Andoni Iraola Demands Liverpool Finish the Job Against LASK in Champions League Test
Liverpool have started their Champions League campaign properly, with a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield, but that only counts for so much if they follow it with a sloppy result in Austria. That is the point Andoni Iraola is making before the trip to face LASK.
The Liverpool head coach is not dressing it up. Away games in Europe are awkward, momentum disappears quickly and one careless night can leave a group-stage campaign looking far more complicated than it needs to be. Liverpool have three points already. Now they need to back that up.
Liverpool warned over LASK threat
Iraola said: “Champions League away games are always tough, we know this. It’s a team that in their competition, they won the competition. They are normally dominant, they spend a lot of time on the ball. And they have to change their approach a little bit when they go to face stronger opposition in the Champions League.
“We have this season the precedent of Celtic losing here 5-1 in extra-time. We have to respect them.
“Obviously we want to come here and win. I assume that probably we are the favourites but you have to come here, do the job and play well, because otherwise away games in the Champions League are never easy.”
That is the reality. LASK may not carry the same profile as Europe’s established elite, but they are domestic champions, they are organised and they know how to make home matches uncomfortable. Liverpool will have more quality, but quality only matters if it is applied properly.
Champions League points matter early
Iraola also made clear that Liverpool cannot afford to drift through the early part of this competition. “The Champions League is a competition that everyone wants to play in.
“I could feel it in the first game against Atletico Madrid. It was a lovely atmosphere, a lovely win. We started the competition well and we want to continue in the same way.
“We want to continue with a win in this case away, because [not] winning in this competition is very expensive.
“So, we want to take the points that we need early, because otherwise you put yourself in trouble.”
Simple enough. Liverpool have made a decent start in the Champions League. Against LASK, they need to prove it means something.
