Andoni Iraola raises Liverpool 'concern' as Brendan Rodgers comparison made

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SportFootballLiverpool FCFormer Liverpool defender Glen Johnson believes Andoni Iraola will have something to prove when he takes over as Reds bossLiverpool's imminent appointment of Andoni Iraola has been likened to their decision to name Brendan Rodgers as boss 14 years ago.But former Reds defender Glen Johnson is adamant the Liverpool players won't mind the Spaniard's relative lack of managerial experience provided he keeps winning games.Iraola, who left Bournemouth at the end of the season, is poised to succeed the axed Arne Slot in the dugout with the remit of bringing back front-footed, aggressive and urgent football to the team.While the 43-year-old has three years of Premier League experience under his belt, he will follow Rodgers - who failed to win silverware before being sacked after just over three years in charge - as only the second Liverpool managerial appointment since Bill Shankly to have either not won a domestic championship as a manager or come through the backroom staff at Anfield.And Johnson, who played under Rodgers at Liverpool, said: "There are similarities in the two situations. But I hope it’s not the same process."Brendan Rodgers came into Liverpool and tried to mimic Jose Mourinho in terms of his training style and mentality, and I don’t think Iraola will be going into Liverpool trying to copy a blueprint for success.“It was a great place to start for Brendan, and it worked for us at the time, but the lack of experience of both Brendan and Iraola doesn’t matter to players.

I know for experience that players just want to win, and they won’t care about the credentials of the manager if they are winning week in, week out and challenging at the top of the league."Similar to Rodgers, Iraola has previously not managed a leading club and hasn't taken charge of a team in European competition.And Johnson said: “It is something that concerns me. The unknown is always going to be a question mark until he gets his chance to manage an elite club, he has that chance now."No disrespect to Bournemouth, but he is now managing at one of the biggest clubs in world football with some of the best players in the world at his disposal.“It is going to be a challenge for him to adapt to the pressures, but the club must believe in him, or they wouldn’t have appointed him."He’s been getting results with a much weaker squad than what Liverpool have, so you like to think the sky is the limit for him once he gets the squad onside and playing his technical style of football.

There will always be concerns until he proves he can handle it."Choose Liverpool Echo as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FCAndoni Iraola