Danny Murphy Says Liverpool Are Too Easy to Play Against With Wirtz

• BBC Sport pundit Danny Murphy said Liverpool “looked too easy to play against” at Brentford, and he blames the way Florian Wirtz fits into the midfield.
• Wirtz created nine chances from open play, more than any player has managed in a Premier League game over the past six seasons.
• Steven Gerrard said this week that the 23-year-old could benefit from being taken out of the team altogether.

Nine Chances From Open Play, and Still the Questions Keep Coming

Danny Murphy watched Liverpool win at Brentford on Saturday and left with a warning. The BBC Sport pundit and former Liverpool midfielder said the side “looked too easy to play against”, and he traced the problem to the way Florian Wirtz fits into the team.

Liverpool came from behind to win, scoring twice in the second half against a Brentford side reduced to 10 men before half-time. It was their answer to a first league defeat of the season, against Manchester City a week earlier. Wirtz played in Munoz to begin the fightback, and his creative numbers were the best the Premier League has recorded in years.

He created nine chances from open play, more than any player has managed in a Premier League game over the past six seasons. The last player to create as many in a single game was Sadio Mane, for Liverpool against Burnley in January 2021. In an away game, Wirtz is the first to reach that tally in more than 15 years. Samir Nasri was the last, with 10 for Manchester City against Tottenham in August 2011.

The Numbers Back Wirtz, but the Shape Draws Criticism

Wirtz completed 53 of the 65 passes he attempted, a success rate of 81.5 per cent, and led the match with 12 final-third entries. After his latest display, no player has created more chances in the Premier League this season. He is level with Brighton’s Pascal Gross on 18.

He also assisted in back-to-back games for Liverpool across all competitions for the first time. Yet it was only his second goal involvement in seven league games this term.

The BBC’s own breakdown shows the other side of the ledger. Among Liverpool players, only Milos Kerkez lost possession more often than Wirtz, who gave the ball away 19 times to Kerkez’s 20. Wirtz also won just one of his nine duels.

Murphy Wants Three Midfielders in Place of the Number 10

Murphy opened with credit for the result. “They got the job done. First and foremost, that’s another win on the road, which is always positive,” he said. Then came the warning: “But I thought they looked too easy to play against. The spaces are too big.”

He pointed to the system. “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,” Murphy said. “It was too easy for Brentford to play out and to get in behind. That would be the biggest concern today for me.”

His fix is a change of shape. “Instead of a number 10, where Wirtz is struggling to impact games, put three midfielders in,” he said. “Always, the priority is foundation, defence, stability, being hard to beat. The other stuff can follow from there.”

Murphy said Liverpool “don’t look solid and don’t look together in terms of shape”. His closing verdict was blunt: “At the moment, it just looks a little bit open. Against better teams, you’re going to get hurt.”

Gerrard Raised the Same Question Earlier in the Week

Murphy is not the only former Liverpool name to doubt the set-up. Wirtz joined from Bayer Leverkusen for a club record £116m in June 2025 and has come in for criticism as he has struggled to reproduce the form that persuaded the Reds to pay it.

Steven Gerrard 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 sees as a lack of confidence.

Iraola Faces Injuries and a Packed Schedule

Andoni Iraola replaced Arne Slot in the summer, and Liverpool sit fifth with three wins from their first seven league games under him. Their last away league win after conceding first came in December 2023, so the Spaniard’s side ended a run of 19 winless away games after going 1-0 behind.

Alexander Isak returned from injury, but Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong were hurt on Saturday. Iraola told BBC Sport: “We are in a delicate situation with some of the players. We were talking about this run of four games in 10 days, it’s very, very demanding.”

He said Liverpool “have to rest again” before “another big, big game against Villarreal” in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Iraola now has a player who shares the league lead for chances created, and two former Liverpool figures who think the team needs a different shape around him. Liverpool will face Villarreal on Tuesday.