Liverpool's new head coach, Andoni Iraola, sat down for an exclusive interview with The Anfield Wrap podcast. They discussed the team's playing philosophy, collective pressing, squad rotation, and connecting with fans. This article is the first part of that interview.

Atkinson: Neil Atkinson here, and with me is Andoni Iraola. He is now the new head coach of Liverpool. We've been watching his Bournemouth team in the Premier League for the past few seasons. It's a great privilege, thank you for taking the time for this interview.

Thank you, it's a privilege for me too.

I've been thinking about one thing this week. Of course, I'm not sure if you know Kevin Keegan, but Shankly once described Keegan as having an incredible, innate passion for football. I get the same feeling when I watch your Bournemouth team play at their best—that team has a very pure, natural passion for football. Is this what you hope to instill in your team through training? Do you want every training session to reflect this passion for football?

I think that's the essence of the sport. Our fondest memories of football often come from childhood. Back then, we just loved football, playing with friends for three or four hours straight without thinking too much about anything else.

But when you become a professional player, there's pressure in games, and sometimes it's hard to genuinely enjoy the game, to enjoy football. I've always said that in a player's career, there aren't many moments where you truly enjoy the game from the bottom of your heart. In those moments, you don't think about what will happen next; you just play because you love football. When a team or a player reaches this state, it's usually also enjoyable for the spectators.

Were there specific moments in your playing career where you felt you were truly enjoying every minute on the field?

Yes, there were. However, I've always said that I didn't enjoy my playing career as much as I could have. Especially when I was playing for Athletic Bilbao, I felt a strong sense of responsibility. I always wanted to do everything correctly and be impeccable at all times. You feel like everyone is watching you, so whatever you do, you have to do it perfectly.

But I think people need to go through certain experiences to realize that they are not that important. You should be yourself and try to enjoy it all. Even if you are a professional player, even under pressure, I still believe that when you truly enjoy what you are doing, you often perform better.

When you're working as a coach, whether it was with your previous teams or now leading this team in preseason, do you try to make sure players enjoy all aspects of the game? Strikers, of course, love to score goals, everyone loves to score goals, I love to score goals too, though I don't have the opportunity anymore, or rather, I'm not good at scoring. But beyond scoring, do you also want players to be just as passionate about winning the ball back, competing aggressively, and pressing high? Do you want all players to show this enthusiasm in every aspect of the game?

Yes. I believe that first, we need to establish an overall philosophy based on organization, structure, and some clear requirements. On this foundation, players can then express themselves. Football is a team sport, and we need to build a system that provides fundamental guarantees for the team.

That is to say, even if we don't perform well one day, and the players aren't at their best, we still need a system and overall structure to ensure the team's floor is high enough. I always say that we must first raise the team's floor. On this basis, when we play very well and all players are in good form, the team's performance will appear outstanding.

But from a coach's perspective, what we need to do is establish the team's structure and organization. After that, you have to trust the players. In my current situation, this is relatively easy because I have a very good group of players.

Speaking of having a very good group of players, I recently recalled a quote. Federer once said that he only won about 55% of the points in his career. But he is still one of the greatest tennis players in history, or at least one of them, even though he only won 55% of the points. Do you think it's necessary to allow players to make mistakes? Do we need to accept that they will inevitably make mistakes and continue to support them when they do?

Yes. The margins in football nowadays are very fine. As Federer said, you're bound to lose some points. In football, you're also bound to lose possession or make mistakes. If it's a defender or a goalkeeper who makes a mistake, it could be a very serious one, potentially leading directly to a goal conceded.

We must accept this and continue to support the players, while also providing them with an overall philosophy and organizational system that allows us to take this risk of making mistakes. I always say that we can try to take the risk of losing the ball. But if we are already prepared to win it back quickly, then the cost of these turnovers will not be too great.

If the cost isn't that great, and we can quickly win the ball back, then we can allow ourselves to make more mistakes and take risks with the final pass. If the pass is successful, great; if not, it's okay, because we'll provide support behind it to minimize the impact of the error. You can't play with fear, thinking, "I don't want to take risks, and I don't want to lose the ball."

Sometimes, we conduct these training sessions specifically to get players into the space between the opponent's two defensive lines. In that position, you have to be brave enough to take risks. Whether it's turning or playing a one-two, you have to take risks. At the same time, we must also accept that some attempts won't succeed and be prepared to correct errors.

You just mentioned that you have a very good group of players. There are still a few players who haven't even trained with you yet. Are you looking forward to working with them? For example, the options at the No. 9 and No. 10 positions, because these two positions are very important for the way you want to play, and very important for Liverpool. The club invested a lot of money in these players last summer. Are you looking forward to starting to work with them and seeing what you can do in those areas?

Yes, I am very much looking forward to it. I think you're referring to Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. They've already been here for a season. Currently, I've only spoken to them over the phone because they haven't returned yet, but they will be back in the next few days.

My first impression after speaking with them is that they both want to have an excellent season and a good start. They asked a lot of the right questions. They care about winning and many other things, which is why they are such good players.

I am very much looking forward to working with them. I have seen them play many times from outside the field in the past, and I already know quite a bit about them. Especially Alexander, I have played against him many times when I was in Spain. I am confident that they are both very good players, and I hope we can provide them with a new platform to maximize their potential.

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