SOCCER
Iraola explains defensive changes after Liverpool’s 6–3 win at LASK
Liverpool’s head coach discussed his defensive substitutions, Bradley Barcola’s hat trick and the young starters after a nine-goal Champions League match in Austria.
“I think there is a reason why managers would never change both centre-backs together,” Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola said after Wednesday’s 6–3 Champions League win at LASK.
Asked whether conceding three goals annoyed him, Iraola explained in his postgame press conference that he had rested Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet with Liverpool 4–0 ahead. Both had carried heavy club and international workloads, and Liverpool faced a trip to Brentford less than three days later. He acknowledged that replacing the pair together made the immediate defensive task harder.
Bradley Barcola scored a hat trick in the October 14 match at Raiffeisen Arena. Araujo, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also scored for Liverpool, while Robert Ljubicic and substitute Florian Flecker, twice, replied for LASK.
On the attacking performance, Iraola said: “I think we attacked really well, especially first half.”
He credited Liverpool’s movement between and behind LASK’s back five, and praised Koumas and Trey Nyoni after their first Champions League starts. Koumas scored his first goal in the competition.
Watch Iraola’s postgame press conference
Sources and notes
- Liverpool FC, October 14 postgame press-conference summary and official video: https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/andoni-iraola-post-match-reaction-lask-liverpool-champions-league
- UEFA official match record: https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/2049588--lask-vs-liverpool/
