'Bringing in Iraola is the best option - Murphy
- Published
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy feels the Reds will be in a much better position next season with Andoni Iraola than they were under Arne Slot.
"I'm quite excited because after watching Bournemouth play, there's no reason to think he's not going to try to play the same way - in terms of being courageous and on the front foot, and trying to press teams with high energy and play attacking football," Murphy said.
"When a fanbase becomes disillusioned with a manager and his style of play - and then start turning on him - you're delaying the inevitable. I do believe Liverpool are better placed now.
"Bringing in Iraola was the best option because the fans go into a new campaign with hope and excitement, rather than fear. You do not want to start the season with the players feeling the anxiety from the outset, and this was the best way for Liverpool to do it."
Managers have often struggled to make the step up in the Premier League in the past, the most recent example when Thomas Frank joined Tottenham from Brentford.
But will Iraola - who moved to Bournemouth from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano - succeed where others have not?
"I do have a couple of reservations because he's never managed a club of this size before and he will be a little bit surprised at how intrusive it will be on his life when you manage Liverpool," added Murphy, who is a Match of the Day pundit and BBC Sport columnist.
"Even as a player, that changes overnight because it's one of the biggest clubs in the world and everything you do will be scrutinised and talked about, locally and globally.
"The only other reservation is whether he will be able to play high-intensity football every few days because that will require a certain level of fitness - which we saw with Jurgen Klopp's teams with the flying full-backs, the midfield dynamism and the work-rate of the attackers.
"It's difficult to see how to create that with what he's got at the moment so the summer transfer window is huge for Liverpool in that respect. The current squad lacks legs and dynamism and isn't filled with brilliant players off the ball."
