Andoni Iraola explains 'uncomfortable' Ronald Araujo decision after half-time Villarreal substitution

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Rush The Kop or go back to LFC Live.

But when the dust settled on an unbelievable 4-3 victory, Andoni Iraola set the record straight.For the second game running, Iraola had pulled off his starting right-back at the interval for purely tactical reasons and his explanation reveals a massive, ongoing puzzle at the heart of this Liverpool side.Why Araujo was hooked after his equaliserLet’s be honest with ourselves about that first half: before Araujo’s goal, our right flank was an absolute disaster zone. Araujo was struggling with the tactical brief, and Villarreal were carving us open through the middle.Ryan Gravenberch at Right-Back?What happened next was pure tactical roulette.

Ryan Gravenberch at right-back.Speaking to Amazon Prime Sport, Iraola explained why he trusted the Dutchman to solve a problem that was suffocating the team:"At the end, we thought that a player like Ryan Gravenberch could do both jobs – defensively following inside, even I think he’s good enough outside to sustain the one-v-ones. We value Ryan a lot, we put him as a number 10, then as a right-back.""The first half they were in the middle, almost proper defensive midfielders with Moleiro coming inside.

They were creating, and we decided Ryan as a right-back but covering those inside positions they were having in the first half a bit. Ronald can be [a threat] as a right-back, but [Gravenberch could] connect more with Rio."To give credit where it's due, the gamble largely paid off.