Iraola: Delay in substitution still unexplained; Gakpo would have been substituted before the goal

Following Liverpool's 2-2 home draw against Nottingham Forest in the second round of the Premier League, Liverpool manager Arne Slot attended a press conference to address questions from the media.

Andoni, you said before the match that it takes time for the team to get back on track and gel together, but that doesn't mean you don't expect to win now. You obviously want victory. How do you feel about what you saw on the pitch today?

I think that's clear enough, isn't it? Our performance in the first half was terrible. I don't think we played well enough or controlled the game. After that, I think we improved significantly in the second half. We played much more proactively, passed the ball quicker and with more urgency. I felt we played much better, but it wasn't enough to win the game. I think we paid the price for our first-half performance.

Are you frustrated? You seem more frustrated than usual.

Yes, I'm frustrated because we always want to win, especially at home, and not winning at Anfield is never a good result. It's true we've come back before, like against Newcastle the other day, but ultimately, what can change things is a victory—those three points. I liked our second-half performance, but we couldn't complete the comeback, and getting just one point is really frustrating.

Tell us about that penalty, because it looked like you were about to make a substitution, and then the opponent did a quick throw-in, which led to the defensive play that resulted in the penalty.

Yes, I can't explain it because I didn't receive an explanation either. I wanted to make that triple substitution about three minutes before. The ball went out of play two, three, or even four times during that period, but I still don't understand why the substitution couldn't be completed. I think the fourth official must have had some issue with the substitution board or something at that moment. Actually, if the game had been stopped for my substitution, that quick throw-in would never have happened, because everyone was waiting for the substitution. So if I had requested a substitution—and not just once, I even protested the last time the ball went out—everyone at that moment, including the supporters, were shouting, and everyone understood the situation. But I don't know why they didn't execute the substitution. As for the penalty, I'll leave it to you to judge whether it was a penalty.

Andoni, what about Víctor Muñoz? He's had a significant impact for you in critical moments in two consecutive matches. How satisfied are you with him?

I think Víctor has done very well in these two matches. What I appreciate about him is... although sometimes he doesn't make the best choices, and sometimes there are some fouls, and things aren't perfect, he always keeps trying. He keeps going forward again and again, and I really like that tenacity in a winger. The other day he won a penalty, and today he scored a goal. I think he's always a threat. And defensively he helps us a lot too, so yes, I'm very satisfied with him.

Andoni, how satisfied are you with Wirtz's performance? He was very unlucky not to score today.

Yes, while acknowledging and accepting that we played poorly in the first half, we also had some very bad luck. Because, to be honest, their goal, looking at it live, seemed offside, but perhaps due to someone's heel position, VAR made that decision. And Wirtz's goal... I don't think Nottingham Forest even protested at the time, and we really didn't notice any problem, and then VAR made a decision against us. If Wirtz had scored that goal, it would have been great for us and for him personally, and a 1-1 scoreline at halftime would obviously have put us in a much better position for the second half. He dealt with the second goal very well too. He was excellent, and Wirtz is very good. I trust him completely, absolutely, and I think we need to find the best way to use him. In my opinion, his position on the pitch is very clear. The more matches he plays with us, the better he'll perform, I have no doubt about that.

It seems the deal for Barcola is very close to being finalized. Do you have anything to add to what you said the other day and what he could bring to the team?

I can't reveal any different news at the moment. There are indeed some transfers in progress, which is normal since we're now in the final days of the transfer window, but now we have to wait. I hope the squad is finalized by September 2—"this is our squad"—so we can work in a defined environment. At the moment, everything is still full of uncertainties, and that's true for all teams, but these are the rules of the game, and now we just need to wait a few days, and then, after the transfer window closes, we'll work with the squad we have.

Gakpo obviously provided an assist. Do you also see him as an option on the right wing?

Yes, regarding wingers, I think they need to adapt. Obviously, they usually have their preferred positions, but we generally analyze the opponent's setup and what they need to do on each flank. Sometimes we even decide during the game to switch Ngoumou and Muñoz. I think they need to be adaptable. Honestly, before we scored, he was one of the players who would have been substituted, but he made a brilliant play, and then we gained momentum, so I decided to keep them on the pitch for a bit longer, about three or four minutes, to see if we could capitalize on that momentum and score another goal. After the game slowed down a bit, we decided to make the substitutions. But whether it was that goal or the other, I think both were very good.

Andoni, if you finish this transfer window with four wingers in your squad (which is very likely to happen), do you think the rest of the squad is good enough to achieve your ambitions for this season?

What we're discussing now are just hypotheticals, because we won't know the final squad until September 2. You understand? So I think any analysis I can make should be based on when the dust settles. By then, I'll know who will be here for the entire season, or at least until January. So, since we've waited all summer, we just need to wait another two or three days until the transfer window closes, and then we can assess and see what squad we have on hand.

Traduzido por IA.

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