Andoni Iraola is already putting his Liverpool players through gruelling pre-season sessions, with Milos Kerkez revealing that the intensity leaves them lying on the floor after training.
Kerkez reunited with former Bournemouth boss
The left-back, who joined Liverpool for £40m after impressing under Iraola at Bournemouth, is delighted to be working with the coach again. He believes Iraola's methods are exactly what the team needs to improve on last season.
“I was delighted. I worked for him before and he improved me a lot in the two years that I spent with him,” Kerkez said. “I was happy for myself but also for the team. Everyone knows what type of football he plays so I think he is the perfect fit for us.”
Intensity and running as punishment
Kerkez described what makes Iraola special: “The intensity. He’s not scared to play one-on-one all over the pitch, to press high and to be on the front foot always. If you see footage of how we all are after training, all lying down, then you can see what he is preparing us for. You definitely needs legs and good condition for what he wants us to do, but we will be alright.”
He also highlighted the manager's 'consequences' games: “When we play some games with three or four teams he calls it ‘consequences’ and the losing team and the team that finishes second has to run. How much you have to run depends on what he decides in that moment, but there is always running for the team that loses. He’s intense and he likes details.”
Defence first, freedom second
Kerkez explained Iraola's philosophy: “He always told me that defending is really important, for him that is first of all, and because you are a full back you need to defend hard. Everything you can do in front of you is like a bonus. So I was always focused first on defending and then running forward to help the wingers.”
He added that once defensive duties are done, Iraola allows freedom: “He showed me that when you do your job then you are free to do what you want, so I felt free with him. We had a good team. It was not me, we were playing well as a team at that time. He lets you be more free to do your stuff.”
New generation and no pressure
Kerkez spoke about Liverpool's pre-season adaptation: “The guys are doing good. The first couple of sessions, they were getting used to it but now they are getting better. The guys like how he works. I like it, they like it. It is going to suit the team perfectly.”
He dismissed talk of pressure, saying: “I don’t care about pressure. It’s a normal thing that comes with the job. You play good. You play bad. It’s process, it’s all about growing. If you play bad, in three days you have another game. Everyone is going to forget how you played three days ago. There is always a new game coming and then you have to do good stuff. That’s it. I don’t like that pressure stuff. I grew up a bit different in Serbia. It’s just your job. Do your own damn job.”
