Liverpool players are already feeling the benefits of Andoni Iraola’s exhausting pre-season sessions.
Milos Kerkez knows more about the new Kop boss than most and is adamant Liverpool are intent on righting the wrongs of last season. His performances under Iraola at Bournemouth made him a £40m Liverpool left-back barely 12 months ago, with his marauding, aggressive style. And the defender is clearly delighted to be working once more with the coach who afforded him the freedom to become known as one of the most exciting attacking full-backs in England during their time together on the south coast.
On Iraola’s appointment, Kerkez says:
“I was delighted. I worked for him before and he improved me a lot in the two years that I spent with him.
“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.
“What makes him a special coach? 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’s very professional. He likes to talk sometimes but not a lot. He doesn’t want to get too close to some players and wants to show that everyone is the same in the team, so he doesn’t want to get too close to anyone in particular. He keeps it professional, with a lot of hard work.
“For example, 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.
“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 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.
“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.”
Kerkez speaks of a ‘new generation’ that is being shaped during pre-season and he is relishing the opportunity to take on more seniority.
“I don’t care about pressure,” he says. “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.”
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