leverkusen, where Iraola’s side were able to match the German opposition for 45 minutes in their own backyard. 

Nacho Cases was among a cohort of Spanish players in Cyprus at that time, and was able to see the potential of the now-Liverpool boss first-hand. 

“We were an old team, most of the players were 31, 32, 35, 36, and he was young – I think the captain was the same age,” he said. 

“The first day we were like: ‘How can this coach help us?”

“From the first moment, he was amazing. You could see that he would be a very good coach. We probably didn’t think he’d be the head coach of Liverpool, but we knew he’d have a good career. 

“We won the Super Cup in one of his first matches, and we played in the Europa League. We played in the BayArena against Bayer Leverkusen, and we played very good football in the first 30 minutes – they started whistling. 

“They had very good players, they had (Julian) Brandt, (Kai) Havertz, and (Jonathan) Tah. We had clear things to do, and we tried to do it. 

“One of the best things about Iraola is – his training sessions are tough. Some coaches try to go slow and easy in training, but with him, every training session is competitive and you want to win. 

“Nobody could relax, not even on Monday – no chance. If you don’t go tough on Monday, then you don’t play Saturday; it was very clear. Training is very important to him. 

“If there’s a wall and Iraola goes to this wall, then the whole team will go to it and try to destroy it.”

Iraola’s time with Larnaca ultimately didn’t last too long, with his time in Cyprus coming to an end in January 2019 following a long winless run. 

“Six or seven results hadn’t been good, but there was an explanation,” Cases noted. 

“We had an old team, and there were a lot of tough games in both Europe and Cyprus. We were tired, and the squad was a little bit short. 

“There’s a lot of pressure there because they want to win every single game. We started to lose some games, and they fired him.”

Cases has enjoyed keeping an eye on the development of Iraola’s coaching career since they parted ways, with stints coming with CD Mirandés and Rayo Vallecano before being handed his opportunity in the Premier League. 

“My son was a friend of his daughter, and we used to watch Bournemouth games,” the former Sporting Gijón midfielder added. 

“His teams are so competitive and tough, they will fight for every single ball – this is the character of Iraola. 

“If you lose the ball, then you’re the first person to press again. If your mate is in trouble, then you have to go in the first second to try to help him. 

“His character is so competitive, you cannot relax. For Liverpool, and the fans, he is the coach they need. 

“If the first week brings good results, they will love him for sure.”