Andoni Iraola is determined to get a complete understanding of Liverpool as he begins work as the club’s new head coach.
The Spaniard, appointed on Thursday as Arne Slot’s successor, plans to speak with staff across all departments to gain as much insight as possible into the squad and the club’s inner workings.
With several Liverpool players away at the World Cup this summer, Iraola believes those behind the scenes can provide valuable information during his early weeks in the
“For me right now, I think it’s more than talk to the players. Some of them will be on deserved holidays, some of them will be with their national teams,” Andoni Iraola told Liverpoolfc.com.
“I want to talk to the staff, to the people that were here every day, that know very well the players, to arrive as ready as possible to that first day of pre-season.
“I think especially with a lot of those young players that will do the pre-season with us, a lot of things about the organisation, about the staff, about how we can create the best atmosphere, the best environment so when they arrive [on] day one, everyone feels everything is in place and we can do this process of adaptation, that it will take some time as soon as possible.
“We are in this process of building the best staff we can. Now for me, the most important thing is to also know and get into a rhythm with the people that were already here working.
“Sometimes they don’t appear on TV; with all the analysts, the performance guys, all the people that really are in touch with the players every day. I think they are going to be very, very valuable for us.
“It’s true that it’s going to be new staff, new people coming in, but I would like also to value a lot the ones that have been here working for the club with these players, that are really the ones that will help us more at the beginning.”
The 43-year-old also intends to largely stick with the pre-season plans already put in place before his arrival as he prepares for his first campaign at Anfield.
“Yes, there was already a lot of work done even before we arrived, and we are trying to change as little as possible for the beginning,” he said.
“Obviously there will be different timetables, some of them depending how far they arrive with the national teams [at the World Cup], they will incorporate later or sooner. I think everything is in place so everything is quite smooth and there are no problems.”
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