Andoni Iraola on “Trying to Balance” Attack with Control of Games

For fans, a three-week international break five games into the 2026-27 season has been something of a strange experience. For Liverpool in particular, it rather feels as though it’s put a half to any feeling of momentum or new beginnings under new head coach Andoni Iraola.

As Iraola sees it, though—and at the very least for public consumption—there’s potential value for a manager to be able to hit pause on the season after five games.

Even if he hasn’t had the chance to train and coach his top stars, it’s a chance to dive deep and evaluate what’s working.