Iraola insists Liverpool must maintain intensity despite injury problems

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola says his side will continue to play at full intensity against Brighton on Sunday, despite a growing injury list and the demands of European football.

The Reds are expected to be without Dominik Szoboszlai, Jeremie Frimpong and Victor Munoz for Brighton’s visit to Anfield. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo have recently returned after suffering injuries while on international duty.

Iraola’s energetic approach at Bournemouth brought success and helped earn him the Liverpool job. However, this is the first time in his managerial career that he has had to manage the additional workload created by European competition.

“The way we want to play, you cannot play 70%,” Iraola said at his pre-match press conference.

“Imagine you don’t have a right-winger on the bench; I will put someone as a right-winger.

“I prefer to do this than you save your energy so you have to last 90 minutes. Give everything for 60 minutes, 65, 70, 72, then someone will do the 18, 35, whatever, because we need to play full gas.

“I would like to say we are good enough to play 70% and win games, but it’s not the case. We have to play our very best because the teams we have in front of us are very good.”

Liverpool are four points behind third-placed Brighton heading into the weekend. Brighton are the English Premier League’s leading scorers, having scored 23 goals in seven games.

“I think they are doing incredibly well,” Iraola said. “They deserved all the praise they are getting and I think there is little doubt there. I think it’s a team that is very well coached.

“We have to be at our very best to beat Brighton because now they are with confidence. But I also see my team in a good place.”

Szoboszlai returned from injury in last weekend’s victory at Brentford, but the Hungary international was forced off before the game had finished.

Iraola is hopeful the midfielder will not be out for an extended period, although he will not be available for Sunday’s match.

“I don’t think he’s far, but he hasn’t trained with the group still and also considering that we started him and he had to go out, we will probably take one or two days more than we would last week,” the Spaniard said.

“He’s in a good place. Dom is already training outside alone and he’s going to train with the group, but he’s not ready for this one.”