Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has been talking ahead of the Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon
Andoni Iraola talks to his Liverpool players (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola talks to his Liverpool players (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Andoni Iraola has urged his Liverpool players to be "ruthless" as he faces a "strange" afternoon up against former club Bournemouth.
Iraola makes his first return to the South Coast side on Sunday since leaving at the end of last season after helping them to a first-ever European qualification and subsequently being appointed Reds boss.
Liverpool are unbeaten under the Basque but have dropped points in three of their four Premier League games.
By contrast, Bournemouth have yet to win a top-flight game under Iraola's replacement Marco Rose, although they did open their Europa League account with a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad on Thursday and have progressed to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.
And Iraola said: “On the personal side, I’m really looking forward to meeting them, to hug them, it’s players that I love, staff that I have been working with, that I appreciate so much.
“I was pushing for them yesterday when they were playing their first European game and I wish them all the best.
“But there is another part and that is the most important one right now: we need to go there and beat them and be as ruthless as possible. And leave all the talks for after the game.”
Liverpool have had the rare luxury of two extra days rest ahead of the game having last been in action on Tuesday with the 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in which Iraola made 10 changes.
And he added: "I think we have an advantage. Most of the times it is the opposite and we are the team that played the last.
"But also I know where we are going, what they have there, not only the stadium. You realise how difficult it is to beat Bournemouth.
“I don’t think they’ve changed too much, definitely not in terms of names. You see mostly the same starting XI, very few changes. Basically, they lost Marcos Senesi and they’ve signed (Antonio) Silva that is a very similar kind of player.
“I was lucky also to talk to Marco Rose before leaving. He hasn’t changed too much, they continue to be very dangerous and a very good team.
“It’s going to be a tricky one because they obviously know very well what we try to do, on the ball and without the ball. But I also have this advantage – I know their strengths, their weaknesses.
“In this case, it’s going to be strange for me. I don’t know if it’s a big advantage or a disadvantage, but it’s going to be different.”