Everything Is Grey

Andoni Iraola, then.

A few years ago, before mainstream media realised he was cool, Andoni Iraola hosted an online lecture alongside Pacheta, current manager of Granada in the second division of Spanish football.

The soon-to-be Liverpool boss shared tons of insights during the 90-minute webinar, but one particular line grabbed my attention. I’d argue it kinda defines his footballing identity right now.

“We, as coaches, cannot give you the solution to everything because — in the end — football is not black and white,” he said. “Everything is grey. Everything is grey. We have to establish some guidelines, but we cannot control everything.”

Welcome to Anfield, Andoni.

---

So that’s basically the crux of Iraola’s perspective on football. You’ve got billions of coaches out there trying to control and choreograph every single aspect of the sport down to the finest detail. And then you’ve got Iraola watching them with a sinister smile on his face.

That’s not to say the Spaniard is negligent or careless, no. Instead, his words offer an insight into his willingness to embrace risk, as well as his healthy relationship with chaos.

I mean, let’s not forget Iraola spent two years working under Marcelo Bielsa. Such an extreme upbringing can’t not have some form of impact. Madness is contagious.

I’m doing his work a disservice here, but Iraola plays into the idea that football — as a sport — is about as fluid and expressive as it gets. You can’t catch water.

He isn’t a control freak, and that naturally appeals to us as a fanbase because of how we collectively surrendered to our very own chaos overlord for a period of nine years between 2015 and 2024. Bielsa, Jürgen Klopp and Iraola really aren’t that different.

Each of the trio climbed the ranks largely because of their hardcore approaches against the ball. I really hate to keep banging on about your ex, but there are plenty of parallels between early Klopp and current Iraola.

---

When the former first emerged on the scene, he was able to install his intense defensive game because he took charge of Mainz. Then, he managed Borussia Dortmund at a time when every team in Europe was trying to replicate Pep Guardiola’s utopian brand of possession-based football.

Klopp flourished within that climate. His pressing game was so effective that he believed the need for a playmaker was overrated. “I don’t want to have 70 per cent possession,” he said. The German was made for the role of the underdog while every heavyweight obsessed over the concept of building from the back.

It wasn’t until a few years after Klopp arrived in England that he realised there was a ceiling to his game. Sure, his pressing was great, but it couldn’t be solely relied upon as a means of accumulating 90 points.

His vertical football was a joy to watch, too. But again, this was the Premier League. Klopp was eventually denied opportunities to press, and denied space to run into. Solve that one, Jürgen.

José Mourinho said as much after watching Liverpool draw against Manchester United around seven years ago. “They have some limitations against teams with low blocks,” he said. “He didn’t like the menu. He likes meat and he got fish.”

---

Iraola, it seems, is kinda navigating his own version of Klopp’s journey. His defensive superpowers have taken him this far, but the landscape is about to flip quite dramatically.

From open spaces to low blocks. From underdog to favourite. From 11,000 supporters to 60,000. From 40 matches to 60. We’re about to see whether Iraola has the capacity to make the leap.

Up until now, his ideas in possession have been dictated by Bournemouth’s status as a minnow alongside the qualities of his youthful attackers packed full of vitality.

Iraola encourages basketball because it benefits his players. His attackers need that sort of environment to thrive. Lots of transitions, speed, big spaces to maximise.

“You need to have a lot of things under control, but sometimes it’s impossible,” he said in an interview last year. “We are better, more efficient, when there are more spaces available. When everything happens more quickly, especially for our forwards.”

Every time Iraola speaks, he seems to provide yet another piece of evidence to suggest he’s more inclined than most of his peers to lean into variance. A guy who isn’t afraid of chaos. A coach who lives in the shades of grey between black and white.

---

While question marks remain attached to his ideas in possession, his willingness to embrace risk — especially in comparison to his predecessor — is showcased in his approach to pressing.

How often on this Substack over the course of Arne Slot’s two-year stint did we highlight his desire to retain a +1 advantage at the back when pressing? A lot. That principle was one of the main reasons why Liverpool got cut open too often under his tutelage.

Well, Iraola does things differently. Similar, but ever so slightly more aggressive, more proactive. He’s bolder from the first whistle. Seizing the initiative is allowed.

---

Liverpool are betting on the process behind Iraola. He hasn’t got results or trophies behind him. But his playing style is good, with Richard Hughes gambling on the prospect of his methods translating at the highest level.

Looking at his defensive game, I haven’t got many worries at all. I’m generally of the belief that heavyweight sides should always attempt to be bullies. Turn up the risk. Squeeze the pitch. Be extreme… as long as you can keep your players fit.

On the ball, it remains to be seen whether he’ll scale up. Most of Klopp’s success on Merseyside coincided with the German toning down his chaotic ways and adding a degree of poise to his football.

Will Iraola follow suit? Buckle up.