Five Key Decisions Andoni Iraola Must Make to Save Liverpool, Starting with Mohamed Salah’s Advice

Liverpool Football Club has undergone a major administrative and technical overhaul following the dismissal of Dutch coach Arne Slot after a disastrous second season marked by poor results and a loss of tactical identity.

With the imminent arrival of Spanish coach Andoni Iraola to lead the team, fans are eagerly awaiting decisive actions to prevent further decline and to revive the comprehensive, attacking style that defined the era under Jürgen Klopp. This call was explicitly made by Liverpool’s star Mohamed Salah in his final message days before his departure, where he pinpointed the core issues and offered clear recommendations to restore Anfield’s former brilliance.

The first and most crucial step to stabilize Liverpool involves immediately halting the ongoing trend of letting go of the team’s key pillars. The previous management weakened the squad's foundation by allowing locker room leaders to leave without protection. Iraola must therefore close the exit door to the remaining stars to preserve the club’s character.

The second decision aligns directly with Salah’s advice, emphasizing the urgent need to reclaim a strong attacking approach and the all-encompassing style of play that Slot’s ineffective tactics had destroyed. Slot’s methods stifled Salah and other forwards on the flanks, depriving them of depth and freedom. The new Spanish coach must restore tactical liberty and rapid vertical momentum to challenge opposing defenses once again.

The third priority is an immediate rescue operation to rebuild the defense, which suffered catastrophic tactical failures last season, leaving Liverpool’s goal exposed to all opponents. Iraola is tasked with reorganizing the backline and reestablishing the lost balance between offensive pressing and stringent defensive coverage.

The fourth imperative concerns the club’s management opening its coffers to secure major signings that compensate for the historic departures of key players, including Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, and Ibrahima Konaté. It is unrealistic to expect the former Bournemouth coach to perform miracles with limited resources, especially amid the ongoing revolutions at Manchester City and Arsenal.

Finally, the fifth essential measure for Iraola’s success is to completely remove the old guard represented by Slot’s assistants and technical staff, who contributed to the team’s decline and dominated the locker room. A new coaching team with modern Spanish ideas must be installed to implement the transformation without obstacles.