NewsEvery word from Andoni Iraola's first press conference at Liverpool

The 44-year-old, who arrived at the Reds from AFC Bournemouth last month, answered a wide range of questions from reporters at the AXA Training Centre on Monday morning.

Find every word he had to say during the briefing below.

Andoni, first of all, what message have you got for the fans about what they can expect from you, the style of play and what you're hoping to produce at Liverpool?

It's a great question for the first one! I would like to give them a team that they can feel proud of. I think football, and especially Liverpool, for me is about connecting, connecting with the people, connecting with our supporters. I've been in the other side at Anfield. I've experienced, I always say, the goal that [Federico] Chiesa scored in the first game of the past season, where you can feel this stadium – and I would love to have this every game we play. And it has to come from us from inside the pitch and we have to be a team that works hard, [is] intense, aggressive, vertical so everyone can be identified, everyone can feel comfortable supporting this team.

In terms of that then as well, what do you feel the squad needs in terms of reinforcements?

Obviously we've signed two players already but we need more players – we know this. The club is working on this. Me as a coach, selfishly, you want the players here [on] day one, ready to train from the pre-season, but we understand that football doesn't work like this. I know the club is working hard to get those signings and I'm trying obviously to help also.

And just to gauge where the current group is at, what conversations have you had? I'm thinking have you spoken to Arne Slot about what happened last season? Also the likes of Virgil van Dijk, the likes of Alisson Becker as well, have you spoken to them because they're two players as well with just 12 months left on their contract?

Yes, I've spoken especially with all the players that have been in the World Cup, especially the ones that have already been eliminated and are enjoying their holidays. I didn't want to disturb them or bother them while the World Cup was ongoing, but I think I've [had] very good conversations. I'm also using these couple of weeks I've had, before we start properly the first-team trainings, to talk with a lot of people that work every day here, and those are the ones that are helping me create, I think, a good environment so our players can perform and, let's say, we can maximise their abilities.

Do you understand what it means to be Liverpool manager? You say you've spoken to people around the club about it, but do you understand what the job means?

Yeah, I want to think I understand. Probably until you are not here and until I don't go through certain experiences, I will not fully know. But I'm here to experience those situations. I'm ready for it. I understand this is a massive club. Everything that I'm going to say now, it's going to go to big scrutiny. You have to be very aware of the mistakes but I wouldn't like also to be too careful. I would like to act quite normal. I'm not going to live in my bubble – just training ground, home. I would also like to go to the city, experience the city. I know some places I will have to take some pictures. But it's part also of the magic of being the Liverpool manager and I would not like to change too much.

You spoke about talking to some of the players, what's your assessment of the squad you have inherited and have you had a chance to look at last season and where things didn't go right for you?

Yes. Obviously I talked to the players, I talked to the staff, I talked about the things that were working very well, things that we think we can do differently – I wouldn't say better, differently. I think it's different. I have the advantage that probably players already know what we are going to demand in terms of style of play. But we will have time to know each other. One thing is to know a player, to talk to a player to ask him, 'OK, where do you feel more comfortable – in this position, in this other one? Where do you see yourself?' Because I'm [asking] the players this question so I can understand them. But after I will see them train, I will make some tests during pre-season, I will feel things and then I will take decisions from there.

You're obviously a new manager working with new players. Some of those players are going to come back later than others because of the World Cup. How much does that make your job more difficult?

I think it is what it is, we cannot change it. I think players deserve a break. The ones that have been in the World Cup deserve at least three weeks so they can enjoy their time with friends, family, thinking other things. Even physically, some of them need a rest after a very busy season. I'm looking at the positives almost, because I've had now one week to see every training of the U21s. We've had some of the players from the first team willing to come a little bit before so they are already in a better shape to start. Already today, that they didn't have to come, I've seen two or three that I haven't seen before, that they are already here, ready for the testing tomorrow.

So, I think this progressive introduction also will allow me maybe to get more in touch with every player. And also will give especially the young players, some players that have been on loan, more minutes during pre-season. The first part of pre-season, basically, it's going to be with a lot of players from the Academy, players that in another situation, maybe I wouldn't know as well, and now I will have the chance to get to know them personally, training every day with them, in some friendlies, and it's going to be good information for me.

Harvey Elliott has returned. He had a strange season for him last season, it didn't turn out how many anticipated. Do you see a situation where Harvey Elliott's future is now at Liverpool again?

Definitely Harvey is here with us, he has come also, I have seen him with this eagerness of showing himself, getting himself ready again. He will have a chance during the pre-season. We will need him and it's a good sign he came one week earlier. He's been training with the U21s and I hope we can see him in a good place. I think Harvey comes from... especially last season had to be very difficult for him because it was a strange situation where basically they couldn't even put him to play. I think he uses this, what he has experienced – the bad situation he has experienced – to make him even more eager to be a Liverpool player, yes.

You mentioned the scrutiny that comes with being at Liverpool. Can you be the same coach as you always have been, or do you have to change now?

I will try to be the same coach. I understand that I will maybe make mistakes here [to the media], I will say things that I shouldn't, but you cannot be all the time thinking subtly, 'Don't tell this.' I think you have to be yourself. You have to be yourself and I will try to be. Obviously I cannot say everything here to you, there are some things that you have to keep private. But especially with the players, I know that we will have big personalities, big egos, but I will try not to change with them also, yes.

Just following on from that, in terms of your character, your personality, what can fans expect from you? What kind of personality or character would you say that you have as a coach?

It's the most difficult question probably, no?! 'Try to describe yourself.' I don't like to do this at all. I think you have the advantage that you've already seen me three years at least in the Premier League. I think everyone kind of; some of them will know me better, the others maybe they don't know me, but the people involved in football more or less will know what we are going to try to do.

Obviously I understand that this is Liverpool. We have to change some things. We have to change a little bit even tactically, even on the pitch. But if they sign me, it's because they want a lot of things that I was doing before in other clubs. So, I wouldn't like to change in the pitch the DNA of what has been my teams and also outside. How I am going to answer your questions, how I'm going to relate to the supporters, I will try to be as natural as possible and I hope it doesn't change me a lot.

There has been a lot of change at the club this summer so what are your expectations for next season? Do you feel it might be a season of transition or can Liverpool challenge for honours?

I think we have to accept there are difficult situations right now in terms of, I would say, both sides: a lot of senior players leaving, very important players that have achieved almost everything here in the club, and also some of the very important players [who are] injured. You know, we haven't started training and we already have, especially in the cases of Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, long injuries.

So, in terms of also improving the team we have to consider [that] we have to replace very important players that were making very good numbers, and also we have the situation with, especially those three, big injuries that are going to miss some time that we also have to find a way to replace. We know that these three players, for example, I love them, they are the long-term solutions, I'm sure. You know about Conor, about Giovanni, about Hugo, but there is going to be, especially in Hugo's case, a period where we will be without them and we have to try to find solutions also.

How important are your core coaching principles, such as playing vertically and attacking with speed, now you are here?

Yes, I think they have to be our core principles. After we will have a lot of games, a lot of questions that you ask me about, 'What if you face low blocks and this [kind of thing]?' I always say, I prefer to face low blocks in terms of, 'OK, we will be in control of the game, probably we will concede less chances, we will spend a lot of time in the opposition half and those are the scenarios that we have to find.' Some teams, they give you straight away that situation, perfect, other teams they don't give it straight away because they will try also to control the game, to play in your half. I'm looking forward to spending as much time as we can in the opposition half, with the ball, without the ball, because I feel we are closer to scoring than the opposition if that is the situation.

It has been reported that you have signed a two-year contract here and that length of deal has been your preference throughout your career. Why is that the case?

Yeah, two-year deals, I always say, in terms of coaching, contracts don't matter a lot. I don't want to be in a place because I have a contract because, 'Oh, we are not sure, but you have a contract so we stay.' No, it's like, 'OK, I think I signed two years, but it's basically year to year.' When you are a coach, we've seen a lot of managers, they have long contracts and because the club doesn't want, because they don't want… because in the end, when you are a player it is very important, I think the contract is very important.

But when you are a manager [it is not]… don't worry, I hope I can stay here two years – no, a lot more years, it would mean that I've done a very good job, but I feel we have to earn [that]. Managers, we have to earn every year the right to continue, especially in clubs like Liverpool, but I do it everywhere. I've done it always like this, yes.

How are you planning to manage the extra workload and games Liverpool have during a season in terms of the aggressive style of play you want to implement? How important is the size of your squad in being able to manage that?

Yes, I think it's a big challenge for me. I think it is a big change because here most of the weeks are not going to be clean, in terms of we will have a midweek game. I think it is also a great opportunity for the players because I always loved to have these kind of seasons as a player. You basically don't train a lot, you play, recover, play, recover. I think there is a chance to use more players also because it's impossible to deal with this kind of season with 13, 14, 15 players, you need all the squad.

And there are positives on this, but also we have to get ready because in this kind of hard season, a lot of games, injuries will happen, situations will happen. So, we have to get ready in terms of squad depth so we can deal with the demands of the competition and we can go through those months, especially here in England, December, January, February, you know those months are really hard and we have to arrive to those months in a situation where we can deal with them, yes.