Florian Wirtz was instrumental as Liverpool returned to winning ways in the Premier League at Brentford on Saturday, but does the German playmaker remain boss Andoni Iraola's greatest conundrum? Wirtz has come in for criticism amid his struggles to replicate the form which persuaded the Reds to pay Bayer Leverkusen what was a club record £116m in June 2025. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard even said this week that the 23-year-old could benefit from being taken out of the team altogether, to overcome what the club's former captain perceives as a lack of confidence.
The key dilemma facing Iraola was again evident in west London on Saturday. Liverpool bounced back from their first league defeat of the season against Manchester City last weekend by scoring twice in the second half against a Brentford side reduced to 10 men before half-time. The visitors produced plenty of chances, particularly with their man advantage in the second half when they registered 14 of their total 21 attempts.
Wirtz was at the heart of things in the final third. The Germany international created more chances from open play (nine) than any other player has managed in a Premier League game over the past six seasons. The last player to create as many chances in a single game in the competition was Sadio Mane, for Liverpool against Burnley, in January 2021 (also nine).
In an away game, he is the first player to reach that tally in more than 15 years, since Samir Nasri registered 10 for Manchester City against Tottenham in August 2011. Despite answering his critics with those standout statistics, the impact of his playing style on the dynamic of the team continues to come under scrutiny. BBC Sport pundit and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes a midfield which features Wirtz as the number 10 remains a problem as it makes Iraola's side too easy to play against.
First and foremost, that's another win on the road, which is always positive," Murphy said of Liverpool's performance. "But I thought they looked too easy to play against. "They're playing with two wingers and Wirtz at 10, so they're relying heavily on the two midfield players to try and cover so much space.
"It was too easy for Brentford to play out and to get in behind. That would be the biggest concern today for me." Liverpool stage comeback to win at nine-man Brentford Haaland scores twice as Man City beat Ipswich Injured Martinez taken to hospital as Chelsea beat Everton Following his latest performance, no player has created more chances in the Premier League this season. He is level with Brighton's Pascal Gross on 18.
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