Andoni Iraola confirms Liverpool No.2 position and outlines importance of coaching staff

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Echo or go back to LFC Live.

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has been discussing the three coaches who followed him to Merseyside from BournemouthAndoni Iraola has outlined the importance of the three coaches he brought with him from Bournemouth as the new-look Liverpool backroom staff takes shape.Iraola signed a two-year deal to succeed Arne Slot in early June after leaving Bournemouth, who he guided to European qualification for the first time in their history before leaving at the end of last season.As part of the shake-up that saw Slot depart alongside assistants Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who have both since returned to Feyenoord, the new Reds head coach was insistent Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Pablo de la Torre all moved to Merseyside as well.Iraola brought De la Torre with him from Rayo Vallecano when he took over Bournemouth in 2023 and it was at the Vitality Stadium where he struck up good relationships with former players Elphick and Cooper, who have now taken on roles as first-team coaches at Anfield.De la Torre was previously credited as being Iraola's fitness coach but the Liverpool boss has confirmed the Spaniard will work directly as his No.2 as he talked up the value of having his trusted lieutenants with him."For me, it was important they came with me," the former Spain international said on the club's pre-season tour of Chicago. He is an assistant and we know each other very well."I was very lucky with Tommy and Shaun when I arrived at Bournemouth.

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."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. We are not as important as they are, that is pretty clear."As well as the arrivals of Elphick, Cooper and De la Torre, Luis Fernando Iubel will continue as the individual development lead coach.The club also confirmed the appointment of Alejandro Rosalen on Monday as the new first-team goalkeeping coach, following the departure of Xavi Valero.Iraola, though, insists it is the group of players whose importance outweighs the coaches employed to improve performance as he chatted at the team's plush hotel in Downtown Chicago.He said: “I always consider the players the main part of this.