SpotlightDaily Mail FootballUnverified source· 28 Jul 2026
How a year in New York shaped Andoni Iraola's coaching style
Playing under Patrick Vieira and alongside Lampard, Pirlo, Villa opened Iraola's eyes to the modern game.
Andoni Iraola
coach
Player
Andoni Iraola
Position
Right back (later inverted midfielder)
Club
New York City FC (2015-16)
Key influence
Patrick Vieira's discipline and structure
Teammates
Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa
What happened. Andoni Iraola credits his year at NYCFC as crucial to his coaching career, learning from Patrick Vieira and star teammates.
- Iraola played 40 appearances for NYCFC.
- He learned to invert from right back to deep-lying midfielder.
- Vieira's possession-based style influenced Iraola's tactics.
“Patrick had discipline and structure. It definitely helped me a lot.”
— Andoni Iraola
Iraola now applies those lessons as Liverpool manager.
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