Iraola Defends Wirtz: Focus on Performance, Not Stats

Andoni Iraola is not interested in the numbers next to Florian Wirtz’s name. Not yet.

The Liverpool manager watched the £116m Germany international run the game against Atlético Madrid in midweek and sees a player shaping his team’s attacks, even as the goals and assists column refuses to budge in the Premier League.

Wirtz has one assist and no league goals so far and has been criticised for how often he gives the ball away. Iraola pushed that aside.

“Flo played very well against Atlético Madrid and I also think he has been unlucky,” he said, pointing to the disallowed strike at Nottingham Forest that briefly stood before VAR intervened. “He could have had very good assists but we haven’t finished them. That is why you cannot just play because of the numbers.”

The Basque coach framed Wirtz’s role in simple terms: make Liverpool play.

“Whether a striker scores a lot of goals or he doesn’t, you have to look at the performances. Does he help us to play well? Yes. Well, someone will score the goals and someone will give the assists. I am not too focused on numbers.”

In an era obsessed with data, Iraola pushed back against the noise around his marquee signing.

“Nowadays everything is about numbers, everyone tells players you have to assist, you have to score goals. For me, you have to help us play well. Someone will score the goals and I don’t care if it is the midfielders like it was the other day. Someone will score the goals if we are doing well collectively.”

Against Atlético, Wirtz slipped Bradley Barcola through for a superb chance and looked increasingly in tune with Liverpool’s reshaped frontline. Iraola expects that understanding with Barcola and fellow new arrival Victor Muñoz to grow quickly.

“There is an argument to make that the wingers have changed more than anywhere else,” he said. “Now we have new weapons we can use with Bradley and Victor. With Florian, he is key for us. I am not worried because he will quickly learn where Victor prefers the ball or where Bradley prefers the ball. And, also, Bradley in just his second game you could see they already had a good association. I am not very worried.”

For Iraola, the influence is already there. The numbers, he believes, will follow.