Andoni Iraola Raises Liverpool Training Intensity as Liverpool Squad Adapts
Liverpool have had a proper jolt this season. Under Arne Slot, training had become lighter, softer and, by the end, a point of frustration. Under Andoni Iraola, that has changed quickly. Sessions are harder, sharper and built around effort. There is no mystery about what he wants.
That shift was always going to be obvious. Slot preferred a gentler load, Iraola wants full commitment on the pitches at the AXA Training Centre. Given how Liverpool faded and how flat they looked at times, this was overdue.
Milos Kerkez already knows Iraola methods
For Milos Kerkez, the adjustment is smaller than for most. He spent two years working under Iraola at Bournemouth, so the left-back knows exactly what is coming. More importantly, he sounds fully aligned with it.
Ahead of Liverpool’s trip to face his former club, Kerkez made it clear that the dressing room is responding positively. “I know him pretty well and I think he’s good,” Kerkez said. “I think the players like him, I think they like the style, they like the training sessions. I think he is good for us, we work really intensely and that’s what we have to do to compete for things.”
Liverpool training intensity had to change
That last line matters. Liverpool are not in a position to drift. If they want to challenge, training intensity has to match ambition. Too often last season, the gap between the two was obvious. The work looked insufficient and the performances reflected it.
Kerkez’s comments suggest Iraola has quickly established the baseline. Run harder, work harder, compete harder. Simple enough. Players usually respect clarity, especially when standards had slipped.
Andoni Iraola rebuilding standards at AXA
This does not mean every problem disappears overnight. Liverpool have not hit top gear and they still look like a side in transition. That part is normal. What matters is whether the habits stick.
Right now, the message is blunt and sensible. Iraola is rebuilding standards, and the players appear to be buying in. After what came before, Liverpool needed exactly that.
