Iraola: Need a New Word to Describe Szoboszlai's Spectacular Goal; Very Pleased with Wirtz

In Matchday 5 of the Premier League, Liverpool will travel to face Bournemouth. Ahead of the match, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola, who will face his former club, held a press conference to answer media questions. Below is the first part of that press conference.

Andoni, first of all, I'd like to know your thoughts on the discussion about Dominik Szoboszlai's goal? Is it truly a volley or not?

Someone already reminded me! Clearly, it's a hot topic now. Honestly, I think we need to create a new word, because I don't think it's a volley, nor is it a half-volley. I don't think it's a volley because the ball bounced; I also don't think it's a half-volley, because for me, a half-volley is when the ball is rising, and you strike it and score. That's a half-volley. But this ball bounced first, then rose, then came down again, and then was struck. So I think we need to find a third word to describe it.

Your reasoning seems entirely consistent with what any ordinary Liverpool local would actually think.

I don't know, it's very difficult to define. It's rather difficult to discuss this here. But it's clearly become a big issue, well, that's good.

Rio Ngumoha has been called up to the England national team, and Alex Scott, a Bournemouth midfielder who you previously coached, has also been called up. Can you speak about their progress and how you see their future on the international stage?

I'm very happy for them both. I think they truly deserve this honour. Both have been helping England's preparations before a major tournament, and I'm confident they will perform very well. I have nothing but praise for both of them; they deserve it, they are fully ready, and I hope they both enjoy their experience with England.

So, back to the match against Bournemouth, do you have an advantage in terms of player recovery time compared to Bournemouth this week?

I think we do have an advantage. Often it's the opposite—we frequently play last—but this time our match is two days earlier than theirs, even though we also have a midweek fixture. So I think this should be seen as an advantage.

But I also know what kind of away match we'll face. I know their statistics here very well, not just their home record but their overall performance. If you look at how many matches they've lost over a long period, you'll realize how difficult it is to beat Bournemouth.

However, another advantage I have is that I know them very well, and their advantage is that they know me very well. So in this situation, you can never really know who has the upper hand.

How do you feel about this? What's it like for you to be in the away dugout this time?

From a personal emotional perspective, I'm really looking forward to seeing them and hopefully being able to embrace them. There are players I care for, and staff I greatly respect and have worked with. Yesterday, when they played their first European match in their history, I also cheered for them, and I wish them all the best.

But there's another side, and that's what matters now—we have to go there and win the match, beat them as convincingly as possible, and save all the good memories for after the game.

Andoni, how is this Bournemouth team different from the one you left? In your analysis of their season so far, they've scored first in all but one Premier League match, yet failed to claim full points. Have you noticed this?

I think they haven't changed much. At least not in the squad. They're essentially using the same starting lineup, with minimal changes. But fundamentally, they lost Marcos Senesi, and then recruited Antonio Silva, who is a player with a very similar style.

Therefore, their core tactical ideas and football philosophy—I was also fortunate enough to speak with Marco Rose before I left—haven't changed much, and they remain a very threatening and very good team.

I'd like to ask you about Florian Wirtz. During his time at Liverpool, there's been some criticism of his statistical output. Jürgen Klopp emphasized this week, when discussing his call-up to the Germany national team, that we shouldn't always expect to see spectacular moments from him. So what do you expect from him? And by what standard should he be judged?

He should be judged like anyone else. It depends on whether he's playing well. The main point, which I often emphasize, is how the entire team plays when he's on the pitch. I'm very satisfied with Florian's performance. I appreciate him greatly. He knows what the team expects from him and works hard to help the team in all aspects of the game.

Of course, he himself wants to improve some—how should I put it—assists or goals, but he contributes to the team in many other aspects on the pitch. Additionally, we gave him some rest a few days ago, which I think he really needed, because he was giving everything in that match.

Finally, one more question: are there any new injury concerns before this match? We saw Joe Gomez earlier, are there any new injuries in the past week?

No, everyone is available. Our injury situation is the same as before. Three long-term injuries—Bradley, Ekitike, and Leone—plus Chiesa. Everyone else is fine, all good. We have another training session tomorrow and then travel for the away match, but everyone is in good condition at the moment.

Hi, Andoni. Barcola's playing time has increased as he's featured in more matches. What's your current assessment of him? Has he fully returned to his best form, or is he still searching for it?

Regarding Barcola, of course, the more he plays, the better his performance. He joined the team and played immediately, without a pre-season adaptation period, but his physical condition is good. I think, like all players who move from another league, he needs time to adapt to a new league and the pace of the Premier League. But he's very accustomed to playing at a high level, and I think he's in very good condition at the moment.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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