Andoni Iraola blamed the second-half substitutions for Liverpool conceding three goals against LASK, with the Spaniard generally pleased with his side's Champions League showing
Andoni Iraola during a Liverpool press conference.
Andoni Iraola during a Liverpool press conference.(Image: Jasmin Walter - UEFA via Getty Images)
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola was delighted with his side's performance as they scored six goals against LASK in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Iraola's men demolished the Austrian Bundesliga outfit, with Bradley Barcola scoring a hat-trick and Florian Wirtz, Rio Ngumoha, and Lewis Koumas also impressing. And the Spaniard was especially pleased with the speed at which his attackers went for the kill in the final third in a ruthless display.
"I'm very happy with the performance," Iraola said at the final whistle at the Raiffeisen Arena. "Today, I think we were very aggressive with the ball. Sometimes you talk about aggressiveness without the ball, but I’m talking about with the ball.
"I think we took good positions, we moved the ball well, attacked the spaces well. We conceded those goals, but overall I think the performance was very good."
While Liverpool ran riot in attack, it also conceded three goals. All of those came when Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez were introduced off the bench in the second half.
"Probably the reason why the manager shouldn’t change both center-backs!" Iraola joked.
Liverpool's French midfielder #29 Bradley Barcola celebrates scoring the 1-5 goal, his hattrick, during the UEFA Champions League football match between LASK and Liverpool FC in Linz, Austria on October 14, 2026. (Photo by Branislav Racko / AFP via Getty Images)
Bradley Barcola raises three fingers after becoming the 13th Liverpool player to score a European Cup hat-trick for the club (Image: Branislav Racko / AFP via Getty Images)
"But we were already winning 4-0, and you have to think about the next game and saving the legs of the players. We didn’t defend properly at the end of the game."
Jeremy Jacquet was taken off having played a lot recently, and Ronald Araujo, who scored his first goal for the club in the first half, was also substituted. The Uruguayan is another who has got a lot of minutes in his legs lately.
"I think (Barcola) played so well today and not just the goals," Iraola added. "He had more chances to score, he was always a threat attacking the spaces in behind.
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"In training, sometimes you feel when a player is in the zone, and fortunately, tonight for us, he has shown the level that he has.
"And I think (Wirtz) was amazing in possession. I think he had lively passes, good assists, he helped us to control the game.
"Especially in the first half, where he was roaming around and finding good spots. It was a good game from Florian."
Liverpool.com says: Barcola and Wirtz playing well was great to see, and it is something to build on at the weekend. They won't have it so easy then, but they should have just received a major confidence injection.