LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 11: <
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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 11: <> during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City at Anfield on October 11, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has "100%" trust in Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola after the two £100million-plus signings came in for criticism.
Wirtz has had the benefit of a full season already with the club but has yet to deliver on his £116m (€137m) price tag and in Sunday's high-profile clash against Manchester City he struggled to exert any influence on the game even when his side were in the ascendency.
Barcola can be given more leeway after arriving late in this summer’s transfer window but he looked short of confidence and has yet to properly contribute in six appearances.
The pair have come under increased scrutiny as injuries to Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai – the team’s leading three goalscorers this season – have left a small squad looking to their remaining big-name signings to produce a spark.
Liverpool’s injured trio are missing for the Champions League trip to Austria to face LASK and with Iraola unsure of their availability for the following three matches against Brentford, Villarreal and Brighton the spotlight will only become more intense.
"It’s true Cody, Alex and Dom are top scorers this season as they are the ones playing more in those positions," said the Liverpool boss.
"We need our players to give us those numbers, we trust the players we have now to play in those positions.
"Bradley and Flo have had good and bad games this season like everyone else but we know their level and for sure we know they will give us good performances.
"At the end the responsibilities are the same. Sometimes we are too focused on just the numbers.
"I was happy with a lot of things the other day, Bradley had good situations, we didn’t finish them but him and Flo also are players I trust 100%."
Wirtz has been a big disappointment since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen as one of Europe’s top young talents.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 11: <
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 11: <> during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City at Anfield on October 11, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Despite lighting up the Bundesliga he has struggled to find a role at Liverpool – not helped by the change of head coach in the summer – and remained on the fringes and unable to influence games the way he did in his homeland.
But Iraola pointed to his performances for Germany in the last international break as a positive.
"He probably didn’t have his best game but has had good games this season with us. Everyone starts looking for answers," he added.
"I think he had some good performances in the national team, he scored one goal. He will have better and worse games but I like to look at it more collectively, how they (Wirtz and Barcola) help us play well and get results.
"I don’t care if one scores or the other scores, it is a more collective thing."
The match in Linz is Liverpool’s second of six in 18 days and Iraola is set to make changes, adding: "Because of freshness reasons and some niggles it will be difficult to put the same starting XI out tomorrow."
LASK coach Dietmar Kuhbauer urged his players not to become starstruck.
"It would be a shame if we were to freeze at the mere mention of their name. We really want to cause an upset, although to do that you need 11 players to put in a top-class performance, as well as the substitutes," he said.
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