Andoni Iraola facing 'immense' Liverpool pressure as locker room advice given
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Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesAndoni IraolaAndoni Iraola has been appointed as Liverpool's new head coach after leading Bournemouth to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, with Emile Heskey urging the coach to win over the dressing room and deliver "rock and roll football"Andoni Iraola in the Liverpool locker room after his first day on the job(Image: Getty Images)Emile Heskey believes Andoni Iraola faces an "immense" increase in pressure and expectations as Liverpool's new head coach.The former Reds striker suggests the incoming manager will need to secure his squad's commitment this summer, after claiming the players had stopped believing in what Arne Slot was attempting to achieve at Anfield. The ex-Cherries boss was swiftly identified as the top choice after Slot's dismissal in May.But Heskey, who turned out 223 times for the Reds between 2000 and 2004, believes the heightened demands on Merseyside will represent a massive challenge for the incoming coach."I think at the end of the day, the manager will always be blamed," Heskey told Grosvenor Sport.
"Regardless of what's said and done, the manager takes the fall when it comes to results."It is his job to try and get the players playing the way that he wants to play, to be entertaining for the fans, and to win games. So inevitably [Slot] will be blamed for that.Iraola has taken over from Arne Slot(Image: Getty Images)"With Iraola, we've seen at Bournemouth that he knows how to win games, he knows how to set up structurally, and he knows how to change it structurally if he needs to."The only thing is he hasn't done it at a club like Liverpool, where the pressure is immense."There's no win, lose, or draw; you just have to win."Heskey continued: "It's going to be very tough for Iraola.
It's what Liverpool fans have been so used to over the years - rock and roll football."He's spoken about that, but I'm hoping he can be tactical and get the players on his side."One thing you have to do is get the dressing (locker) room on your side. If you haven't got the players backing you, it's very tough, as we saw with Slot."Iraola will oversee his first game as Reds manager when they face Sunderland in Nashville on July 25.Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Andoni IraolaArne SlotLiverpool FCAFC Bournemouth