Florian Wirtz delivered one of his most commanding performances in a Liverpool shirt during the weekend clash at Brentford, yet manager Andoni Iraola will demand consistency as the Reds prepare for three pivotal home fixtures that will reveal much about where the German's game truly stands.
The fallout from Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield had cast a long shadow over the £116m playmaker's contribution, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher suggesting the midfielder should be dropped from the team after another subdued showing against the Premier League champions.
I'm just sorry to say this Florian Wirtz signing it's not working and it hasn't worked so far and Gravenberch should not be sitting on the bench when Wirtz is playing for Liverpool. It's not harsh to be having a go at Wirtz right now, he's got to do so much more.
Carragher elaborated on his concerns about the 23-year-old's impact since his summer arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, where he had accumulated 35 goals and 47 assists across 140 Bundesliga matches.
I struggle to think of one game where he's won Liverpool the game or he's been the man. He was brought in to be a star of the Premier League. I felt he could be the Kevin De Bruyne that at times got Man City over the line.
The former Liverpool captain pressed his case for removing Wirtz from the starting lineup, pointing to the volume of appearances without corresponding impact.
Wirtz has been here for 55-60 games, it's a lot and I don't see it changing. Wirtz where he's almost nailed on that he plays every week in that No 10 position it has to stop. I think he needs to come out of the team, I said that last time out and I'm going to say it again.
Yet in football's relentless cycle, a week represents an eternity, and Wirtz enters the upcoming sequence of demanding fixtures with renewed confidence after shining in Liverpool's recent victories against LASK, Brentford and Villarreal.
The playmaker orchestrated the visitors' 6-3 Champions League demolition in Austria, threading a precise inside pass to create Bradley Barcola's second goal in a congested space. He then produced another influential display in west London, where his creative brilliance helped the Reds overturn a deficit to inflict Brentford's first league defeat of the season on Saturday.
When Brentford were reduced to ten men following Yehor Yarmolyuk's straight red card in first-half stoppage time, Wirtz seized the opportunity to dictate play. His vision unlocked the home defence for Victor Munoz's equaliser just past the hour mark, and he went on to create nine chances from open play—the most in a Premier League game since 2021 and the most in an away fixture for over 15 years.
According to BBC Sport, Wirtz completed 53 of 65 passes against Brentford, including a match-high 38 in the final third, while recording 12 final-third entries. However, his performance also revealed defensive vulnerabilities: he lost possession 19 times and won just one of nine duels contested.
Across the Premier League season to date, Wirtz has created 18 chances, level with Brighton's Pascal Gross, though he has managed only two goal involvements in seven league games, according to BBC Sport.
His performance against Brentford was followed by a match-turning second-half contribution in Tuesday's 4-3 home victory over Villarreal, where he scored his first goal since April. This gave him a goal involvement in three consecutive matches and moved Liverpool to five wins in their last six games across all competitions.
What particularly encourages Iraola is the developing understanding between Wirtz and his fellow £100m-plus recruit from Paris Saint-Germain on the left side of the forward line, as the manager seeks to unlock greater attacking potency.
He's coming in from two very good games, he played very well LASK away, he helped the team a lot in possession, out of possession. I hope we can keep him there. You ask me every day basically about him, we analyse and over scrutinise everything, but when he does well also, it's fair to say.
Iraola's evident frustration at persistent questioning about his playmaker is understandable, yet the manager has been in the game long enough to recognise that outside scrutiny will not dissipate after a handful of impressive performances. Wirtz's debut campaign yielded only seven goals and ten assists across 49 games in all competitions, a return that invites continued examination.
The recent positive displays must be contextualised. The match conditions in both the LASK and Brentford encounters favoured Wirtz's style of play. LASK were making their Champions League debut, while Brentford spent the entire second half with a numerical disadvantage following Yarmolyuk's dismissal in the 45th minute. The Ukrainian's needless red card allowed Wirtz greater space and time to operate as the hosts tired, enabling him to orchestrate much of his creative output.
A granular examination of the statistics reveals important nuance. Of the nine chances created against Brentford, six arrived after the home side went down to ten men, and none were classified as 'big chances' by Opta. This reflects Liverpool's broader attacking struggles, with the team ranking only 16th for expected goals in the Premier League this season. Similarly, of Wirtz's 20 Premier League chances created this campaign, none have been deemed high-quality by Opta's metrics.
The structural challenge facing Iraola mirrors the dilemma his predecessor Arne Slot encountered when Wirtz arrived last summer. Slot initially restructured the midfield to accommodate the German in the number 10 role, with disastrous consequences, before reverting to the previous season's successful 4-3-3 diamond formation with Ryan Gravenberch as sole number 6 and Wirtz shifted to the left wing.
Iraola's tactical philosophy differs markedly from Slot's approach. During his time at Bournemouth, the Basque manager never employed specialist holding midfielders, instead trusting Tyler Adams and Alex Scott to provide defensive cover through constant movement. He has so far resisted deploying Gravenberch as a dedicated holding midfielder, suggesting he is unlikely to adopt a similar solution.
Finding the correct midfield equilibrium is fundamental to Wirtz's success at Liverpool. Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy highlighted how the current setup with Wirtz at number 10 leaves excessive space in midfield and makes the team vulnerable to counter-attacks.
Sky Sports News' Liverpool correspondent Vinny O'Connor expanded on this dynamic during the latest Sky Sports Premier League podcast, explaining the interconnected nature of the problem.
If it's not working then he'll [Iraola] take a big decision [to drop Wirtz] and make that call ultimately. It is to do with the players around him and it is finding that balance in midfield and he's not necessarily helped I don't think by the fact that Liverpool don't have an out-and-out destroyer who can sit in front of that back four.
O'Connor noted that Gravenberch has occupied that defensive role at times this season, but the midfielder's natural inclination is to drive forward and contribute higher up the pitch. Alexis Mac Allister suits a more advanced position, while Dominik Szoboszlai is not a natural sitting midfielder either.
At the moment, Gravenberch has played that role, but we've seen again at times this season how he wants to drive forward as well and play a part higher up the pitch. MacAllister, obviously that suits him better and [Dominik] Szoboszlai isn't someone who naturally sits and holds in midfield either.
So there's a dynamic in that midfield - who does what and when and when you've got Wirtz in there, that leaves Liverpool at times completely wide open. We've seen how they've been caught on the counterattack, so solving that problem is going to be key to getting the best out of Wirtz.
O'Connor suggested that if Liverpool can establish defensive solidity behind Wirtz and position him even further forward as a second striker alongside Alexander Isak, the arrangement might flourish. The pace of Bradley Barcola on the wings and Isak's threat in occupying defenders could create additional space for Wirtz to operate and exercise his creative talents.
At the moment, you've got that solidity behind him and at times Wirtz has played even further forward than a No 10, almost as like a second striker off [Alexander] Isak and if their relationship thrives and you've got the pace on the wings from the likes of Barcola and the threat that he provides as well occupying defenders, maybe that opens up more spaces for Wirtz, gives him more time on the ball, more time to be creative and ultimately make the kind of impact that we're expecting from him.
The upcoming fixtures will provide a stern examination of whether Wirtz can deliver against elite opposition. Liverpool have not won at Anfield in the league since April 25 and have secured just 11 victories there in their last 21 games across all competitions. Under Iraola's management, Liverpool have won only three of their opening seven league matches, a record that underscores the work required to restore the club's dominance at their fortress.
The schedule presents three consecutive high-stakes encounters. Brighton and Hove Albion, currently flying high in the league, visit Anfield on October 25, 2026, followed by a Carabao Cup clash against free-scoring Chelsea on October 28, before Arsenal, the defending champions, arrive on November 1, 2026. All three matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Iraola faces a genuine tactical conundrum. He desperately needs Wirtz to produce his best football in these tight, competitive affairs where the playmaker's quality could prove decisive. Conversely, the manager must consider whether deploying a number 10 against opponents capable of exploiting space on the counter-attack represents an acceptable risk. Newcastle United demonstrated this vulnerability on the opening weekend of the season, punishing Liverpool twice through the middle with rapid transitions.
The fundamental question remains whether Wirtz can perform when afforded less time on the ball and reduced space in which to execute his passes. His recent performances have come in circumstances where he enjoyed considerable freedom to operate. Against top-tier opposition, those luxuries will evaporate.
Playing within a team that regularly dominates possession and controls matches will undoubtedly benefit Wirtz's development. This has been a scarce commodity since his arrival, and Iraola will hope the upcoming sequence of fixtures marks a turning point. The manager's tactical decisions in these three games will reveal whether he has identified a sustainable role for his expensive playmaker or whether Carragher's criticism will prove prophetic.
