Eiraola: Happy for Araújo, we want to win against Bournemouth

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola appeared at a press conference to discuss the upcoming match on Sunday against Bournemouth in the 5th round of the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium.

The coach spoke about Dominik Szoboszlai's goal against Tottenham, and whether the ball should be classified as a volley or a half-volley, saying: "I think we need a different word because I don't think it's a volley, and I don't think it's a half-volley. I don't think it's a volley because the ball bounced off the ground, and I don't think it's a half-volley because a half-volley, for me, is when the ball rises in its trajectory, then you hit it and score. But this ball bounced, then rose, then came down again, and then he struck it. I think we need to find a third word to describe it."

Liverpool's manager spoke about the inclusion of Rio Nguumoha and Alex Scott in Thomas Tuchel's England squad, two players he previously worked with at Bournemouth. He said: "I am very happy for them. They both fully deserve it. They also went to help the national team before the tournament, and I am sure they did a good job. I can only speak positively about both of them. Full merit, and they are very ready. I hope they enjoy this experience, yes."

Regarding Liverpool's physical advantage, especially since Bournemouth played a match in the Europa League on Thursday, Iraola explained: "Yes, I think we have an advantage. Most of the time it has been the opposite, as we are the team that played the last match. This time we played two days before them, even though we also had a midweek game. There should be an advantage for us, but I also know where we are going, and I know the numbers they have achieved there. Not just on the pitch, but overall. When you see all the matches Bournemouth has lost over a long period, you realize how difficult it is to overcome them. But I also think I have an advantage because I know them very well. And they have an advantage because they know me very well, so you never know who has the greater advantage in this regard."

Andoni Iraola continued discussing his return to Vitality Stadium, where he previously managed Bournemouth until June. He said: "On a personal level, I am really looking forward to meeting them and embracing them, the players I love, and the coaching staff I worked with and appreciate a lot. I was cheering for them yesterday when they played their first European match. I wish them all the best, but there is another side, which is the most important for us now. We need to go there and win and overcome them and be as decisive as possible. We will leave all the talk for after the match."

When asked about how different Bournemouth is now compared to the team he left, Liverpool's manager added: "I don't think they have changed much. Certainly not in terms of names. They mostly use the same starting lineup, with very few changes. They lost Marcos Senesi and signed Antonio Silva, who is a very similar type of player, the main ideas and philosophy haven't changed much. I was also lucky to speak with Marco Rose before my departure. Not much has changed, they are still a very dangerous team, and a very good team, yes."

Andoni Iraola has touched on the situation of Florian Wirtz, confirming his trust in the player. He said: "He should be evaluated like everyone. If he plays well, and if he doesn't play well... I always say: how does the team play when you are on the pitch? I value Florian a lot; he understands what we need from him and tries to help in all aspects of the game. Clearly, he also wants to add assists and goals, but he helps us in many different areas. Also, we could have given him some rest against Tottenham in the last match, which he needed because he has put in a lot of effort in the games."

Regarding the team's condition: "Everyone is ready to participate. We are in the same situation we were in; we have three long-term absences, namely Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leon, in addition to Federico Chiesa, who is suffering from a back injury. The others have no issues. We still need to train tomorrow and travel, but everyone is fine."

He continued: "With Bradley Barcola, the longer he plays, the better he gets. He came straight in without having played any minutes in pre-season, but he was in good physical condition. Like all players coming from other leagues, he will need some time to adapt to the Premier League. But he is very used to playing at a high level, and I see him in a good place, yes."

Liverpool's manager praised the abundance of options he has in the wide positions, explaining: "This is where we want to be in every position. In this case, for the players competing for the wide positions, in most matches, if not all, two of them will start, and two will come off the bench. And if that doesn't happen, we might be ahead in a game and see something different; in most matches, all four will participate, and that is good competition. It is good for me that the choice is not easy. We will need all of them. For me, it is a luxury to have this kind of options."

Andoni Iraola spoke about the start Ronald Araújo has made since joining Liverpool on loan from Barcelona, saying: "I am very happy for him, because the first time I spoke to him we knew each other because we played against each other, but not on a personal level. Sometimes you talk to a player and you feel the positivity straight away. I think he needed this kind of change, he came from a big club with humility and experience. We need him as a right-back, he plays right-back, we need him as a centre-back, he plays centre-back, we need him in another position, and I think he is ready to do that, physically as well, he has played more minutes than we expected at this early stage of the season. It is still early days, but he finishes games in good shape, and he is not suffering from cramps. Especially when you are a centre-back and you have to play out wide as a right-back, the demands are different. And it can be more exhausting. But he is handling these efforts well, I like his spirit. And now I am trying to push him to learn some language. One good way for us to benefit from his experience is for him to be able to communicate with his teammates a little and transfer all the experience he has to them. But I think it will take some time."

And about facing a team that knows their tactical style well, Iraola said: "It will be a complicated match because they know well what we are trying to do with the ball and without it. But I have this advantage too. I know their strengths and weaknesses, it happened to a lesser degree in the last match against Tottenham, because they have Solanke and Senesi and players I have previously coached, and perhaps, as we all do, they spoke with Roberto De Zerbi and now Marco Rose about the things we will do, it will be strange for me. I don't know if this is a big advantage or a disadvantage, but it will be different, yes."

Andoni Iraola concluded his remarks by praising Rio Nlongoha, after the player delivered notable performances recently. He said: "In the last match against Tottenham, for example, he didn't have the best start to the game. But I liked the way he came back after that. He lost some duels at the beginning, and Udogie is a strong player, it's not easy to face him, but after that, he did his job, and in the first and second goals, he was in the picture. Everything came from situations where he faced the opponent one-on-one and made good decisions. The attack ended on the other side, but he was part of it, that's what we are trying to instill in him. He still has to adapt to every match in the league because he is very young, at just 18 years old. But he has the quality that makes him capable of participating in this type of attack. I especially like his mentality because he doesn't say: I prefer to play here, but rather asks: what do we need? And he is ready to do it."