Iraola: I told the club in my first week that Kumas would stay for the entire season

At 22:00 Beijing time on September 12, Liverpool will host Fulham in the fourth round of the Premier League. Ahead of the match, Liverpool head coach Iraola attended a press conference, and this is the third part of the press conference.

Before the start of the season, you mentioned that the team's fitness levels had not yet reached the standard required to execute your high-intensity style of play. How do you view the current situation?

Yes, when I talked about this at the time, I was not only referring to the physical aspect, but also to the mentality in matches and the ability to maintain a high level of concentration throughout the full 90 minutes. Looking at things now, our second-half performances may have been better than our first-half performances, which means we have been very strong in the closing stages of matches. However, we still need to complete 90 minutes of high-quality football rather than relying only on the start or only on the second half. We need to remain complete and consistent from beginning to end.

However, I have seen that the vast majority of players are currently in very good physical condition. Of course, we have some special cases, such as Bradley Barcola, who did not go through a complete pre-season training period and therefore experienced cramps. There are also some players who had minor injuries or illnesses before and whose pre-season preparation was slightly incomplete, so they may not have returned to their best individual condition yet. Overall, though, I think the whole team is on a good path.

Regarding Louis Kumas, at the beginning of this summer, many people may have expected the young player to go out on loan to gain experience this season. However, he stayed, you gave him his Premier League debut, and you also gave him playing time in the Champions League in midweek. What qualities about him left such a deep impression on you? For other young players hoping to follow his path, do you think he is a good example?

Regarding Kumas, in my first week after arriving here, I had already clearly told the club that he would stay for the entire season. I had almost no hesitation because he is a versatile player who can cover positions 7, 9, 10 and 11. He trains extremely hard, has an excellent attitude, is a very good player, and has the ability to score goals.

Of course, like every young player, he still needs to add and improve many things. But he had already gained considerable experience in the highly competitive Championship, and I think he is ready to help us. I really like the contribution he brings to the team on the pitch. Whether we were in a difficult situation while trailing, such as the previous away match against Newcastle United, or when we were leading in midweek, he was able to provide real help for the team in both different match situations. I am very happy to have him.

From a mentality perspective, it seems that nothing can make him feel afraid, such as coming on as a substitute in a major match and quickly making his mark...

Yes, I think he clearly understands what he needs to do. What he needs to do is give everything to help the team—sometimes he needs to control possession, sometimes he needs to make off-ball runs, and sometimes he needs to pull defenders away and attack spaces to create opportunities for teammates to receive the ball. He understands this very well. When a player has this kind of mentality, it is usually a great benefit for the whole team.