Liverpool are gearing up to face Bournemouth in the Premier League as Andoni Iraola returns to face his old side
Andoni Iraola manager of Liverpool applauds the fans after the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Fulham at Anfield
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is all set to face his former side Bournemouth(Image: Getty)
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Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola will go head-to-head with his old club Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon. And one of the Spaniard's players, Florian Wirtz, now knows exactly what the manager thinks of him.
Having started the Premier League season with three draws and one victory, the Reds now find themselves on the South Coast, where they'll clash with the winless Cherries.
The 2pm kick-off marks the first time that Iraola has returned to the Vitality Stadium since swapping it for Anfield in the summer. His successor, Marco Rose, awaits in the opposition dugout. Florian Wirtz will be involved against his fellow countryman and he's been called up to Jurgen Klopp's first-ever Germany squad this week.
But so far in his time with the Reds, he has failed to live up to his £116.5million price tag, scoring just seven goals and providing nine assists in 52 appearances since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen.
Andoni Iraola makes Florian Wirtz claim
Speaking ahead of the trip to Bournemouth, Iraola was asked about Wirtz, who has been critiqued heavily this season and has provided just one assist in five matches thus far. But the head coach stood firm and backed his No. 7.
"He should be judged like everybody else, whether he plays well or doesn't play well" Iraola said. "Mostly, I always say, 'How does the team play when you are on the pitch?'
Andoni Iraola is more than happy with what Wirtz is offering Liverpool this season
Iraola is more than happy with what Wirtz is offering Liverpool(Image: Getty)
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"I am very happy with Florian, I rate him very highly, he understands what we need from him. He is trying to help in every aspect of the game. Obviously we want him to have assists and goals also, but he is helping us in a lot of different areas."
Michael Owen's admission
Milos Kerkez is another Liverpool star who has been catching flak and ex-Reds striker Michael Owen thinks that the Hungarian full-back is looking rather lost in Iraola's side.
TNT Sports pundit Michael Owen during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool
Owen has doubts about Kerkez(Image: Getty)
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"The full-back position is a real problem for Liverpool and it pains me to say that," Owen told TeamTalk. "A handful of years ago they had the best full-backs in the world.
"Trent and Robbo, it was just unbelievable, the numbers they were posting and how well they were playing. It was a really strong position and all of a sudden it has been ripped up.
"It is a real problem. Milos Kerkez has struggled since being there. He looks nervous and lost in the red shirt and the shirt looks heavy on him."