Andoni Iraola makes stance on Liverpool legend clear | OneFootball

It is still early days in Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool tenure, but the Spaniard’s start to life in Merseyside has been hit and miss.

The Reds are yet to taste defeat under Iraola, which is a huge positive, but they already find themselves six points behind league leaders Manchester City.

Performances on the pitch have been inconsistent too and, although the coach seems to have fixed some of the defensive frailties of last season, issues still remain.

Things will likely improve as Iraola has more time with the team though, and consistency will come eventually, but keeping Liverpool’s key players healthy will be vital.

Iraola’s Van Dijk plan revealed

One of the most important figures at Anfield over the last decade has been Virgil van Dijk and nothing has changed this season.

The Dutchman is one of the divisions leading defenders and has played every minute of Liverpool’s Premier League campaign so far, a record he managed to maintain for the entirety of last season.

The Dutchman is 35-years-old however, and is coming off the back of a 4,951 minute campaign. It is unrealistic to expect the same again this season.

Iraola will be well aware of this though, and according to a new report from Football Insider is already taking steps to protect his defensive colossus.

The report states that the head coach has made the decision that Liverpool captain will not feature in domestic cup competitions this season in order to try and afford him some much-needed rest.

An injury to Van Dijk could be catastrophic for the Reds’ season, so it is encouraging to see Iraola taking steps to ensure the defender can be available for vital league and Champions League matches.

The legendary Dutchman is also into the final year of his deal and, whilst there are no reports of talks at the moment, no one would be shocked to see the captain offered a new deal if he can maintain the high level he has shown this season.