Eiraola: Victory over Bournemouth deserved and we must prepare for a tough month

Andoni Iraola, Liverpool's manager, praised his team's victory over hosts Bournemouth by a score of 1-0 on Sunday, in the Premier League, affirming that the win was deserved despite a difficult start to the match.

Iraola said: "I think the win was deserved. I felt disappointed during the first 20 or 25 minutes because we didn't start the match with the intensity it required. Winning here is very difficult, and I know that well. Bournemouth usually starts their matches strongly, and we needed 20 or 25 minutes to reach the required level, and since then, especially at the end of the first half and in the second half, we played better, created better situations with the ball, and managed to win the match."

Speaking about Alexander Isak's winning goal, he said: "This is the striker's job. He had some crosses that he didn't deal with properly, and a chance he couldn't control, then this ball came. He needs to help us get closer to the penalty area, play in the opponent's half, and have effective possession, and when the team plays in these areas, he will be rewarded by scoring goals."

And Iraola spoke about his assessment of the first month of the season, saying: "I think we have improved overall, certainly compared to the first matches. There are still things we need to improve, in fact, a lot of them. I am happy that we kept a clean sheet today for the third consecutive match in the league. It was a tough match, and I knew you wouldn't play comfortably here, because Bournemouth usually doesn't allow you to play freely, they put you under pressure, and you have to adapt and win in such matches."

He added: "We have to prepare because the fixture list ahead of us is very difficult. We will face teams from the top four, and among these matches, there will be games in the Champions League, then Chelsea in the League Cup, all within two or three days. So we need to be ready because next month after the break will be very tough for us."

The Spanish coach praised the team's defensive development, especially after achieving three consecutive wins in the league, stating: "The longer the defenders play together, especially, the more solid the defensive line becomes as a unit. Jakie and Virgil van Dijk, with the help of Ronald Araújo and Miloš Kerkez now, have started to build harmony. I believe the team has become more solid, and in the moments when we need to defend the lead or when the opponent puts us under pressure, I think we show up well."

Iraola praised defender Jérémie Jacquet after his first call-up to the France national team, saying: "I am happy for him, as he has also received his first international call-up. He will join the France national team, which is a great team, and I know he is happy about that. He is still very young, but he is adapting very well to the Premier League. In the early matches, he felt the change in pace physically, and he would finish matches suffering from cramps and being very tired, and we had to substitute him. Today was a step forward, and he performed strongly until the end, finishing the match in good physical condition. I hope he continues this development."

Regarding the team's plans during the international break, Iraola explained: "We will continue training, but it is true that we are training with only four or five players, as most of the team will be with their national teams. The players will now get a few days of rest, and after that, we will continue working with the players who will stay here. Then we will prepare well when the others return, and we will probably have no more than three days to prepare for the Manchester City match. We are ready not only for this match but for the series of matches that await us, which will be full of challenges."