Jurgen Klopp is right about Andoni Iraola - but Liverpool 'risk' can pay off

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Liverpool would have been taking a risk in keeping Arne Slot, but changing comes with uncertainty too — not least if Andoni Iraola takes over as the new head coachAndoni Iraola did an excellent job at Bournemouth.(Image: Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)"I have every reason to believe that I am the Liverpool manager next season," Arne Slot said on May 14. If it is to be Andoni Iraola, viewed by many as the obvious and leading contender for the role, then the Spaniard represents a risky option in his own right.It would have been a gamble to stick with Slot — had next season started slowly, a repeat of the Brendan Rodgers firing a few weeks into the campaign may have followed — but there does not appear to be a sure thing like Jurgen Klopp available this time around.Already, as it stands, Liverpool is two or three players short of the squad size that it needs.

At Liverpool, he is going to have to hit the ground running."Wow, that’s real coaching," Klopp said when Iraola turned things around. He spent the vast majority of his playing career at Athletic Bilbao, but has not managed a side in UEFA competitions before.Additionally, Slot's Liverpool tended to struggle with deep-lying defenses, while Iraola's Bournemouth were often a counter-attacking underdog.

Whoever comes in is a risk, but Liverpool did have a manager who won the league."Keeping Slot would have been risky too. Turning the tide of negativity in the stands would have been a tough ask, and a slow start to next season could have turned toxic very quickly.Going with Iraola, though, comes with its own challenges too.