"Home crowd has helped massively" | Andoni Iraola on Arsenal clash, title race & more — Transcript

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1. 0:00I'd like to start by reflecting on the
2. 0:01Carabao Cup. You had some really good
3. 0:04performers in that match and some of
4. 0:05them young players. I'm thinking of Trey
5. 0:08Nyoni.
6. 0:09Can you just talk to me about him and
7. 0:10his development and what you've seen in
8. 0:12him?
9. 0:13>> Uh we are very happy with Trey. I think
10. 0:15since the beginning now when we arrived,
11. 0:17I knew him a little bit from some videos
12. 0:19and this but
13. 0:21probably realized quite quite early now
14. 0:24that there was a player there.
15. 0:26And
16. 0:27he still is very young. He still has to
17. 0:29go through the steps.
18. 0:31We have to
19. 0:32help him in this process but I think
20. 0:35he's ready to
21. 0:36to contribute straight away and he's
22. 0:38playing basically all the games lately
23. 0:39now and
24. 0:41uh
25. 0:41being very young, I think he's
26. 0:43he's very mature. He understands very
27. 0:45well the game and
28. 0:47he's not very affected by the pressure
29. 0:48that is always very good with when you
30. 0:50are young.
31. 0:51>> When you do have an injury like the one
32. 0:53you've had with Szoboszlai and at the
33. 0:54moment you're not sure whether he will
34. 0:56be available for this weekend's game
35. 0:57against Arsenal or not.
36. 0:59It does have that trickle down effect of
37. 1:01producing opportunities and you're a
38. 1:03manager that's not shied away from using
39. 1:05the younger players. Do you think that
40. 1:07sends a really good message as well to
41. 1:08the academy that there's opportunity?
42. 1:11>> Yes, I think
43. 1:12when we decided in the summer now that
44. 1:14Koumas, Trey, Chambers, McConnell
45. 1:18were going to be part of the first team
46. 1:20squad is because
47. 1:22uh
48. 1:22we think they are able to do the job now
49. 1:25and obviously
50. 1:26they lack some experience normal
51. 1:29like everyone else at the at their age
52. 1:31but if these things happen, injuries,
53. 1:34suspensions that always happen
54. 1:36uh I think they are they are ready now
55. 1:38to to fill in and we can see it with
56. 1:41with Trey, with Rio, with a lot of the
57. 1:43players that are helping the team and
58. 1:45and performing really really well.
59. 1:47>> And you mentioned Rio there and he was a
60. 1:49great performer as well in this match.
61. 1:51I just I just wonder whether a lot of
62. 1:53the fans now who are thinking this is
63. 1:54the future of Liverpool Football Club
64. 1:56should adjust their thinking to this is
65. 1:58the now. They're here.
66. 1:59>> Yes, definitely. I think
67. 2:02they are
68. 2:03they are at a level where they can be
69. 2:05very well level for us today.
70. 2:07But still they have room to improve.
71. 2:10That is very good for them, no? Because
72. 2:11it means they will become even better,
73. 2:13no? And I think uh
74. 2:15these players definitely are going to be
75. 2:17there for us in the future, but
76. 2:20uh now they have to focus in today, in
77. 2:22helping us during this season, during
78. 2:24this busy schedule.
79. 2:26And we can't ask a lot more from them,
80. 2:29no? I think they are showing
81. 2:30personality, they are showing that they
82. 2:33want to work, they want to improve in
83. 2:34the things that they need to improve.
84. 2:35And I think attitude-wise also they are
85. 2:37in a in a good place.
86. 2:39>> I was watching the Carabao Cup match
87. 2:41against Chelsea on TV for this one. But
88. 2:43even I could sense that there was a
89. 2:45moment when Joe Gomez scored the penalty
90. 2:47in front of the Kop. The reaction from
91. 2:50the crowd, it felt amazing. And you
92. 2:52afterwards were talking about feeling
93. 2:54like you were at home. Can you expand on
94. 2:56on that and that moment, and was that
95. 2:58part of it making you feel like that?
96. 2:59>> Yes, I think
97. 3:02it's true that you see from the outside
98. 3:04and you are thinking, "Okay, Carabao
99. 3:06Cup, still early, it's not like the last
100. 3:08rounds of the
101. 3:10But once you start a game there with the
102. 3:12atmosphere that
103. 3:14we had the other day against Chelsea,
104. 3:15big game, uh
105. 3:18very competitive, I think everyone wants
106. 3:21to win. Everyone celebrates. And after
107. 3:24when you see, no, that everything goes
108. 3:25very tight, we have to shoot, I don't
109. 3:27know, for 10 15 penalties.
110. 3:29And Joe is the one scoring the last one.
111. 3:31First goal for him. So happy for him
112. 3:34because he's someone that has been
113. 3:36really unlucky with the injuries. He
114. 3:37gives everything training, great
115. 3:40attitude. He helps us a lot because he
116. 3:41has tons of experience and
117. 3:43to for him, no, to have this
118. 3:46this great moment, no, with Georgie at
119. 3:49the end celebrating, I think it's it's
120. 3:50really nice.
121. 3:51>> And when you were saying that you were
122. 3:52feeling more at home, do you think the
123. 3:54early part of the season was a little
124. 3:56bit of the fans working out what is
125. 3:58Eriola going to bring, what's that style
126. 4:00of football looking like? And and the
127. 4:02same for you working out the players and
128. 4:04the club and the community.
129. 4:05>> Yes, I think it's it's a matter of time,
130. 4:08no? I think
131. 4:10uh we have to earn the right, no? To to
132. 4:13belong. I always say it, but it's true.
133. 4:15And the more experiences we have, the
134. 4:17more good performances we have, no? It's
135. 4:19going to be easier for us to to feel
136. 4:22like the other day. I think
137. 4:24uh
138. 4:25players also want
139. 4:27uh to to show, no? That uh
140. 4:30it it's important for them. And I think,
141. 4:33no? If we can do it all together, we can
142. 4:36have the the performances. Sometimes,
143. 4:38even if you are not playing well, the
144. 4:40the character to go through difficult
145. 4:42moments, but be there winning the duels,
146. 4:44giving everything, not stopping,
147. 4:46continuing whatever is the the result. I
148. 4:48think people will be for us. This is a
149. 4:50guarantee. So, we have to do all the job
150. 4:53so we can
151. 4:54we can go do it all together after.
152. 4:56>> And currently five wins in a row, all
153. 4:58competitions. And one of the standouts
154. 5:00has been Alexander Isak, uh six goals in
155. 5:03his last six games.
156. 5:05For you, getting that out of him, and we
157. 5:08knew it was there. We'd seen him in
158. 5:09previous um incarnations when he was at
159. 5:11Newcastle. But do you feel you've
160. 5:13managed to tap into something that's
161. 5:14getting the maximum out of him at the
162. 5:15moment?
163. 5:16>> I think Alex is in a in a good place in
164. 5:19terms of
165. 5:20he's always been a good finisher. If we
166. 5:22can put him in in position around the
167. 5:25box,
168. 5:26I think he will deliver the the goal,
169. 5:28the results, no?
170. 5:29I think
171. 5:31uh he also knows that he has to help the
172. 5:33team so the team can play better and we
173. 5:35can give him more chances to score, no?
174. 5:37It's a symbiosis.
175. 5:38And I think he's understanding this and
176. 5:41he's improving, no? In other areas where
177. 5:43uh
178. 5:43he hasn't been as as as good, let's say,
179. 5:46no? So, after we can also give him more
180. 5:49chances to score, more options, and
181. 5:51uh I'm I'm I'm happy because I think
182. 5:53he's he's doing the job.
183. 5:55>> Going into a huge game against reigning
184. 5:57champions Arsenal this weekend, is he
185. 5:59the difference maker? When you look at
186. 6:00the two sides at the moment, do you
187. 6:02think I've I've got a striker at the
188. 6:04moment that's scoring nearly every
189. 6:05match.
190. 6:06>> I think there are a a lot of players who
191. 6:08can be difference makers in both both
192. 6:10the squads.
193. 6:12You see all the squad, they have all our
194. 6:15squad and it's not fair just to say,
195. 6:17"No, this player is going to be the key
196. 6:19because you never know." I think there
197. 6:20is quality
198. 6:22in both sides.
199. 6:23Uh
200. 6:24we have to do the job. We have to do the
201. 6:27all the sometimes the dirtiest stuff so
202. 6:30after our offensive players can shine.
203. 6:32>> Mhm.
204. 6:33>> And and
205. 6:34there are things that Arsenal do very
206. 6:35well that we have to match. Otherwise
207. 6:38uh they are going to be
208. 6:40uh better so everyone has to give
209. 6:43everything from the beginning in all
210. 6:45areas, in set plays, in defensively,
211. 6:47offensively, transitions
212. 6:50uh
213. 6:51because they are a very well-coached
214. 6:53team, very well they know each other
215. 6:54very well, very coordinated. So
216. 6:57if we if we are not at our very best,
217. 7:00it's going to be difficult.
218. 7:01>> Am I reading into that as well that
219. 7:03especially when I consider some of the
220. 7:04performances that you've had against
221. 7:06Arsenal previously and you've had a good
222. 7:07record, you can't over-rely on just one
223. 7:10player especially against a side like
224. 7:12this.
225. 7:13>> Yes, because they are all the time
226. 7:15switch on. They don't give you breaks.
227. 7:17You know, it's like sometimes they they
228. 7:19nothing happens and there is one moment,
229. 7:20"No, no." Arsenal will be there because
230. 7:22they are very consistent in their
231. 7:24performance.
232. 7:25Every throw-in, every
233. 7:27they will do the job and they are going
234. 7:29to be ready so we have to be the same.
235. 7:31We cannot switch off
236. 7:3310 seconds because they are going to
237. 7:34punish you so we have to keep this
238. 7:36concentration level especially against
239. 7:38Arsenal
240. 7:39very very high.
241. 7:40>> I know that this predates your time
242. 7:41joining the football club but it's a
243. 7:43really impressive statistic that against
244. 7:46reigning champions at Anfield, it was
245. 7:48December 2007 against Manchester United
246. 7:51the last time that you lost that
247. 7:54Liverpool lost.
248. 7:55Do you think that that's partly the
249. 7:57intimidation factor of this football
250. 7:59club, how huge it is, the environment?
251. 8:01>> Well, it's a it's a good stat. I
252. 8:02definitely like the know the the the
253. 8:04stat. We will try to keep it there, no,
254. 8:07uh for longer. Uh but
255. 8:09we have to be at our highest level
256. 8:12because I know the demands of the of the
257. 8:14game and
258. 8:16and
259. 8:17we'll have to be very good, but also I
260. 8:18think uh
261. 8:20we have a big advantage playing at home,
262. 8:22no, the atmosphere that we felt last
263. 8:24games at home has helped us massively
264. 8:26against the Villarreal when we started
265. 8:28losing, against uh Chelsea, I think the
266. 8:31other day against Brighton after a very
267. 8:33good start.
268. 8:34If we can produce, no, all together this
269. 8:37this this atmosphere, also you know it's
270. 8:39going to be difficult for us, no.
271. 8:40>> I know that it's early season, but if
272. 8:42you get the victory on Sunday, does that
273. 8:44change your ambitions? Do you come into
274. 8:46this season potentially looking at
275. 8:48Europe and then if you win this starting
276. 8:51to think about being more in the title
277. 8:52race?
278. 8:53>> I think it's very early whatever it
279. 8:54happens, no, we are still in October, so
280. 8:57I think now we are taking one game at a
281. 9:00time. We are playing every 3 days, so we
282. 9:02don't have a lot of time to reflect in
283. 9:04the overall picture.
284. 9:06Uh we want to finish this like
285. 9:09run of games, no, between international
286. 9:10break and international break in the
287. 9:12best way possible and knowing that it's
288. 9:14a very very important game. There will
289. 9:17be a still
290. 9:18uh 30 to play, no, after this one, so
291. 9:20it's it's very early.
292. 9:22>> Do you accept though that a lot of the
293. 9:23conversation might include you more than
294. 9:26if if if you do? I mean you look at the
295. 9:28media
296. 9:28>> it I hope it does. It means that we
297. 9:30would have won the game, no, but still
298. 9:33we we need to to win it first and
299. 9:36definitely will put us in a better
300. 9:37position in the standings,
301. 9:39but uh still, no, we'll be behind
302. 9:42some clubs and with a lot of work to do.
303. 9:46>> Thank you very much.
304. 9:46>> Okay.