Liverpool Must Stop Starting EPL Games Slowly – Iraola

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has challenged his players to eliminate their habit of starting games slowly. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

Despite remaining unbeaten since taking the hot seat, the Spaniard revealed that he is wary of the physical and mental toll required to constantly fight back from losing positions.

Iraola added that while the team’s spirit is strong, life would be much simpler if they stopped giving opponents a head start.

His words, “I think the team has goals in it. In all the games we’ve been dangerous, we’ve created chances, we scored two goals [in every game], we could have scored more in some of those games, but now it’s about being more efficient.

Not conceding the two goals against Newcastle, not conceding the goals against Forest, and also when the goals come because I think we are not starting too well in the games.

We had the positive precedent of Ipswich and the games look much more comfortable when you start like this.

The other games, we started losing and then you have to do a lot of effort to come back,’ the Spaniard explained. ‘I would like obviously to score the first goal and then everything looks easier, but we need to have the right mentality.

Against Atletico I think we had a chance after something like 15 seconds, Alex [Mac Allister] had a very clear chance to score and then everyone says “incredible start,” you score and it changes, but I think the start of the games is probably one of the parts where we can be a little bit better.

In the second half we’ve normally been better, but I want to try and impose ourselves from the beginning because it becomes easier, everything.

We have played just three Premier League games and to make big conclusions about any team, I think it’s too early, and I think Fulham is a great example,’ the Liverpool boss remarked. ‘I think they have played well in the three games, honestly.

They’ve lost the three games by one goal. I think if you see a lot of the stats they have and you don’t know the points they have, you will think they have five points at least because they’ve been controlling the games.”