Antoine Semenyo has already told Liverpool why Andoni Iraola is the perfect Arne Slot replacement
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Liverpool could now replace Arne Slot with former AFC Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola in a surprise turn of events.Slot was sacked on Saturday, and it has already been reported that Iraola is the favourite to step into the Anfield dugout for the 2026/27 season.The Spaniard had much success at Bournemouth, and comments made by former Liverpool target Antoine Semenyo earlier this season show exactly why he is now the right manager to come in for Slot. Is Andoni Iraola the best option to replace Arne Slot?
If not, who would you appoint? Credit: AFC Bournemouth/Getty Images Andoni Iraola will improve Liverpool physically and defensivelySpeaking on the All Out Football podcast last month, the winger said: “When he came in, he had his way of playing and it was very new to us.
The way he structured the weeks, we didn’t really have any days off.“So it’s very hard for a team to go from having Sunday/Wednesday off to no days off.“But it was very different at the start, results weren’t going our way and the fans were saying he needs to be sacked. Then I think we beat like Burnley at home and just everything changed, everyone just slowly got used to the system and just went up from there.”The prospect of Liverpool having an overachieving coach like Iraola come in is an obvious positive.But what really stands out from Semenyo speaking about Iraola is the physical demands he will impose on the players.Liverpool were far too weak in 2025/26, often being found out and bullied in their own third by even ‘average’ Premier League teams.There was a clear set-piece problem at Anfield as well, while players often did not seem equipped to cope with the physical demands of the English top-flight.Slot was also known for giving his players quite a lot of days off, which seemed to have a negative impact on how they performed on the pitch.But if Semenyo’s verdict is anything to go by, that should all change if and when Iraola is appointed as Slot’s replacement.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox