13 Apr 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Davey Sulls has posted a new article entitled, Why Iraola Fits Liverpool Better Than Alonso
13 Apr 2026 09:30:11
Not that I'm against him but he lacks European experience. Could cope with a team that plays in European competition and plays around 60 plus games a season, and are expected to go far in European competition.
13 Apr 2026 09:41:40
Davey, I am 100% behind you mate. What worries me with Alonso is he allowed the Madrid players to bully him. Yes, we all know what Madrid and its players are about, and so did Alonso, but he allowed it to happen. What rang alarm bells for me was when Madrid v Barcelona in the Arab country, when Madrid lost, and Alonso tried to get his players to give Barce a guard of honour, and they just turned their back on him, making him look an idiot.
Managing Bournemouth is a very difficult job.
He has to keep them up every season, this while his top players are picked off and they are replaced and coached like they have been at the club for years. Also, the players would run through a brick wall for Iraola. You never see the team flustered or panic under pressure.
I believe Iraola is the person to take the club back to where we have been.
Great read, Davey Sulls, and interesting article that I hope someone from LFC reads this article and takes notice.
YNWA.
13 Apr 2026 09:55:55
Alonso didn't allow the Madrid players to bully him. He stuck to what he wanted them to do, instead of giving in, so they threw a tantrum and cried to Perez. That's why he got sacked.
If you want to see a manager getting bullied by the Madrid players, you can just look at Arbeloa. He's a great example of letting the players walk all over him.
13 Apr 2026 10:19:23
The squad we have and the players purchased suit Alonso's style of football more.
13 Apr 2026 10:29:26
I'm sure Alonso was involved in an unbeaten domestic season, breaking the one-team stranglehold on that league, whilst also getting to a European final. The disrespect for his achievements is astounding just because he was hung out to dry by one of the most corrupt teams on the planet.
13 Apr 2026 10:29:58
Jurgan wins 3/4 in a row if Pep's gone in summer. It's gotta be tempting for him.
13 Apr 2026 10:58:55
Exactly what Drac said. Alonso didn't cow tow to those pampered divas, they didn't like the fact he demanded more of them, and went crying to Perez. If anyone is weak there, it's Perez for not backing his manager. And that is why there is not one Real Madrid player I would ever want playing for us, because of that mentality.
13 Apr 2026 11:07:30
LFC8, not as tempting as you might think. He's getting paid millions to work from home in sunny Mallorca, where he gets to spend a lot more time with his family and has to deal with none of the stresses of the Premier League. His quality of life is 10x times better than what he had when he spent half the year standing in the rain and the cold, dealing with all the pressure and stress of the league and the media.
Not to mention he's already won everything. Doesn't strike me as the type of bloke who'd give it all up just to go back and do it again. He's explicitly stated he doesn't miss any of it. He seems a lot happier now too.
13 Apr 2026 11:13:56
The article is to show my preference for Iraola over Alonso. Not to knock Alonso down as a choice.
And in terms of squad suitability, I truly think we are only wingers and fitness away from having a squad that suits Iraola style.
And I'd far prefer to get wingers than go down the 3 5 2 route.
Not saying Alonso is married to that and he plays it far far better than we played it against PSG.
But I just love watching wingers. They are the most fun part of the game to watch now, and I'd hate to see us not play attacking ones.
Ngumoha could flourish under Iraola and learn to graft even harder. Add more graft to that kids talent and his future is scary. He has much work to do to reach those levels, though, so must keep the head down and work hard.
Iraola is the guy I'm hoping for anyway.
13 Apr 2026 11:18:26
Totally agree, he won't be coming back, but could you imagine what he could do with this group of players? Plus, with Guadiola leaving, he'd likely bring back a few titles as well.
I think we are in a good place in terms of choices, though. Alonso, Iraola, or even Hoeness would be fine with me. Alonso pips it with his experience in European competition, though.
13 Apr 2026 11:21:27
The jump from a mid-table club to a Top club is harder than you think. Just look at Thomas Frank, Nuno, Emery, etc.
{Ed001's Note - all of those do not play attacking football, which is why they struggled at a top club. They all play counter attacking football, which does not work when you dominate the ball.}
13 Apr 2026 11:59:40
I really like Iraola, but I think he needs to take one more career step before he arrives at one of the biggest clubs in the world with massive expectations.
Whereas the timing for Alonso to join us is ideal for all parties.
13 Apr 2026 12:23:13
In fairness, Lfc8, you would still have Arteta. Jurgen finished behind him in 2 of his last 3 seasons. The man's had his stint, a legendary one. Let him enjoy his retirement.
13 Apr 2026 12:29:44
Great article. I'm also a big fan of Andoni Iraola for all the reasons you outlined, and if we were in a pre-Jurgen Klopp transition phase, I'd take him in a heartbeat.
That said, if the objective is to genuinely compete for the title, I think we need a manager who can consistently maximise his squad while also imposing control through structured possession. Iraola clearly has the potential to become an elite coach, but his preference for a very vertical, transition-heavy style is, in my view, a limitation at the very top level.
Recent title winners have all been built on game control and territorial dominance: Guardiola, Klopp when he won the league after a few seasons of building, and Slot last year.
Arsenal, despite repeatedly collapsing towards the end of the season in recent years, are also a clear example of a side built around controlling possession.
I understand it may sound contradictory given that this season has shown how second balls, direct play, and set pieces can cause serious problems for possession-heavy teams. But over the course of a full campaign, that kind of football is rarely sustainable enough to consistently deliver major trophies.
13 Apr 2026 12:00:40
How did the Madrid players bully surly he bullied them and they went upstairs to cry to the president to get him gone as ed1 said ancelotti let them get away with it
13 Apr 2026 13:53:57
+1 on the Iraola train.
Wouldn't say Alonso is proven at the top level either.
Iraola has done it in the Premier League.
His teams play fearless, aggressive, pressing, attacking football.
He deals with loss of first team players like it's no problem. His squad must be well trained and well drilled.
He is used to imparting his style onto new players year after year.
He gives me Rafa vibes, ultra-competitive but a generally genial, friendly guy.
I have no problem with Alonso, I feel he's a genuine intelligent student of the game, but I never really feel Alonso loves Liverpool as much as Liverpool loves him. Iraola has a clean slate.
13 Apr 2026 15:23:57
So why did Alonso not just drop the players who went running to the owner and make a statement to the players and the suits that he was the boss. Do you think Klopp would have put up with it? Not a chance.
SVkick, so did you not watch Arsenal v Bournemouth? Arsenal could not control the ball. Why? Because Iraola set his team up to press Arsenal at every chance and beat the potential champions.
Back to Madrid, read about the dietician who was employed by Madrid, and the way they bullied and treated her to such an extent that she has sued Madrid. They are allowed to get away with bullying and treating people horribly, knowing nothing will happen to them.
13 Apr 2026 16:29:04
Albeydered, what are you talking about? You act like Alonso or any other RM manager has all the power and can do anything about the players forming a mutiny and crying to their daddy Perez to get rid of managers they don't like cos they make them run too much.
Seriously, when have you seen what you are beating Alonso up about happen at RM, specifically? I'll wait. You are aware that this is exactly what the players did to Rafa when he was there, right? Very same scenario, which led to Zizou getting the job and just allowing them to be "themselves".
Also, you are aware that Chelsea players were notorious for doing the exact same thing to their managers, right? Should the manager(s) have dropped them too?
Listen, you may not like Alonso as Slot's replacement but don't start putting him at a bar that no other RM manager has ever reached. Nah, don't do that cos that's disingenuous, in my view. Just saying.
13 Apr 2026 17:12:38
Albeydered, is that a serious question? Why not just drop Vini or Mbappe who have more sway with Perez than the manager? Do you understand how things work in Madrid?
13 Apr 2026 17:52:03
Nice article, Davey, and all good points. I don't disagree about those being strengths, but I think a strength for Alonso is that he seems a little more dynamic and will deploy multiple formations, which could give us an edge against the array of teams we'll see in PL, CL (hopefully), and domestic cups.
I think that might be a strength because it addresses one factor that you left out (and is still a question mark for Alonso), which is, can they consistently get the best out of a top team over the course of a long season? I think this is an important question, because even Klopp started trying to temper his heavy metal style to improve consistency.
Bournmouth under Iraola have been very patchy in form: when they're firing they can take it to anyone, but they go through spells of poor results. That could be down to large turn over, but I think those spells might not coincide with key player leaving, which is one concern I have about him and his aggressive attacking style and whether he can get consistent results over the course of the season. Alonso still has to prove this at the top level as well, but his unbeaten season and tactical flexibility might give him the edge on this point for me.
Wouldn't be upset with either manager though!