EPL: ‘He plays lower league football’ – Sean Dyche on Liverpool new boss, Iraola

Former Nottingham Forest head coach, Sean Dyche, shared his thoughts on the footballing approach adopted by new Liverpool manager, Andoni Iraola, who took charge at Anfield this summer.

Iraola has taken over from Arne Slot following an impressive 2025-26 season with AFC Bournemouth, where he led the Cherries to their first-ever European football qualification by finishing sixth in the Premier League and securing a spot in the UEFA Europa League.

The Spaniard was appointed as the new manager at Anfield last month after three successful seasons with Bournemouth, where his style of play garnered significant attention.

“The irony of it is [he] basically plays lower-league football, but at a high level,” Dyche said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast (as per ESPN).

He continued that, “They turn you and turn you, and almost force you into submission. High quality and high energy version. And that’s a big compliment.

“I was impressed because we dominated them at Everton when he attempted to implement what one might expect as the Spanish style. It was evident that he is an exceptional manager, as he recognized, ‘this isn’t going to work.'”

Dyche added, “The next time we faced them, he was aggressively attacking us, forcing us to turn, with full-backs constantly having to sprint back towards their own goal, and centre-backs feeling like they never had a moment’s respite. They appeared to be a transformed team, and he has done an outstanding job.”

Iraola has signed a two-year contract with the Reds as he aims to restore the club to its former glory in major title competitions.

EPL: ‘He plays lower league football’ – Sean Dyche on Liverpool new boss, Iraola