Andoni Iraola Says Liverpool Must Earn the Right to Belong at Anfield

• Andoni Iraola says he is only at the start of showing he belongs at Liverpool, but feels a connection with the Anfield crowd is growing.
• Liverpool have won four straight in all competitions, including a 2-0 victory over Brighton that was the first Premier League home win of Iraola’s reign.
• Iraola faces his close friend Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the league on Sunday.

Iraola Treats the Anfield Applause as a Beginning

Andoni Iraola let himself celebrate in front of the Kop for the first time on Sunday, and this week he explained why he is not getting carried away. The Liverpool head coach, who replaced Arne Slot in the summer and was tasked with rebuilding the bond between team and crowd, said belonging has to be earned. “You have to earn the right to belong and you only get it with good performances, with wins, and this will take time,” he said.

A Win That Brought Team and Crowd Together

Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Brighton was Liverpool’s fourth successive win in all competitions and the first Premier League home win on Iraola’s watch. They have won eight of their ten matches after opening the season with two draws. Iraola was more animated than usual afterwards, and he said the display brought players and supporters together.

He said he felt “the supporters helped us a lot and they were enjoying it the same as we were”. He liked what he saw from his players too. “We were blocking everything, we were tackling, we were fighting, we were winning duels, we were making the runs in behind and those things you want to see and everyone wants to see. I enjoyed it.”

He still refused to call it a turning point. “Still we need more wins, we need more performances so we need more time,” Iraola said, describing the Brighton win as a start.

Friends on the Opposite Touchline

The next test comes from someone Iraola knows well. Liverpool host Chelsea in the Carabao Cup last 16 on Wednesday, and Chelsea are coached by Alonso. Last week in the Champions League Iraola came up against another close friend, Iñigo Pérez, in the tie with Villarreal. On Sunday Arteta brings Arsenal to Anfield.

Iraola was open about how far the Alonso friendship goes. “We were close friends, we grew up together, we played in the same team, we played against each other, we played together in the national team with Spain and the Basque country,” he said. The bond has a limit on matchday. “But now he is the opposition and we want to beat him, in the same way he will do with us.” Then he added: “After the game we can talk, definitely.”

He also pointed out that the cup draw has been unkind to both clubs. “We’ve been unlucky in the draw, we are playing Chelsea. They have been unlucky also. But we want to earn the right to be in the draw again and that only happens if you win.”

Wirtz Fitness and a Squad Pushed to the Limit

Florian Wirtz impressed against Brighton before being forced off with an ankle problem. Iraola sounded hopeful about his return. “He was quite fine, Florian,” he said, adding that he is “quite optimistic that he will be available”. Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Muñoz, who have both missed the last two games through injury, remain doubtful. “I don’t want to say no, but I think it’s going to be more difficult than Florian, yes,” Iraola said.

Changes to the side are certain. “There will definitely be changes. But we want to win the game, we want to be competitive,” he said. The schedule leaves little room for anything else. “Against Chelsea, Arsenal, Crystal Palace definitely, we have some games where we have less time to rest than the opposition but you have to adapt.”

Four wins in a row give Liverpool momentum, and Iraola has said plainly that he sees it as a start.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

More articles by Jarrod →