Andoni Iraola says Florian Wirtz faces too much scrutiny at Liverpool
Liverpool’s manager pointed to Wirtz’s recent performances as he addressed questions about the midfielder before Tuesday’s Champions League match against Villarreal.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola pushed back on scrutiny of Florian Wirtz at a media appearance on Monday, October 19, ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match against Villarreal at Liverpool, pointing to the midfielder’s recent displays against LASK and Brentford. His comments put Wirtz’s contribution back in focus as Iraola weighs his team selection for the match.
‘You ask me basically every day about him and we analyse and over scrutinise everything about him but when he does well also, it is fair to say,’ Iraola said, according to the Liverpool Echo. He described Wirtz as coming into the Villarreal fixture after ‘two very good games’ and said the midfielder had helped Liverpool both with and without the ball.
Wirtz’s displays against LASK and Brentford
Iraola named Liverpool’s away game at LASK and its match against Brentford as the performances behind his assessment. ‘He played really well at LASK away and the other day against Brentford,’ he said, according to the Echo. GOAL also reported his defence of Wirtz in a report republished by Yahoo Sports.
The Echo reported that Wirtz created nine chances against Brentford, including an assist for Victor Muñoz. It described the total as Liverpool’s highest by one player in five years. GOAL’s separate player ratings from the Brentford game described Wirtz as Liverpool’s creative hub and credited him with the assist for the equaliser.
Those contributions followed criticism of Wirtz after Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City earlier in October, the Echo reported. Iraola’s response addressed the attention on the midfielder while asking that good performances receive recognition too.
Liverpool’s selection decisions before Villarreal
Iraola said his strongest starting side against Villarreal might differ from what observers expected because some players were less fresh than others. He said Liverpool would consider both the starting lineup and how changes in the second half could affect the game, according to the Echo.
The manager said Liverpool had regained Ryan Gravenberch but lost Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong. He described the Brentford game as Liverpool’s most demanding by running statistics and said the team would assess how players had recovered before deciding who was ready to start on Tuesday.
Iraola also praised Muñoz’s flexibility, saying he could help on either flank or at right-back. Muñoz had scored Liverpool’s equaliser against Brentford while playing in the unfamiliar right-back role, the Echo reported.
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Sources and context
- 'You ask me every day' - Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola demands respect for Florian WirtzGOAL.com, republished by Yahoo Sports
- Andoni Iraola makes feelings clear on Florian Wirtz amid Liverpool scrutinyLiverpool Echo
- Liverpool player ratings vs Brentford: Wirtz pulls the strings and Isak strikes in chaotic Gtech turnaroundGOAL.com
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.