Jamie Carragher has voiced his concerns about Andoni Iraola. (Image: overlap)
Jamie Carragher has expressed reservations about Liverpool appointing Andoni Iraola as the club’s next manager. The Reds opted to part ways with manager Arne Slott at the weekend after a disastrous second season in charge at Anfield. Slott guided Liverpool to fifth place in the Premier League and did well enough to qualify for the Champions League, but the Reds only won 60 points, a significant 24 point drop from the previous season when they won the title.
Iraola has quickly emerged as the front-runner to take charge at Anfield, with the Reds expected to enter formal negotiations with the 43-year-old’s representatives this week. Carragher is currently considering the possibility of Iraola taking the reins at Liverpool, and has set out exactly why he has doubts about such a move.
Carragher told the Overlap fan debate: “We watch Iraola every week. No one can say they don’t like watching Bournemouth play.” “If Bournemouth were on TV, I would definitely watch it. I would think we would have a good game.”
“Last season we were talking about the Chelsea manager and we talked about it on Monday Night Football.
“We were looking at Chelsea’s options and Iraola was there and I actually made that point – so there’s no going back now – that I thought it was a mistake for Iraola to leave Bournemouth.
“Because what he needs to prove next is that he can manage a season in Europe.
“What he demands from his players physically and when you’re in Europe you have to rotate, so all of that goes into it.
“I thought that would be the next step for him. He would prove during the European season that he could still deliver and then move on to the next club.”
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Andoni Iraola is set to take over as Arne Slott’s successor. (Image: PA)
Carragher went on to outline the contrasts Iraola could face as Liverpool manager, comparing him to his experience at Bournemouth.
The Liverpool legend said: “Will they get injured? If you look at most of his season, the second half of the season, they (Bournemouth) have been down.
“I think last season was the first time they did so well in the second half of the season, usually they get that far at the beginning of the season.
“So you have to consider these things, but then do you actually need to reduce the intensity a little bit?
“I mean, we haven’t really got Iraola at full strength because we’ve had too many injuries and too many games.
“And he’s actually going to be more of a football manager. He’s more on the ball at Liverpool than at Bournemouth.”
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