Former Everton manager Sean Dyche has analyzed the high-pressing tactical style of new Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola, while candidly reflecting on the severe transfer market difficulties he faced during his turbulent tenure at Goodison Park.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast in partnership with Midnite, Dyche evaluated Iraola, who managed Bournemouth for three seasons before taking charge of Liverpool.
Iraola began his Anfield tenure with a 4-2 pre-season victory over Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday, ahead of their upcoming fixture against Wrexham in New York.
During their meetings in England, Iraola recorded three victories over Dyche's Everton, including a dramatic comeback from two goals down in the 87th minute to win 3-2 at Goodison Park in August 2024, despite losing their initial clash 3-0 in October 2023.
"Iraola basically plays lower league football, but at a high level," said Dyche.
Dyche explained that Iraola's aggressive approach relies heavily on continuous physical pressure to wear down opponents over ninety minutes.
"They turn you and turn you, and force you into submission. We ran all over them at Everton, when he was at Bournemouth.
The next time we played them, they looked a different outfit," said Dyche.
Evaluating his team's initial outing in Nashville, the new Liverpool head coach acknowledged physical fatigue while establishing a baseline for the squad's ongoing pre-season preparations.
"[There are] a lot of things to correct, obviously, it's the first day. You could feel the heavy legs, the players have been training.
So, we lacked some freshness," said Iraola.
Addressing the broader squad development, Iraola emphasized that the match served a clear constructive purpose despite the early physical strain on the players.
"But it will give us a good starting point to improve things," said Iraola.
Beyond assessing Iraola, Dyche contrasted his stable decade-long tenure at Burnley with his arrival at Everton in January 2023, where he replaced Frank Lampard amid immediate squad departures including Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United and an aborted move for Arnaut Danjuma.
Operating under financial restrictions during Farhad Moshiri's ownership, Everton relied on loans, free agents, and late sales before Dyche was eventually replaced by David Moyes the following January.
"When you're at somewhere for a longer period, like I was at Burnley, after sort of three or four years we've got it up and running.
It's working. Everyone knows their roles.
You can delegate better because once that trust builds, you're onto something and the CEO knows what you're thinking, analysts know, sports scientists know.
Then it's really easy," said Dyche.
Dyche described the extreme operational difficulties surrounding player recruitment and crisis management throughout his two years managing the Merseyside club.
"It was not so easy going to Everton, where it was a f*****g s**t show. It's constantly f*****g putting out fires.
A whole different ball game," said Dyche.
Despite navigating points deductions and relegation battles, Dyche stressed the personal fulfillment derived from maintaining Everton's top-flight status under adverse conditions.
"It was brilliant in a weird way, because it's rewarding when you get it done [avoiding relegation].
There's that feeling of going 'well I played my part in this'," said Dyche.
