Liverpool Did Not Deserve Defeat to City / Kerkez: We Have Yet to Absorb Iraola's Ideas

Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez, speaking at a press conference ahead of the Champions League match against LASK, discussed his team's situation under Andoni Iraola.

According to Sports Three, Liverpool's Hungarian defender Milos Kirkes said before the match with Austria's Lask that Andoni Iraola's students are still trying to fully implement the tactical demands of the new head coach in the middle of the ups and downs they have had in the season.

Liverpool face Las Vegas on Wednesday night in Austria after a 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester City, which was the Reds' first loss at Anfield under Andoni Iraola. Ryan Graubenbruch's controversial sending-off against City turned the tide of the game and Liverpool are still fuming about it. Iraola's men are looking for a quick reaction in the second game of the group stage of the European Champions League to forget the loss to City with a win against Lask. Liverpool's left back Milos Kerkes, who spent two seasons under Iraola at Bournemouth before moving to Anfield, assessed the team's condition in a press conference before the match.

Kirkez said about the team's process of harmonizing with the high-pressure style of the Spanish head coach: "Currently, our style of play is very high running, strong pressing and strong presence in the opponent's field, and all the players believe in this philosophy wholeheartedly. Of course, we still have a long way to go and we need to improve in different areas, but I believe we are moving in the right direction. We were really sad after the defeat against Manchester City. We gave a consistent and good performance until the 60th minute, but after the red card, the flow of the game changed. Many, including us players, felt that we deserved a better result, but in the end, the result recorded on the board is important. "The conditions were not ideal, but we have to hold our heads high and move forward."

The Hungarian left back said about his individual performance at Anfield: "At the moment, I have a much more stable situation and this is my second season in Liverpool. In the first year, I was more involved in adapting to the atmosphere of the team, but in football you have to constantly improve. "The long-term acquaintance I had with Iraola from my time at Bournemouth has made me carry out tactical orders much more easily on the pitch."

Liverpool traveled to Austria in a situation where the team's squad is limited due to injuries to key vertebrae. Kirkes explained about the competition schedule and the condition of his teammate and compatriot Dominik Soboslai: "The competition calendar is very tight and the games are back to back, but we are professional players and we have to take recovery very seriously. We have a high-quality squad and the presence of young players helps the team a lot. Regarding Dominik Soboslay's hamstring injury, I don't know the exact level of his fitness, but I know Dominik well and I know that he can't stand being away from the field for a long time. "He wants to be there for every game and he will definitely do everything he can to get to Saturday's game against Brentford."