Andoni Iraola strikes instant rapport with Liverpool fans with one reply in opening press conference | OneFootball

One comment made by Andoni Iraola at his introductory press conference on Monday will have helped him to strike an instant rapport with Liverpool fans.

The 44-year-old has replaced Arne Slot as the Reds’ head coach and is tasked with the mission of reviving the club’s on-field fortunes after a dismal 2025/26 campaign at Anfield, in contrast to the brilliant season he enjoyed at Bournemouth.

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He was in the away dugout in L4 last August when Liverpool beat his Cherries side 4-2 in a pulsating season opener, with the stadium rocking after Federico Chiesa’s late goal nudged the home side in front.

Iraola keen to ‘connect’ with the Liverpool fan base

Iraola’s initial message to LFC fans in his first words at the press conference alluded to that match as he spoke of the importance of forging a connection with the supporters.

He said (via Liverpool Echo): “I would like to give them a team to feel proud of. Football, especially Liverpool, is about connecting with the people.

“I’ve experienced the other side, the goal that Chiesa scored last season. You could feel the stadium and I would love to have this. It has to come from us. We have to be a team that we know works hard and is aggressive, so everyone can be identified. Everyone can feel comfortable supporting this team.”

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Iraola knows how powerful the Liverpool fan base can be

As an introductory message to the Liverpool fan base, Iraola’s words could hardly have been better chosen.

He has firsthand experience of how much power the team can harness from a raucous Anfield, referencing the win over his Bournemouth side 11 months ago, and he seems to be fully attuned to the attributes that supporters expect from an LFC outfit.

Wins and trophies can never be guaranteed, but the least that fans want to see from their team is the honesty and aggression that the head coach mentioned, and those qualities were marked absent from the Reds for much of last season.

Once Liverpool’s players are giving everything on the pitch, those in the stands will back them to the hilt, even when the result doesn’t go their way.

If Iraola’s Reds can connect with the fan base in the same way that Jurgen Klopp’s team managed, and that Slot’s side did in 2024/25, the new head coach will undoubtedly have the supporters’ firm backing, albeit with a full awareness that they also want to see a winning team.