Watanni sha biyu da suka wuce, Liverpool sun lashe duk wasan biyar na farko a Premier League, kamar suna kan hanya zuwa kare kambun gasar a karkashin Arne Slot. Daya daga cikin nasarorin farkon saka an yi da Bournemouth, wanda Andoni Iraola ke jagoranta a lokacin. Kaɗan ne suka yi zato cewa, a lokacin bazara mai zuwa, Iraola da kansa zai zama manajan da aka ba wa Liverpool nauyin jagoranci.

Koci da ake gane shi da ƙwazo

Iraola, ɗan shekara 44, ya isa Anfield yana ɗauke da suna da aka gina akan aiki matuƙa da ƙuduri na wasan ƙwallon ƙafa mai ƙarfin gwiwa. Waɗanda ke ciki a Liverpool suna bayanin cewa shi koci ne na kwanaki shida a mako, kuma sau da yawa shi ne na farko a filin horo, yana sanya gyaben kafin hutu ya fara. Mai kai hari Lewis Koumas ya taƙaita yanayin haka: "Yana da ƙwazo sosai. Akwai ayyuka masu yawa na wahala kuma babu ranakun sauƙi. Kowa yana ba da kashi 100%."

Wannan ƙuduri ya wuce filin horo. Iraola ya zauna a garin teku na Formby — unguwar da manajan Liverpool na tsohon lokaci Jurgen Klopp da Brendan Rodgers suka zauna a baya — kuma an gani shi a tsakiyar garin Liverpool a lokuta da yawa. Yana son keke sosai, yana jin daɗin hanyoyin gaɓar teku a Merseyside.

Daidaitawa da manyan matakai

A cikin AXA Training Centre a Kirkby, Iraola yana da ƙarancin bayyanawa. Ba yawanci yana amfani da ofishinsa ba, yana fi son ɗakin masu horo da mataimakansa Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper, da Pablo de la Torre ke raba — wanda ya bi Iraola daga Rayo Vallecano zuwa Bournemouth a shekara ta 2023 kuma ana ɗauka shi a matsayin muhimmi wajen kula da ƙa'idodin jikin da manajan yake buƙata.

Iraola yana sanar da tawagar farko a safiyar ranar wasa kuma yana adana nazarin bayan wasa zuwa ranar mai zuwa. Ya kuma gyara jadawalin horo bisa lokacin fara wasan mai zuwa, yana fifita zaman maraice da farkon dare — canjin daga jadawalin yau da kullum da Slot ya fi so. Tattaunawar da ma'aikatan lafiya, ƙungiyoyin ƙarfin jiki, da har ma da tsarin ƴan kasa da shekara 21 — wanda Rob Page ke horarwa — yana nuna manaja wanda yake shirye ya saurare da koyo.

"Muna fahimtar yadda tawagar farko take wasa da ƙa'idodi masu muhimmanci, kamar yadda muke matsawa, yadda yake so lamba 10 ya matsawa, yadda yake so masu kare su matsawa — muna kwaikwayon hakan daidai," in ji Page.

Matasa a zuciyar aikin

Daya daga cikin manyan dalilan da Liverpool suka bi Iraola shi ne tarihinsa na bunƙasa ƙwararrun matasa. Matsakaicin shekarun 'yan wasan Liverpool a Premier League a wannan kakar yana tsaye a 25.3 — kulake biyar ne kawai a gasar da za su iya da'awar lambar ƙasa da haka. Rio Ngumoha, ɗan shekara 18, Trey Nyoni, 19, da Koumas, 20, duk sun fara wasan da Tottenham Hotspur a Carabao Cup kuma ana sa ran za su ɗauki manyan alhakunan a duk tsawon kakar wasa.

Dominik Szoboszlai wannan mako ya bayyana tsarin tsakiya a karkashin sabon manajan — lamba shida, lamba takwas, da lamba goma — yana ba da labarin cewa tsarin Iraola yana da sassauƙan aiki ba tare da mai tsaron tsakiya da masu goyon baya da yawa suka nema a lokacin tagar canja wuri ba, muddin ƙungiyar baki ɗaya ta ɗaga matakinta.

Jadawalin muni da kasuwancin da bai ƙare ba

Liverpool na fuskantar jerin wasanni masu wahala. Tafiya ta ranar Lahadi zuwa Bournemouth — inda Iraola ya shafe shekaru uku — za ta zama wasan huɗu a cikin kwanaki 12, kuma jadawalin bai sassauta ba bayan hutu na ƙungiyoyin ƙasa: ana tsara wasanni tara tsakanin 11 ga Oktoba da 7 ga Nuwamba. Ana sa ran ƙungiyar za ta buga wasa aƙalla sau 49 a wannan kakar, lambar da za ta iya wuce 60 bisa ci gaban kofuna.

Sakamakon farko na farko sun kasance gauraye. Liverpool ba su sha kashi ba tukuna amma suna bayan yin nasara shida a bayan gudu na kakar da ta gabata a wannan matakin. Rashin nasara a gida da Fulham — da aka buga ƴan awa 72 bayan cin nasara a UEFA Champions League kan Atletico Madrid — ya nuna farashin jiki na kalandar da ta cika. Duk da haka, Liverpool su ne ƙungiyar da ta fi yin gudu a Premier League har yanzu.

Babu shakka Iraola ya lura da nasarar farkon UEFA Europa League ta Bournemouth kan Real Sociedad — a yankin Basque inda mutumin Spain ya girma — da jin daɗi a nutse. Amma hankalinsa ya koma gaɓar kudancin ranar Lahadi, inda nasara ta farko a Premier League a wannan kakar a ƙasa da ya sani za ta zama hanya mafi kyau don shiga hutu. Kamar yadda mataimakin kyaftin Alisson ya bayyana a mako mai saurin gabatowa, daidaitawa bai isa Liverpool ba — kuma Iraola ya san haka.