Andoni Iraola confirms Liverpool assistant and roles of coaches after Arne Slot scrutiny

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Andoni Iraola has confirmed the roles of the three coaches he brought with him from Bournemouth as the new-look Liverpool backroom staff takes shape, including his No.2 and set-piece specialistsAndoni Iraola leads Liverpool training(Image: Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Andoni Iraola has spoken of the significance of the three coaches he brought with him from Bournemouth as Liverpool's revamped backroom team continues to take shape.Iraola penned a two-year contract to replace Arne Slot in early June following his departure from Bournemouth, where he led the club to European qualification for the first time in their history before moving on at the close of last season.As part of the overhaul that saw Slot leave along with assistants Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, both of whom have since returned to Feyenoord, the new Reds head coach was adamant that Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Pablo de la Torre would all make the move to Merseyside alongside him.Iraola brought De la Torre with him from Rayo Vallecano when he took charge at Bournemouth in 2023, and it was at the Vitality Stadium where he forged strong bonds with former players Elphick and Cooper, who have now taken up roles as first-team coaches at Anfield.De la Torre had previously been recognised as Iraola's fitness coach, but the Liverpool manager has confirmed the Spaniard will serve directly as his No. I was very lucky with Tommy and Shaun when I arrived at Bournemouth.

Because I was unlucky to have the issue with my (former) assistant coach Inigo Perez."After it, it worked out very well for him because now he is coaching Villarreal, maybe we play him in the Champions League. But when I had Tommy and Shaun there, we did not feel the need to send in another assistant."They were very prepared, they were very helpful for me in terms of understanding the English culture, the mentality of the players, what they were used to, what they like in training, even the small details that maybe in Spain are different."Also the experience Tommy has at Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Huddersfield, they can be in a closer position to the players, if you want, They can feel more identified.

Some of the players maybe didn't know I was a player."Andoni Iraola with his coaching staff at Bournemouth(Image: Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)Iraola added: "So they are very good to me, they are very good coaches, we kind of understand the game similarly and they have different roles in the coaching staff, they help with set-pieces also. He is already with the club, so they are working on some stuff."I always say we are assistants to the players.