Iraola admits Liverpool still have work to do after Monaco defeat

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola admitted his side still have plenty of work to do after they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Monaco in a friendly at Anfield on Sunday.

Liverpool let a two-goal lead slip for the second consecutive game, having previously suffered a 4-2 defeat against Leeds United earlier this month. The result has raised further questions over the Reds’ preparations ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United on August 23.

Liverpool started brightly against Monaco and looked in control during the opening stages. However, their performance dropped significantly as the game progressed, with Iraola acknowledging that his players were unable to maintain the intensity required for the full 90 minutes.

“We played really good in the first half, especially the first 30 minutes, but right now probably we don’t have much more in terms of the level required to play like this,” Iraola told the club’s TV channel.

The Liverpool boss pointed to fatigue as one of the main reasons behind the team’s second-half decline.

“We won the first two games but the last two, we cannot sustain the level that we want for all the game. As soon as we have made some changes they start to get tired, we cannot sustain that level, so we have work to do.”

The match also saw Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Cody Gakpo make their first appearances since the World Cup, giving Iraola an opportunity to assess several key players as Liverpool continue building towards the new season.

The manager believes the players will need more time and training before they are ready to consistently perform at the required level.

“The problem is right now probably they don’t have the energy for 90 minutes and they start to get tired,” said Iraola, who joined Liverpool in June following the departure of Arne Slot.

“It will take time with them, we need more training with them. But we can take a lot of positives, but also a lot of negatives from today.”

Iraola Provides Jacquet Injury Update

Iraola also provided an update on Jeremy Jacquet, with Liverpool taking a cautious approach after the defender suffered a shoulder injury in February and has recently been dealing with a knee problem.

The new signing was left out of the squad for the Monaco clash, with the Liverpool manager confirming that the club expects him to return soon.

“We were in doubt whether to put him in the squad today, we decided not but he should be fine for the next one. It is taking a little bit more time than we expected,” Iraola said.

With the Premier League season now approaching, Liverpool will be hoping to use their remaining pre-season fixtures to improve their fitness, consistency and ability to maintain their intensity throughout matches.