The manager of Liverpool, Andoni Iraola, has made a statement ahead of the official start of the season, setting uncompromising demands for every player in the team.
The Spanish coach made it clear from the outset that he will not tolerate a lack of full commitment on the pitch:
Intensity is something we won’t even negotiate on. If you can't meet that, you won't play. It's that simple.
Due to injuries, we have lost several players in defence, but I refuse to use that as an excuse. Every player has their job to do when the team is without the ball. We will endure together, defend together, and attack together.
The coach also touched on the subject of generational change and the departure of Mohamed Salah from the Merseyside club:
Mohamed Salah has left. We don't waste time looking back. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Virgil van Dijk, and Rio will be competing every day, as no one is guaranteed a place in the starting XI. That's the kind of environment we are creating.
Starting with the match against Leeds United, I want every opponent to know exactly what they are up against. I don't want teams to think they can come here and play football comfortably.
I don't measure success solely by the final score. I want opponents to leave the pitch mentally and physically exhausted, knowing they have spent 90 minutes in a fight they never controlled. If they leave feeling like they survived a game against Leeds United or Liverpool, then we are becoming the team I want to see.
Iraola's tough principles aim to restore the Reds' status as the most aggressive and physically dominant team in the Premier League.
