The Liverpool attack has witnessed the wingers switching sides with more regularity, and Andoni Iraola believes it will help his young forwards develop.
Iraola is not apologetic for rotating Rio Ngumoha's position
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 29: Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest FC at Anfield on August 29, 2026 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola defended the use of two young wide men in the first few weeks of the campaign.
Bradley Barcola has just arrived for £106 million from Paris Saint-Germain, so the Basque boss has needed to be flexible in his thinking. Fans have seen Cody Gakpo assist Alexander Isak from the right flank, where Rio Ngumoha has also featured, while Victor Munoz has played on both sides.
·'He needs to develop on the right'
Antoine Semenyo showed how the former Bournemouth boss was not afraid of asking his wingers to switch sides, and he feels that it is a demand that will allow his teenaged attackers to develop.
"I think we know Rio, because he has played there until now, probably his preferred position is on the left. But also, he needs to develop on the right so he can have more options to play. Because if you have both options, you can challenge for here and challenge for here.
"Rio is ready to do it and he's so young that because he hasn't been incredible in the first game we put him on the right, we cannot say, 'He cannot play on the right anymore.' Maybe it's going to take more time but sometimes until you don't put the player there in a competitive game, you don't know how they are going to answer.
·'We will need them all'
"Victor also has played more games kind of in the left wing during his career, but maybe he has even been better on the right with us. Sometimes it's a matter of the connections they make with the players around them. We trust all the wingers we have. I think they are all going to give us quality minutes.
"We will need them all. And Rio is incredible because it was his birthday, I think, yesterday or two days ago [and] we were saying happy 18th birthday, and he looks already like a settled football player in the Premier League - this is because he is very good, yes."