Iraola hails Liverpool’s resilience in win at Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola went back to the club he spent three years building and left with the result he wanted, but not before a nervy opening spell forced him to watch his old team cause problems for his new one. Liverpool won 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium, with Alexander Isak’s second-half finish enough to see off a stubborn Bournemouth side.

It didn’t start well. Iraola admitted his players took too long to match the intensity Bournemouth brought from kick-off, a trait he knows better than most given he spent three seasons drilling it into them himself.

“To win here is very difficult, I know it very well,” Iraola said. “I was disappointed with the first 20, 25 minutes. I think we didn’t start the game with the intensity the game required.”

Liverpool grew into the contest as the half wore on, eventually finding the breakthrough after the interval when Cody Gakpo’s driving run down the right created the opening for Isak to finish from close range. It was Isak’s fourth league goal of the season, though Iraola stopped short of pure praise for the striker, making clear he expects more consistent end product to go with the wider work Isak already puts in.

“He has to help us to be closer to the box, to play in the opposition half, to have meaningful possession, and then, if the team is playing there, he will receive the rewards in terms of goals,” Iraola said.

Defensively, the picture continues to improve. The clean sheet was Liverpool’s third in a row in the league, and Iraola pointed to growing familiarity between his back four as the reason. Jeremy Jacquet, still adjusting to English football after a summer move and now into contention for a first France call-up, came in for specific praise.

“I think the more time — especially the defenders — they play together, I think it becomes more solid as a unit in the defensive line,” Iraola said. “He’s still very young, he is adapting really well to the Premier League.”

There’s little time to enjoy the win. Liverpool head into the international break before a run that packs Champions League football, matches against the league’s other leading sides, and a Carabao Cup tie with Chelsea into a short stretch of fixtures.

“We are ready not just for that game, but for the run of games that we have that is going to be demanding,” Iraola said.

Personal feelings were harder to put aside than tactical ones. Asked about seeing his former club again, Iraola didn’t try to hide his affection for a place he took into Europe for the first time in its history.

“It looks nicer — everything,” he said. “I love this club.”