Can you imagine a manager placing total faith on two pricey newcomers? Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola says his trust in Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola is absolute, even as critics roar.
Wirtz entered with a full season under his belt but hasn’t justified his £116m fee; in Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City he barely influenced play despite a period of dominance.
Barcola arrived from PSG for £123m late in the window, so some patience is fair, yet six outings have left him looking tentative and still searching for impact.
Injuries to Isak, Gakpo and Szoboszlai – Liverpool’s top three scorers – have forced the squad to lean on its big‑money arrivals for a spark.
The injured trio miss the Champions League trip to LASK in Austria, and Iraola isn’t sure they’ll feature against Brentford, Villarreal or Brighton, raising the pressure further.
“It’s true Cody, Alex and Dom are our leading scorers because they get the minutes in those roles,” the manager explained.
“We need our men to deliver those numbers; we trust the current squad to fill the spots.”
“Bradley and Flo have had highs and lows like anyone, but we know their quality and expect solid showings.”
“At the end, the duties stay the same. Sometimes we fixate too much on raw stats.”
“I was pleased with many things recently. Bradley created chances; we didn’t finish them, yet I trust him and Flo 100 percent.”
Iraola: Wirtz has had good games this season
In my view, Wirtz has been a major let‑down since swapping Bayer Leverkusen for Liverpool as one of Europe’s brightest prospects.
He shone in the Bundesliga, yet a summer coaching change left him on the fringes, unable to replicate his German impact.
Iraola, however, pointed to the German’s recent international outings as a positive sign.
“He may not have dazzled, but he’s delivered decent performances this season with us. Everyone is searching for answers,” he said.
“He’s had good games for the national side, even scoring once. He’ll have ups and downs, but I prefer to view his and Barcola’s contributions collectively.”
“I don’t care who scores; it’s a collective effort.”
The Linz match marks Liverpool’s second of six in 18 days, and Iraola is ready to tweak the lineup.
“Freshness and niggles mean we can’t field the same XI tomorrow,” he added.
Carra: Wirtz has to be dropped
“I’m sorry to admit: the Wirtz signing isn’t delivering yet, and Gravenberch shouldn’t sit out when Wirtz is on the pitch.”
“Barcola’s start hasn’t been great, but criticizing him now would be harsh – he’s only been here six weeks without a pre‑season.”
“You want more now, but you should think ‘slow down, give him time.’ It would be unfair to push Barcola hard, yet Wirtz must step up.”
“I can’t recall a game where he single‑handedly won us. He arrived to be a Premier League star, perhaps a De Bruyne‑type catalyst for City.”
“Wirtz has featured in 55‑60 games; that’s a lot, and I don’t see that changing. He’s been slotted at No.10 week after week – it must end.”
“He needs to be moved out of the team. I said it before and I’ll say it again.”
What does Wirtz actually bring to Liverpool?
If the challenge ahead of Wirtz feels like scaling Everest, comparing him to Premier League legends whose legacies are already set won’t ease his burden.
So far he’s logged 39 league games since his big‑money move, averaging 0.18 assists, 0.16 goals and 2.2 chances created per 90 minutes.
Those raw figures mean little alone; juxtapose them with peers and the gap widens. De Bruyne’s first 39 games at City dwarfed Wirtz in every metric, and he isn’t the only outlier.
Cole Palmer at Chelsea and Martin Ødegaard at Arsenal faced similar early‑season criticism despite comparable stats.
Defenders might claim it isn’t all on him – assists depend on teammates. Still, even in the 90th percentile for chance creation among top‑five‑league attacking mids, his assist rate sits below the median.
Read the full Wirtz analysis here. Will Liverpool grant him the minutes he needs to thrive?