Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola continue to raise concerns with their form this season, but Andoni Iraola has done his best to play down any fears over the Liverpool pair
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 11: Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City at Anfield on October 11, 2026 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz's form continues to be a worry for Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola insists he still “100 percent” trusts Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola despite the pair’s underwhelming start to the season for Liverpool.
Concerns remain among Liverpool fans about Wirtz’s form, with the 23-year-old having struggled to make an impact since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen last year. Although he seemed to improve while away with Germany in the international break, his performance in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City has once again seen calls for him to be dropped by Iraola.
Barcola has also failed to make a major contribution since signing from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer. Between them, the pair have recorded just one assist for Liverpool so far this season.
That figure has drawn more attention this week amid injuries to Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo. The trio have either scored or assisted 10 of Liverpool’s 12 goals so far this season, with their absence compounding the disappointment surrounding Wirtz and Barcola.
Despite that, Iraola continues to back both, with the Reds’ boss yet to make a decision on whether to retain them in his starting line-up against LASK in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“It’s true that Alex, Cody and Dom are top for us in terms of goals and assists so far this season,” Iraola said in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Bradley Barcola of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City
Bradley Barcola is yet to score or assist for Liverpool(Image: Alex Pantling, Getty Images)
“Now we don’t have them, we need others to give us those numbers. With Bradley and Flo, they have had good games and bad games, like everyone else, but we know their level. They are players that I trust 100 percent.
“The other day, Flo probably didn’t have his best game. Everyone starts looking for answers. But he had some good performances in the national team and scored. I’d like to look at it more collectively.
“If [Lewis] Koumas had scored [against Man City] when he connected really well, then it’s one assist for Barcola. His performance would have been exactly the same but we’d all say: ‘Oof, he played really well with an assist and produced’.
“Sometimes we are too focused on the numbers. With Bradley, I was happy with a lot of things. Bradley was the last one to arrive. The more he plays, the more he will get the connections with people around him.”
Content Image
Content Image
Iraola’s comments come after Jamie Carragher once again called for Wirtz to be taken out of the starting line-up, having made the same demand before the international break.
"What Florian Wirtz is giving Liverpool right now is not enough," the Liverpool legend said after the defeat to City on Sunday. "He has played 55-60 games for Liverpool. He should not be in the Liverpool team right now. Players have ups and downs but there has been no up.
"Barcola hasn't been amazing and you want to see more but he is still getting used to the club and the Premier League. It would be harsh to judge him right now. If you think of the other big teams, Cherki, Bruno Fernandes, Palmer, and Odegaard - they score or assist every game, or look close to doing that. Wirtz never looks like scoring.”