Liverpool FC head coach Andoni Iraola was pretty upfront about his team’s lack of defensive nous in the 3-2 away defeat to Fenerbahce in the UEFA Champions League.
In the post-match press conference, Iraola was pretty blunt about the way the game went, and refused to blame rotation as a possible reason for the lapses in concentration. Select quotes from the presser:
“The main reason I can find to lose the game is we conceded [from] three set-pieces. It’s something that we were doing very well in the league,
I think we were dealing [with it] quite well until today. We knew it was one of the strengths of Fenerbahce, but we concede from a free-kick, from a corner, even from the long throw at the end.”
“They are goals that have hurt us because we have twice gone in front after having good moments, controlling the game, arriving. We found the goals. But after, we conceded in situations that we definitely should defend better.”
On his team giving away ‘cheap’ goals…
“Yes, as you say, they are cheap goals. They are messy goals. It’s a free-kick; it’s quite far also the free-kick. You know, it is through the wall, [they are] mistakes that can cost you. The last goal… it is a long throw, the first phase is control, but after a very long ball and Muriqi wins it.”
“The second one is, I think Cody is the one touching the ball just in front of Ali [Alisson Becker]. In the stadium it was almost impossible to communicate because it was so noisy. It was even difficult for me to give any kind of instruction. It was, I suppose, difficult there, the communication between Ali and Cody.”
On making five changes to his XI…
“We’ve done this not just today. We’ve been doing it all season and all the games we’ve played midweek. I think we’ve been changing at least four, five, six, seven players. Because of the schedule that we have, it’s impossible to maintain with always the [same] starting XI. I think we have been dealing well with these rotations. I trust the squad to sustain the level.”
“I don’t think it was the main reason why we lost, I think some of the players that didn’t play on the weekend have played a good game. We have to look more at how we conceded the goals [and] the reason why we didn’t win because after I think we had good moments, especially on the ball where we could score our two goals.”
On if conceding overall control or whether the way the goals were conceded was more frustrating for him…
“I think we had, before scoring the goals, some very good moments on the ball. I think we’re having very good offensive situations. The thing is we concede almost straight away. We don’t have a lot of time after the goal. Also, it’s the way we conceded goals. It’s a long free-kick. I don’t even think it was a foul, but it doesn’t matter. It’s situations that we’ve been dealing [with] well until today.”
“It’s something that we were very aware of in pre-season. We’ve reinforced a lot the defensive set-play situation. We are doing very well in the league but today it has cost us. We know they are strong there, especially with Muriqi, with [Romelu] Lukaku, with the centre-backs, but maybe the last goal is the only one that is because they are strong in there, they are tall. The others are situations that we have to control better.”
It’s a humbling result… but it’s also been a pretty brutal stretch of fixtures, so I’ll give the team some grace. The Reds are still in a good position in the competition, and as we know from past experience, going all out in the group stage doesn’t guarantee a favourable matchup once the knockout stage begins.
It’s on to the next game for Liverpool: a trip to London for Premier League action against struggling Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park before the international break kicks in.
