If Arne Slot’s Liverpool were one of the biggest underachievers of the 2025/26 Premier League season, then Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola were among the prominent overachievers.
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The teams shared a win apiece in their head-to-head meetings, but surely nobody would’ve predicted at the outset that the Cherries would finish the campaign just three points and one position behind the Reds, who began as defending champions.
That goes a long way to explaining why the Dutchman has since been sacked at Anfield, and why his Spanish counterpart is now the firm favourite to fill the vacancy in L4.
Iraola outperformed Slot for six key metrics in 2025/26
During an update on Iraola’s potential appointment at Liverpool, Sky Sports reporter Alan Myers addresses six eye-catching statistics for which Bournemouth notably outperformed the Reds during the most recent Premier League season.
The Cherries won significantly more duels and made far more tackles than Slot’s team, while also regaining possession with much greater regularity.
| 2025/26 Premier League | Bournemouth | Liverpool |
| Duels won | 1,957 | 1,761 |
| Possession won | 1,725 | 1,453 |
| Tackles | 654 | 494 |
| High turnovers | 298 | 285 |
| Possession won in final third | 174 | 155 |
| Fouls won in final third | 77 | 69 |
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Could Iraola bring back Liverpool’s lost intensity?
One of the biggest criticisms of Liverpool in 2025/26 was a lack of intensity on the pitch and how easily they were played through the midfield, in stark contrast to the relentless gegenpressing of the Jurgen Klopp era.
Iraola’s Bournemouth were renowned not just for hard work out of possession, but for winning the ball back high up the pitch, a quality which was all too lacking in the Reds during the most recent campaign.
Staff members and former players at the Vitality Stadium have spoken about the 43-year-old’s ‘driven’ nature and extreme dedication to the job, holding daily training sessions and working long hours in the pursuit of excellence.
Expectations will obviously be much higher at Liverpool than they had been with the Cherries, but if indeed the Spaniard is appointed at Anfield, he’ll have very much earned a crack at leading one of the most famous clubs in world football, not just England.
If Iraola turns the Reds into a more intense, hard-working team out of possession whilst overseeing a fluid, effective and often victorious attacking outfit, he’ll be adored by the Kop in no time!
Andoni Iraola will bring back intensity as our identity.
Those are damming stats for slot, no wonder he got sacked saying that you could find that most clubs would be better at duels and tackles and running stats.
You won’t see the type of football that klopp played st Liverpool. Very High line, dominate possession, control the game and press from the front getting the ball back quickly.
Similar style at Bournemouth but not the same. Look at the poossetion statistics at Bournemouth. It’s not klopps philosophy, more Marcelo Bielsa, which Iraola learned from him.
The first thing to say have we got the players to play that style. Liverpool players struggled all season with pressing, winning duels ect.
When certain managers get success with a certain style of play they normally live and die with it.
The style of football Iraola played at Bournemouth will be harder to implement with Liverpool.
Teams will park the bus against us, low block, and we will have to deal with us being counter attacked.
There’s bound to be an improvement on what slot did last season. Better intensity, better pressing ect.
But he still has to get results.
Everything will depend on the recruitment, just like last summer. We need to bring in the right players.
More pace, more physicality, a natural defensive midfielder. When you look at some of the results last season at Bournemouth it’s not going to be boring.
Chaotic end to end football.
Liverpool 4 v Bournemouth 2
Crystal palace 3 Bournemouth 3
Sunderland 3 Bournemouth 2
Villa 4 Bournemouth 0
Brentford 4 Bournemouth 1
Manchester United 4 Bournemouth 4
Chelsea 2 Bournemouth 2
Bournemouth 3 Liverpool 2
Newcastle 3 Bournemouth 3
Bournemouth 3 spurs 2
Bournemouth 2 Arsenal 3
Bournemouth 2 Manchester United 2
Bournemouth 2 Leeds 2
Should be entertaining.