Iraola's first job, where he was sacked, and the road to Liverpool
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola's career began with his first job, which ended with his dismissal from AEK Larnaca seven years ago. His former player David Catala says that even then Iraola had clear ideas, and that the foundations of his current style of play were laid there.
Andoni Iraola, now in charge at Liverpool, began his career as a head coach in Cyprus with AEK Larnaca. Seven years ago, after a run of consecutive winless matches in the Cypriot First Division, he left the club.
At the time, the club had gone six league matches without a win. In January, Larnaca drew 2-2 at home with Ermis Aradippou, and the slump continued. The points dropped against Ermis Aradippou, who would finish at the bottom of the table, led to Iraola losing his job.
Iraola had guided Larnaca through the qualifying rounds of the Europa League, beating Dundalk, Sturm Graz and Trencin to reach the group stage. The speed with which the players adopted his ideas also stood out. Catala says Iraola was already advocating principles such as high pressing and aggressive play back then, and that these are the approach he uses at Liverpool today.
Iraola's football philosophy was shaped under Marcelo Bielsa in Bilbao. Catala notes that the Cypriot league was quite slow at the time, and that Iraola made the game more explosive and intense. Catala believes this approach foreshadowed the direction the game has taken today.
After being sacked, Iraola rebuilt his career in Spain with Mirandes. He drew attention with successful spells at Rayo Vallecano and Bournemouth before reaching Anfield. It seems natural that his former teammates are surprised as they watch this rise.
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