Andoni Iraola challenges his Liverpool players to embrace the schedule ahead of Saturday's trip to Brentford
Andoni Iraola (Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola (Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
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Andoni Iraola has challenged his players to embrace the hectic schedule as Liverpool get set for their third of nine games across 28 days at Brentford on Saturday.
Liverpool flew straight back from Austria on Wednesday night after beating LASK 6-3 in the Raiffeisen Arena and returned to the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby at around 12:30am on Thursday morning.
The Reds now head to the Gtech Stadium in west London with Iraola still sweating on the fitness of Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Dominik Szoboszlai, who could all join Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni on the list of absentees if they fail late fitness tests.
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But Iraola says he and his players can make no excuses, admitting the intensity of the schedule - which is new to him as head coach at Anfield - is something that is par for the course at a club of Liverpool's level.
"I think obviously it's more difficult when we have played yesterday night, we arrive here [at the training ground] quite late at night and we haven't slept the hours we normally sleep," Iraola said.
"But this is the challenge of playing, no? It's competitions like the Champions League and it's not going to just happen this week, It is going to be a constant thing this season so we have to adapt.
"We have to be ready, the same way it was a quick turnaround after Manchester City, this is going to be a quick one, the next one, we have like four that are just two days in between games. That is not normal but has happened this time and we have to adapt to these circumstances.
"But I think we could rest some minutes or some players yesterday and I expect everyone to be at their best mentally and physically. Because you know, Brentford, you cannot play comfortable against them, we know this, so we have to be ready for a battle."
Iraola added: “In this period especially, when we are basically playing every three days – almost less than three days – you need more players. That’s why we changed the team a little bit yesterday.
“We will need to change again at the weekend, we will need to change again when we face Villarreal in another three days.
“We need everyone, we will need everyone in one moment or the other. Everyone has to be ready because we will need him probably.”