Rafa Benitez Supports Iraola's Appointment at Liverpool
Rafael Benitez has thrown his weight behind Andoni Iraola’s appointment at Liverpool, insisting the new head coach’s Premier League grounding gives him a crucial edge as he walks into one of the most demanding jobs in football.
Iraola was confirmed last month as the man to replace Arne Slot, who departed barely a year after steering Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th league title. The Spaniard now becomes only the second manager from his country to take the reins at Anfield, following in the footsteps of Benitez’s trophy-laden spell between 2004 and 2010.
Benitez has watched Iraola’s rise closely. First from afar in La Liga, then up close in the Premier League.
“Iraola has done really well obviously in Bournemouth as you have seen,” Benitez said, highlighting the impact his compatriot made on the south coast. The admiration, though, goes back to Iraola’s time at Rayo Vallecano.
Benitez revealed that one of his own staff members had been dispatched to observe Iraola’s work in Spain. The report that came back left an impression.
“One of the members of my staff was watching him training and he told me after that he liked it because he (Iraola) was involved, he's trying to do things on the pitch all the time,” Benitez explained. A coach on the grass, driving sessions, shaping details. That stuck.
Rayo first, then Bournemouth. Each step brought a bigger stage, a sharper spotlight. Now comes the biggest challenge of all.
“Bournemouth has done really well and now he has a different challenge,” Benitez said, fully aware of the scale of the leap from a club fighting to establish itself to one that measures seasons in trophies.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the 66-year-old did not dress up the reality of what awaits Iraola.
“It's (Liverpool) a massive club,” he stated. The expectation, the scrutiny, the history – all of it comes fast at Anfield. Yet Benitez believes Iraola is better equipped than many who have made that jump from abroad.
“I think he has an advantage – he knows the league,” Benitez said. For him, that matters. A lot.
“When we arrived to the Premier League, it was totally different,” he recalled of his own move from Valencia two decades ago. The pace, the physicality, the rhythm of English football caught many continental coaches cold. Iraola, Benitez argued, has already lived that storm at Bournemouth.
That familiarity, he believes, could smooth the transition into a dressing room already built around the demands of the English game.
Benitez also expects the Anfield crowd to respond to what Iraola brings on the pitch.
“The fans will be very supportive, for sure. The way that he wants to play, I think they like that,” he said. High energy, front-foot football, a coach actively shaping his team from the touchline – those are traits that tend to land well on the Kop.
Backed by a style that should resonate and armed with experience of the Premier League’s unique intensity, Iraola now steps into a role that has defined careers. Benitez is in no doubt about the opportunity in front of him.
“I think he has great possibilities to do well,” he concluded.
The rest will be decided under the lights at Anfield.
