Jamie Carragher raises concerns over potential ‘drop off’ for Liverpool under Andoni Iraola
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Jamie Carragher has voiced some concerns over Andoni Iraola’s track record of injuries and a ‘drop off’ in form during the second half of a season.The 43-year-old is reportedly closing in on being appointed as the new head coach of Liverpool following his departure from Bournemouth and the sacking of Arne Slot at Anfield.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! If you look at most of his seasons, they tend to drop off in the second half of the season.
“I think last season was the first time they [an Iraola side] have had a great second half of the season – normally they’re up there at the start of the season. Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustCarragher’s points aren’t unfounded, but no need to unduly worryLet’s look closer at the numbers around the Cherries’ injury record under Iraola during the 2025/26 Premier League season.As per Transfermarkt, there were seven players at Bournemouth who missed at least eight matches consecutively due to injury, with six enduring multiple absences.
It doesn’t account for the final month of the campaign, but is a more than sizeable sample size to draw a fair conclusion.What about Carragher’s point in terms of Iraola’s teams enduring a decline in form over the second half of a season? Season (team) Points in first 19 games Points in last 19 games 2021/22 (Rayo Vallecano) 30 12 2022/23 (Rayo Vallecano) 29 20 2023/24 (Bournemouth) 25 23 2024/25 (Bournemouth) 30 26 2025/26 (Bournemouth) 23 34 Historically his sides have tended to pick up the majority of their points for a campaign before the 19-game mark, but that trend was shattered during an excellent 2025/26 in which Bournemouth didn’t lose a league match after 3 January.Also, Iraola has steadily accrued more points in the second half of a season over the past five years, which suggests that he’s learning valuable lessons year on year.We’re confident that, while Iraola would have greater commitments and higher expectations to contend with at Liverpool, he’ll manage the workload accordingly so that the Reds aren’t burnt out by the end of winter.