Coach Arne Slot probably expected his second season at Liverpool to end in the atmosphere of a Champions League final. But instead of aiming for a memorable milestone, he faced speculation about the future. As Arsenal prepares to meet Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest, information that Slot may be sacked suddenly spread from Merseyside, even surprising the Dutch coach.
In the opposite direction, Andoni Iraola just had a prominent season with Bournemouth and is now preparing to enter a new chapter at Anfield. Bournemouth finished sixth, the highest position in club history. Meanwhile, Liverpool finished the season in fifth place with the lowest number of points in 14 years and the most losses in a campaign.
Iraola also helped Bournemouth go through 18 unbeaten matches in the Premier League. Of course, it would be unfair to consider his task simply to become the opposite version of Slot. The Dutch coach still won the Premier League in his first season leading Liverpool. However, the difference in style between the two strategists is noteworthy.
The Premier League has changed significantly in the past two seasons. Slot once came to Liverpool at the right time, but his approach no longer seems to be suitable for the new trend. Iraola's fast, high-intensity and flexible playing style is being seen as part of that trend, and also has similarities with the "heavy metal" style that made Jurgen Klopp famous.
However, Iraola will not be able to solve all of Liverpool's problems with tactics alone. They have dropped from the top to fifth place in a season where they spent up to 450 million pounds on transfers. After the latest deals, the total amount Liverpool invested in the past 15 months has approached 550 million pounds, but the squad is still not really balanced. Some positions lack depth, while others have not created confidence.
Alexander Isak is a typical example. The Swedish striker only scored 4 goals in his first season at Liverpool, a number too low compared to a fee of 125 million pounds. However, Iraola may not have to solve the problem of using Isak and Hugo Ekitike at the same time in the early stages of the season, because Ekitike is expected to be absent.
Iraola's initial plan was to pair Isak with Florian Wirtz, who was placed in the number 10 position after the transfer of him to many roles last season did not bring the expected effect. However, Iraola's playing style emphasizes the role of wingers, while Liverpool has not yet found a worthy replacement for Mohamed Salah.
Salah's decline is partly the reason for Liverpool's decline, but finding a replacement for the player who has scored 257 goals for the club has never been a simple task. Yan Diomande has moved to Real Madrid, while Liverpool believes that the price Paris Saint-Germain demands for Bradley Barcola is too high. Therefore, their attack is currently at risk of imbalance as Cody Gakpo, Rio Ngumoha and Victor Munoz are all leaning towards the left wing.
In defense, the "Reds" have not yet completely solved the problem. Jeremie Jacquet and Ronald Araujo are notable additions, but Conor Bradley will be out until November. Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong may be more suitable for Iraola's system, especially since Kerkez has played prominently under the Spanish coach at Bournemouth.
However, Liverpool conceded 53 goals in the Premier League and 78 goals in all competitions last season. They also parted ways with Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate, thereby continuing to put more burden on Virgil van Dijk's shoulders. With Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, Liverpool may be building a foundation for the future, but immediate issues still need to be resolved.
Dominik Szoboszlai is likely to play an important role in Iraola's plan. The Hungarian midfielder scored 13 goals, assisted 12 times and can play in many positions, from right-back to attacking midfielder. He is also a bright candidate for the vice-captain position.
But around Szoboszlai, almost every player must prove their worth. The same applies to Iraola, who just left one of the smallest clubs in the Premier League to join one of the biggest clubs in England.
