- 9 minutes ago
Iraola’s injury update pre Fulham
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola on the fitness of key players ahead of their Premier League game with Fulham
AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, UK
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola on the fitness of key players ahead of their Premier League game with Fulham
AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, UK
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00:11Just to start with, take a check on the injury situation, was it just cramped for Barcola
00:17and how like these Cody Gap posts are fitted this weekend as well?
00:21Yes, obviously we still need to train, we train this afternoon, evening, but yes,
00:30Barcola was just cramped, obviously he finished tired of the game and then we have to evaluate
00:36and how he feels today, but there is no injury, he should be I think available if everything
00:43goes normal and Cody we will see, he didn't train yesterday, today we will try with him
00:50and let's see if he's ready for tomorrow or we need to wait for the next one.
00:57This week we also saw a video of Fuguerk and TK doing keep you up against a wall, so I
01:02just wondered if you've got a time frame as to when he might be available again as well?
01:06I think it's difficult with these long-term injuries, I think he's still far, but I think
01:15we had a meeting with all the medical department to analyse when we also completed the list for
01:22European games and this and there is a reasonable chance that he could help us in the last two
01:28games of the group stages, but it's still very early to say, it's very early because it's a long-term
01:36injury, a big part of the rehab is still to meet, but if we decided to put him there it's
01:43because
01:43there is a hope and there is a realistic chance that he could help us in January.
01:50So it's an unbeaten start to the season that you've made, you've scored two goals in each game,
01:55actually if you scored two goals this weekend it would be the first time in the club's history
01:59they've scored two in each of the opening four league games of a season as well, but it's back-to
02:04-back
02:04wins now, it looks like a really solid foundation from which to build from, how do you see it and
02:10how much more is there to come do you feel as well?
02:13I think the team has goals in it, you know, we are normally in all the games we've been dangerous,
02:21we've created chances, we've scored as you said two goals, we could have scored more in some of those
02:27games, but now it's about being more efficient, not considering the two goals against Newcastle,
02:33not considering the two goals against Forest and especially also when the goals come,
02:42no, because I think we are not starting too well the games, probably we had the positive president
02:48of Ipswich, the games look much more comfortable when you start like this, no, and the other games
02:55we've started losing and then you have to do a lot of effort to come back and I would like,
03:00no,
03:01obviously to score the first goal, everything looks easier, but we need to have the right mentality,
03:09I think we had, we didn't start badly against Atletico, I think we had a chance in the 15th
03:16second, something like this, Alex, very clear chance, you score and everyone says, no, the incredible start,
03:21you don't score and these changes, but I think the start of the games probably is one of the parts
03:27where
03:27we can be a little bit better, yes. Start second half against Atletico, yes, yes, yes, yes. After
03:34the second half we've normally been better, but I want to try to impose ourselves from the beginning,
03:40because it becomes easier, everything.
03:44Anthony, I know you talked about your run of form, a quick word on Fulham's run of form,
03:49it's quite the opposite, unfortunately, for them. For many that may seem like an ideal opportunity for
03:55you to take the game to them, but does it also perhaps make them a little bit more dangerous coming
04:00into this, that they're so desperate for points and to get off the mark?
04:04The thing is we've just played three Premier League games and to take big conclusions about
04:10any team is, I think, it's too early, it's too early and I think Fulham is a great example.
04:17I think they've played well, the three games, honestly, they've lost the three games by one goal.
04:23I think if you see a lot of the stats they have, if you don't know the points they have,
04:27you will think they have four or five points at least, because they've been controlling the games,
04:32I think they have 60-something for terms of possession, you know, they've been quite comfortable
04:37on the ball, especially they have technically lovely players, it's difficult to press well
04:44against them because they have good technical quality, but they've also considered goals,
04:52and that's the main reason, they haven't won probably, but I expect for sure they've been working
04:58on this thing, and we know most of the Fulham players, they haven't changed a lot, they've done
05:05some signings, but the core of the team continues to be the same, and they've been so good last
05:10years in the Premier League that we know it's going to be a difficult game. Talk to me about your
05:14relationship with Alvaro Abelola, he of course has history here at Liverpool, you played with him
05:19for Spain, you played against him of course, I think he was here in 08 when you were in Spain
05:24squad together,
05:24did he ever discuss what life at Liverpool was like, and what does it feel like stepping into
05:31now a game to manage against him? No, I think we played maybe very few times together in the national
05:39team, we were fighting more or less for position, but I think he was more successful, he played more games
05:47than me in that case, and we haven't had too much relationship from there, obviously, I remember a lot of
05:57games playing against each other when he was also in the Porto de la Coruña, in Real Madrid, in different
06:01teams,
06:02but at the end this is the Premier League, once the game starts, you focus on yourself.
06:11And just a word on Alexis McAllister, it seemed like there was a lot of noise around his situation
06:17and what was said previously this week, he stood up with a massive performance in midweek, how ready
06:22is he to implement a game like that again this weekend and how pleased are you with the reaction
06:27of what he's been able to produce? I said it before the game, I consider him a great player and
06:33I think
06:34he understands very well the game, he has also the experience that is very good for quite a young team
06:42that we are right now and I'm very happy to have him in our team and I hope he can
06:49keep this level of
06:50performance and if he can even improve it much better. How happy are you with Alexander Isak so far this
06:58season, both in terms of the goals he's been getting but he's building fitness nicely as well and do you
07:02think that we could be about to see Alexander Isak at his very best? We hope so, we hope so,
07:08I think
07:08he's doing well, I'm happy with the improvements he's doing game to game, in the let's say physical
07:18side I see him in a really good place, I think he looks free, he moves with confidence, technically we
07:26know
07:26he's very good, he's understanding better what we need from the number nine position and I think
07:36he's in a good place after we will evaluate him because of the goals, I always say I will not
07:42evaluate him because of the goals, I think he has to help us in a lot of things, not just
07:47there but I think
07:50he's in a good place. Aralho seems to have established himself as an early fan favourite
07:56during his arrival since he came to Liverpool, how impressive have you been with him so far
08:01and how important is his experience when he's surrounded by a few young defenders, Leone, Kerkers etc?
08:07I think Ronald, as you say, he's used to play big games, he's used to play in the Champions League,
08:13he's used to fight for titles, he's used to play for a big club, for him probably the biggest challenge
08:21was first the language, he doesn't speak English so sometimes the adaptation to a new country
08:29is difficult but I think he has good help also inside the changing room and I think this change
08:38a little bit mentally has helped him a lot in terms of he's been a lot of years for Barca
08:43and I think
08:43he needed this kind of change and I think also it helps that performance-wise I think he has been
08:51playing very well, the games against Forest, against Newcastle, he came, that is difficult to
08:58come from the bench as a centre-back and he came, he did a good job, we scored also when
09:03he was on the
09:04pitch, give him probably some confidence and then when he's had the chance to start also in a position
09:10where he has played before but probably it's not his main position, he has done very well, yes.
09:18I want to go back to what you said before about fast starts, about how it's something you
09:22haven't been good at so far, you took the blame yourself on Wednesday for the start of Liverpool
09:28had and said that a player came in something you weren't expecting, I wonder how is it to get the
09:33balance between wanting to impose yourself and also taking a bit of time to see what the opponent is doing?
09:40Yes, it's a good question because also now, for example, Fulham are coming from bad results,
09:47let's say, for sure they are thinking on some kind of change, I don't know, system, maybe personal,
09:53so you can prepare for certain things but you cannot be 100% sure because the opposition also plays
10:00and they will try to mix things so we have to adapt. When you have two, three, four years with
10:07a team,
10:07this goes, the process goes easy. You remember when we used to do, if they do this, we do this,
10:12if they start putting this one, we already know and when you don't have this time, everything takes a
10:18little bit more of time, no? And the other day it was until they scored really that we were not
10:23matching well. When they scored, I think we could have at least, even if we considered one goal,
10:29we could have one, two minutes where you order a little bit more the team and from there I think
10:34we
10:34were better. But the time will make these processes quicker, easier, we will adapt and the players,
10:43sometimes when you already have experiences with players, you just do like this and they got
10:50everything and they know what you are talking about and we have to build these relationships
10:55and we are in this process.
11:00We saw the Ballon d'Or managerial list, we saw six Spanish managers between men's and women's football.
11:07I know it's hard to explain why, but do you have a theory why Spain's producing so many good managers?
11:16They've made me this question a lot of times and I don't have honestly the answer. I think
11:23there is a big football culture, but this happens in a lot of countries, but I always said Spain
11:30normally has been very good in team sports, sports, team sports, yes, and I think there is the
11:40understanding of the collective idea of a team is very rooted there, but I don't have, I didn't know
11:48this study you told me about the Ballon d'Or, I don't even know who is nominated or not, but
11:54I think
11:56the main difference is the Spanish teams are winning things and most of those teams are coached by
12:01the Spanish managers, but I couldn't, I don't have the magic answer.
12:07And before the season you touched that the team wasn't physically as ready as you wanted for the
12:13intensity. How do you see the situation now?
12:18Yeah, it was not, when I talked about these things, it was not just the physical side,
12:22it was the mentality, they keep the focus during 90 minutes.
12:28Now I think we are probably playing better second half than first half, it means probably that we
12:35are finishing the games quite strong, but still, no, we need, you need to do a full 90 minutes,
12:42not just the stats, not just the second half, not just, we need to be complete all the time,
12:48but I see most of the players in a good physical condition, we have some situations,
12:54I don't know, Bradley, Barkola, they haven't had a proper precision, he's cramps,
13:01they will, some, the ones that have had some niggles, some, a little bit less preparation,
13:07they are still not probably at their best, but overall I see the team in a good place.
13:13James?
13:14Andoni, just on Luis Kumats, at the start of the summer, he's probably a young player that people
13:18thought would go out alone this season, he stayed, you've given him his Premier League debut,
13:21you gave him his Champions League debut in the league, what is it that you've seen from him
13:26that's impressed you so much, and also do you think he's a really good example for the other
13:29young players looking to follow in his footsteps?
13:32For me, Kumats, I think the first week I was here, I already told the club that he was staying
13:39all the season, I had very few dads because he's someone who covers us on the seven, on the nine,
13:46on the ten, on the eleven, he trains very well, good attitude, good player, scores goals.
13:54He needs to add more things, obviously, like every young player, but he already has
14:00good amount of experience playing in the Championship at a high level,
14:05and I see him ready to help us, and I like what he gives us, and even in the scenarios
14:14where we've
14:14been losing, like Newcastle away the other day that we were winning, I think it helps us in both
14:20scenarios, and I'm very happy to have him in this.
14:23It seems that mentality-wise, nothing seems to phase it, you know, coming on in big games,
14:28and putting it down for me? No, I think he has very clear what he
14:32needs to do, and what he needs to do is to help the team. Sometimes he's going to be on
14:38the ball,
14:38sometimes he's going to be without the ball, sometimes he's going to be attacking the spaces for
14:42someone else to receive the ball, and he understands this, and when you have this mentality,
14:47it normally is good for the team.
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