Iraola Explains Liverpool Tactical Tweak that Unlocked 'Ruthless' Ngumoha

· GiveMeSport

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has explained how he unlocked Rio Ngumoha against Villarreal on Tuesday night.

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has explained how he further unlocked Rio Ngumoha against Villarreal after a bright first half . The Reds got off to a terrible start at Anfield, slipping to a two-goal deficit against the Yellow Submarine , and it would have been three had it not been for an Alisson Becker save.

But Iraola's men rallied back through headed goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Ronald Araujo, with Ngumoha providing the assist for the second. After the break, Ngumoha once again burnt Villarreal left-back Sergi Cardona with a brilliant first touch and a direct run before pulling the ball back for Mac Allister to hammer home from close range. Florian Wirtz came off the bench to score the fourth, with Villarreal going on to net a third to ensure a nervy finish.

Ngumoha was head and shoulders the best-performing player in the game, and he was vital to his side's revival in what could have been a rather forgettable night in Europe.

Speaking after the game, Reds boss Iraola explained how the removal of Ronald Araujo from right-back for Ryan Gravenberch, who moved back from midfield, unlocked Ngumoha further.

> "I am really happy with Rio," the Spaniard told TNT Sports . "He is trying to improve everything that we try to correct. He is playing a lot more on the right and he has adapted really well. > > "He's going more inside. He struggled defensively in the first half. The second half was much better. He's becoming a more complete player. He's still only 18. > > "In the first half, they were overloading the middle. We decided to put Ryan [Gravenberch] at right-back and be more of a threat working with Rio. I value Ryan a lot. We decided to try a bit more one-sided, help more on the left. From there, we finished the first half well and started the second half really well."

Ngumoha's direct approach offers something different for the Reds. His willingness to be ruthless with his first touch and drive at a defender to hell with the consequences is refreshing. The tricky thing is now protecting that positively naive approach, but it doesn't look as though the 19-year-old is planning to become conservative any time soon.

Ngumoha's stats vs Villarreal

> "It was a top performance from the boys," said the winger after the game. "We were two goals down but the mentality was always there. We knew we were going to win. > > "It's up there with one of the best I've played. I enjoyed myself and the team helped me a lot. Whenever I get the ball and there's an opportunity to go one v one or two v one, I believe in myself. I'll just keep going and be ruthless."

That 'ruthless' comment will be music to the ears of Liverpool fans, as will the sound of Iraola speaking about constantly trying to get the very best out of Ngumoha, who has the makings to become a Liverpool superstar. Iraola needs to keep giving this young star game time, but equally, he needs to keep pushing him towards his ultimate potential.

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