Changes Made for the Champions League? Iraola: We Made Substitutions to Better Win This Match

In the third round of the Premier League, Liverpool defeated Ipswich Town 2-0 away from home. After the match, Liverpool head coach Iraola was interviewed by British media.

Andoni, congratulations. This is your first victory as Liverpool head coach. How does it feel?

It feels very good. This was obviously a very important victory, and I think we really needed it. In the previous two matches, we were very close to winning but ultimately failed to do so. Today, we played very strongly from the start, and that was probably the key to winning the game.

The partnership between Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo was very impressive. They seemed to be completely on the same wavelength, right?

Yes. I think all of our forwards have the ability to produce excellent attacking numbers, whether through goals or assists. But what pleased me most was our start. Throughout the first half, especially the first 15 to 20 minutes, we completely dominated the opponent and created huge pressure, while the goal was a natural result of that situation.

Alexander Isak's first year at Liverpool perhaps has not met expectations, and he has also suffered injuries. But if you continue providing him with passes like today, do you think his goals this season will keep coming?

No, I would not evaluate him only through goals. I have many demands and expectations for him. He needs to provide overall help to the team. We know that as long as he is on the pitch, stays healthy and is in good form like today, he will naturally produce good statistics. But most of my expectations for him are not limited only to goals.

With Champions League matches also starting this week, were the second-half substitutions made to control the pace of the game and give other players playing time?

No, the adjustments we made were to better win this match and not give the opponent any opportunities. Overall, I think we defended very well today. I do not remember Ipswich having any clear scoring chances. However, we still lacked some details in finishing and could have done better. In addition, we were unlucky to have two goals ruled offside by VAR, both by very small margins. This included Alex (Isak)'s situation, as well as some penalty disputes. At the beginning of the Premier League season, we may not always benefit from these small decisions. But fortunately, today we did not need those decisions to win the match.

Barcola also came on as a substitute today and completed his debut. Before the match, you mentioned that he had not played much during pre-season. How long do you think he needs to return to his best condition?

This was his first match since the World Cup, and he had not even played in warm-up matches before this. I think he is in good condition now and works very hard in training, but we have to be careful. I think the 30 minutes he played today showed a very good level. Although there were several occasions when he made runs in behind and we failed to deliver the ball to him, we also need to gradually become familiar with him and understand his movement habits, especially knowing when to play the ball behind the defense for him. Of course, I am very happy to have him.