Iraola: We May Have Underestimated Araujo's Attacking Ability, the Assist Was Definitely Intentional

In the first round of the Champions League league phase, Liverpool came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 at home. After the match, Liverpool manager Iraola accepted an interview with the club's official media.

Coach, congratulations on getting off to a winning start. How do you evaluate the performance tonight?

I am very satisfied with the overall performance. I think the team showed resilience. It was not easy to concede so early, but after conceding, I think we improved a lot. Our performance was already much better before the end of the first half, and especially in the second half, we made some necessary tactical adjustments, after which our performance improved significantly. We also enjoyed the atmosphere at the stadium. I think this was a special night, and I am really fortunate to experience such an atmosphere.

The team showed a very strong mentality after falling behind. What specific adjustments did you make at halftime? It seemed that more space was restricted in the second half.

I take part of the responsibility. I would slightly blame myself because Atletico Madrid lined up in a formation that we did not expect, and they had not used it earlier this season. We are still in the process of building understanding, and after they changed their formation, we could only try to adjust on the pitch. Without enough training time, this is always difficult. After we conceded the first goal, the team adjusted better, and we had a few minutes to communicate some instructions. From then on, the team improved a lot. Especially after halftime, we could reorganize everything, and I think the second-half performance was much better.

Did they change from a back four to a back five? How difficult is it to communicate that information on the pitch?

Making adjustments during the match is indeed very difficult, especially because we do not have this kind of experience yet. The next time we face a similar situation, we should have experience in this area.

But I also did not want to change everything immediately at the start, because before conceding, I thought we played well. We had two or three chances that made me feel we could score first, but it did not happen. After conceding, we had enough time to make adjustments and improve our performance. I think the players also showed fighting spirit, and the fans gave us a lot of help in the second half.

You mentioned the fans several times. Tonight was an important moment for you, and you also brought in several defenders. Araujo provided a very impressive assist for the goal. How was his performance at both ends of the pitch?

Ronald (Araujo) has had a very good start to the season. We know his defensive ability is very good, but we may have underestimated his attacking ability. The assist he provided for Dom (Szoboszlai) was definitely intentional; he knew exactly what he was doing.

I also want to mention Kostas (Tsimikas) and Frimpong. They may have been disappointed because they did not start, but we need them. They were ready and played very well, helping us finish the match smoothly. I think this is exactly what a good team needs.

Was Bradley Barcola suffering from cramps or was he injured in the final stages of the match?

We were very worried at the time, but I think it was only cramps. For Bradley, the most important thing now is to gradually build up his fitness. We actually do not know what level his physical condition can reach because he barely played during preseason. He previously played 30 minutes and performed well, so today we decided to let him play more. We did not know whether he could last 60 to 70 minutes, and perhaps today he reached his limit. Next we need to recover because there is another match in three days, but he is not injured and there is nothing that will affect his physical condition.