- 6 weeks ago
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola speaks to the media ahead of his side's Premier League opener against Newcastle.
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00:00In charge of Liverpool, what do you see as realistic expectations?
00:04I feel excited, I can feel it even in the atmosphere.
00:09When you train with the players, you feel like this week is a little bit different.
00:13We've been preparing for friendlies, we've been preparing for other positions,
00:17but this smells different and I'm looking forward to be there on Sunday
00:26and feel the pressure and start the competition, that is what we like.
00:33Realistic expectations?
00:35I think you will put me, for sure, the goals and everything.
00:39I want to be a really good team, I want to use the good players that I have in the
00:45best way,
00:46so they give us the chance to fight for everything, yes.
00:50To make this a better team, we understand you still want two wide attacking options,
00:54how confident are you doing that before the deadline?
00:58And how much of a problem is it that you've not been able to do that already?
01:02As a manager, this is an easy one for me.
01:05I wanted the players for the first day, 13th of July, everyone here,
01:08all the positions doubled, top-level players, you know,
01:12but you understand how the competition works,
01:15that the market is open and you start the competition.
01:20We have to adapt as coaches to these situations.
01:23I hate these two weeks or these ten days that we have because there is a lot of uncertainty,
01:29but not in Liverpool, not everywhere, everywhere, because once the market is open,
01:34but we have to adapt.
01:36Honestly, I don't spend too much time thinking on these things.
01:38I know that you will ask me a lot of questions about the market and this,
01:42but I'm focused on the game against Newcastle.
01:45That is massive for me and using the very good players that we have right now in the building
01:51in the best way so we can be competitive from the beginning.
01:55I think I know what will happen when they throw a couple of names at you,
01:58but Barkela, Minta, how likely are they to be the players that are brought in?
02:02But also, how important is it to bring in a replacement for Curtis Jones?
02:06Yes, you know what I'm going to tell you. We cannot speak about players that are not ours.
02:11I understand the questions. With Curtis, you know, I think it's not still official,
02:18but there is an ongoing situation. I understood with Curtis. I talked to him
02:25in the first or second training. We talked and I value him a lot as a player. He loves this
02:32club.
02:33It was very clear since the beginning for me, but I understood that probably the outcome was going
02:39to be what it has been at the end. And in terms of you are asking me what we need,
02:46you know, there are certain situations that for me are clear, that are especially now on the wing,
02:50because we don't have enough players like specific to play in those positions. And then after,
02:58in other positions, I think we have to be open and open-minded in the market to see situations that
03:05honestly can improve our team. No, it's not about signing because we need a player here. No,
03:11it's about improving the squad and we have very good players already here. So to improve our very
03:16good players, you need like a specific level players. Yes.
03:20And only good to see you. Good to see you.
03:22You talked about some of the incomings, a lot of transfer speculation, of course, one name again linked
03:27with a move outside of the record is Cody Gakbo. How motivated is he to contribute this weekend if he
03:32is
03:33called upon? Cody is performing really well. I think he has been since the first day training very well,
03:39understanding everything we need from his position. I think you can feel straight away when you talk to him,
03:46he understands the game. He's very smart and he has been, I don't know if one of our best players
03:54in
03:55the friendlies, but definitely he has been performing very well. And I cannot tell you the starting 11,
04:02the players don't know it, so I will never say it, but definitely he's in a great spot.
04:08We won't tell anyone starting 11. Yeah, I suspect you will.
04:12In terms of Newcastle this weekend, a new Premier League era for both clubs, both new managers,
04:17of course. Matthias Gaisler, what do you expect from a Newcastle team on Newcastle?
04:22Yes, I think Matthias, we knew him from before, but we've been now that you play always the first game
04:28of the season,
04:29you overanalyze everything, even the teams that he has been coaching before. We don't have so many
04:35friendlies as a reference with Newcastle, but at the end, I don't think it changes too much the style.
04:44Newcastle will be strong in transitions, very fast players up front, physical team,
04:50especially at home, the atmosphere in St James' Park is going to be strong, so we know it's not an
04:56easy
04:56game to start the season, so we have to be ready for that start, for that level of players, and
05:04I think
05:06we are preparing for this, yes. And just finally for me, is there extra motivation for a player like
05:10Alexander Isak, not just because of the Newcastle connection, but surely after such lengthy spells on
05:16the sideline, he must be chomping at the bit to prove his point in the Liverpool show?
05:20I suppose it's going to be, you know, it's always special when you play against your ex-team in your
05:26stadium, the same way when I go back to play against Bournemouth, you know, you always want
05:32to do well in the Premier League and the first game of the season, I think everyone will be very,
05:39very motivated and I think it's going to be the same for Alex.
05:43Hi Andoni, players like Mo Salah have left and Andy Robertson as well, Canate, a lot of experience
05:50there has gone out of the club, are you confident that you've got the leadership qualities within the
05:56squad at the moment? Yeah, it's true, both of the things you said are very true, we lost a lot
06:02in
06:02terms of experience of high level players that have performed so well for so many years here,
06:11but I think it's also a natural thing in clubs. I think we have a lot of very young players
06:16also
06:16willing to take those minutes, ready to take those leadership roles and overall I'm very happy with the
06:27attitude of the, of the players in this pre-season. Always, pre-season is easier for the managers
06:32because there are less complaints about minutes, about being out of the squad, about these things,
06:38but still I think everyone has been very, like very ready to understand what we demand from them
06:44and I'm, I'm happy with the feeling I have with this, this group of players.
06:49And in the relatively short time that you've been here, has anything really surprised you about being
06:55Liverpool manager? No, I think a lot of things surprised you in terms of how big this club is,
07:03but I knew where I was coming, I knew that we are going in pre-season and we are more
07:09than 100 people
07:10travelling, the amount of people following us when you go down your hotel and you see the expectations,
07:19but it's lovely and I feel the privilege of being here in this, in this moment, yes.
07:35It's difficult to say it in terms of percentage, but I'm sure if you ask Mathias the same question,
07:43or a lot of the new managers that are coaching new, new teams, probably not at 100%, but I'm happy
07:52in
07:52terms of, I am, I think we are in a level where we can compete and we can win games
07:57and we can be
07:58still a good team, that we need to improve definitely, we will improve and we will try to do it
08:04as quickly
08:04as possible, but there are always like processes and I think, you know, precision always is, you never know
08:14where you are, so we are willing to start also and know, okay, because precision is, you change a lot,
08:22the teams, you don't know if the teams have gone strong, has gone a little bit weaker, they've been
08:27training a lot, they've been training less, so friendlies are for me a good reference, but not as
08:33good as the real thing that starts on Sunday and I think we are in a good place.
08:42Can I just go back to Izak as well, he's probably your own sort of fit striker, how important is
08:50it to A,
08:50keep him fit and B, you know, keep him as the fun you have for him?
08:57I think the same as other players, you know, Alex is going to be a very important player for us
09:02this
09:02season, right now I think he's in a very good place, he's been training every day, he hasn't been in
09:10a
09:10training session, he's been adding more and more minutes every friendly game, I think he already
09:15played a very good World Cup in terms of availability, fitness level and I want to keep him there as
09:24much
09:24as we can because we know his level and if we can keep him there he will score the goals,
09:29he will give
09:29us a lot of things, probably my fight with him, my instructions are more in terms of without the ball,
09:40how he can help in the positioning when we are on the ball so he can open spaces for other
09:45players.
09:46I'm not trying to focus on terms of goals, but you know, he's a striker, he will want to score,
09:52but I try not to judge the strikers because they have scored or they haven't.
10:01It says that you're going to face the first six games, six new managers, and I've spoken before about
10:07analysts being sort of under-editing clubs and something obviously you pride yourself, I think I've
10:12born with pieces of your own videos as well. Is it the same here, what does the department look like
10:18and how
10:18important is that particular department? Yes, for me there have been a lot of managerial changes
10:28this last season, we are facing a lot of the new managers like me here in the first game so
10:35there
10:36is an extra part of the job to do, analysing how they've played in their previous clubs, even
10:47certain situations, set-pieces, routines that they can use against us, things that they've been doing
10:56and I think we are getting to know each other with the analysts, the things that I like from every
11:04situation. I think we've had already five, six games in pre-season to try to arrive also in the best
11:11form to this first game of the season. We've been doing the same thing in the friendly so now we
11:16are
11:16ready for when the competition starts but as you say for me the analysts group are very important in
11:23clubs. I've come also with one analyst that has helped me this integration with their group and I think
11:32we are in a good place but I want us, the same as the team, to improve also our relationships,
11:38our
11:38connections, half-time, these things because it's the best way to help the players.
11:44Just one on Curtis, I think you said you spoke to him very well, was there a desire from your
11:49end to try and keep on with him? Yes, I've never had it for me. Curtis is a very good
11:54player,
11:55very very good player but I understood straight away when he talked to me, his situation, he's coming from
12:02some years now kind of in the same position, same situation and I didn't know in that moment but
12:10it was a situation that could happen and it looks like it's going to happen.
12:16Yes.
12:32No, I'm very happy with Trey, very very happy. He has been very good in pre-season, not only in
12:38the games,
12:38even when he trains with us, he's facing top-level players and he's at the level, so I have no
12:46doubts
12:46with Trey, he will be very valuable this season for us and I hope he plays a lot and he
12:51gives the
12:52level that I'm seeing in everyday training, yes.
13:20Yes, I think Cody can play as a number nine, probably in pre-season we haven't
13:24tried it because we don't have enough wingers probably and we've prioritised that he understands
13:32what we need him from his preferred position if you want as a left winger but I've been talking to
13:41him about his minutes as a nine, not only past season because he's done it before and in certain
13:50situations I think he could help us there in the main position, yes.
14:02Yes, yes, we took a decision, captains will be Virgil, it will be Alisson, it will be Joe Gomez
14:10and Dom Soboslai but I explained to Alisson especially that it's not going to be possible that he wears the
14:20armband
14:20because with the new rules I think there is a big limitation if a keeper wears the armband
14:26because basically if something happens in the opposition box the referee has to explain to the
14:39and then you have to start every game to say a different player that can act as a captain and
14:47this
14:48is not viable but I wanted him to feel like we value him, I've had enough time and we will
14:57have
14:57more time to know each other but I had to explain also the decision about the armband to Ali because
15:04he's a keeper and
15:05unfortunately they are putting the rules in a way that there is a lot of disadvantages to having a keeper
15:12as a captain, yes.