Andoni Iraola insisted he never doubted Cody Gakpo even after the Liverpool forward nearly quit Anfield. Gakpo could have left in the final days of the transfer window after Manchester City launched a bid to sign him, but Liverpool blocked the move after failing to find replacements.
Gakpo Shines in First Win
Holland international Gakpo provided both assists for two-goal Alexander Isak in what was Liverpool's first win under Iraola. The victory came against Ipswich and marked Iraola's first win as Liverpool manager after two draws in their opening fixtures.
Iraola said: "Cody knows how much we value him. There is no doubt. I rate him very highly. There might be, obviously, strong competition for minutes because we have good players there in those positions."
Competition for Places
"It's a matter of pushing each other. With Bradley Barcola, with Rio Ngumoha, with Victor Munoz, it's a matter of sometimes they will start, sometimes they will come from the bench, sometimes they will not play, but this is competition."
"Cody has been very good all preseason. He started the season very well, producing numbers today. Then after the two assists, he finishes as number nine to help us close the game. I think it's good to have Cody because he can play in three positions up top, like other of our players. To have him in this place for this particular position is good."
Isak and Barcola Impress
Iraola was also full of praise for Isak, who has now got three goals this season, which is as many as he got for Liverpool in the entire Premier League campaign last year. Bradley Barcola also got his debut as a substitute after his £106m move.
Iraola added: "If he's fit, if he's available, if he's in a good shape, I think he will produce the numbers. My demand with Alex will not be about the goals. Probably, it will be about other things. I will demand other things so we can play well. And if we play well, we are in good positions. The goals will come. I think he has to contribute to the collective. And when everyone helps, I think the goals and the result will come."
Managerial Reactions
"Bradley has not played a single minute since the World Cup, so we needed to be careful. I'm happy because 30 minutes is going to be good for his fitness for his build-up, and we will continue because now we play a lot of games. So he will have the chance to play. I think two points also don't reflect our two first games. So definitely, we couldn't lose anymore and I'm happy because I think we controlled it well today."
Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil insisted he was happy with his team and "proud of his players." He added: "After the first two goals, we recovered and matched them and were arguably the better team at times."
