Andoni Iraola responds to recent Florian Wirtz criticism
· Yahoo Sports
Andoni Iraola backs Florian Wirtz amid Liverpool scrutiny
Florian Wirtz cost £116m, wears Liverpool’s No. 7 and plays in the area of the pitch where numbers matter. That is the reality. Goals and assists are the currency for attacking midfielders, especially at a club where output is examined every week.
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So when Andoni Iraola was asked about the noise around Wirtz’s limited end product, his answer was straightforward. No special treatment, no excuses, no mythology around talent. Judge him like everyone else.
“He should be judged like everyone else; if he plays well, if he doesn’t play well,” said the Liverpool head coach.
Florian Wirtz judged on overall impact
Iraola’s view is clear. He is not reducing football to a spreadsheet, but he is not running from the obvious either. Wirtz must contribute, and that contribution can take more than one form. Control, positioning, pressing, combinations and game intelligence still count, even if they do not show up directly on the scoresheet.
As Iraola put it, “Mostly I always say ‘how does the team play when you are on the pitch?’ And I’m very happy with Florian. I rate him very highly. He understands what we need from him, he’s trying to help in every aspect of the game.”
Photo: IMAGO
That is a sensible assessment. Liverpool did not sign Wirtz simply to float between the lines and look elegant. They signed him to influence matches. Right now, Iraola believes he is doing that, even if the final pass or finish has not arrived often enough.
Liverpool need more from attacking midfield
There is still a hard truth here. Fans do not need convincing that a £116m attacker can press, connect play and occupy smart spaces. They expect decisive moments. They expect goals. They expect assists. That expectation is normal.
Iraola acknowledged that point too. “Obviously he will want to add some assists or goals, but he is helping us in a lot of different areas and also we could give him some rest the other day which I think he needed because he’s had good effort during the games.”
That sounds like a coach who remains fully onside with his player, while also recognising the obvious gap between performance and output.
Patience around Wirtz has limits
The debate is not going away until the numbers improve. For all the talk about hidden value, elite attackers are paid to decide matches. Wirtz may be helping Liverpool’s structure, and Iraola may be right to defend his wider game, but sooner or later the attack has to produce visible returns. At this level, subtlety is appreciated, output is demanded.