Florian Wirtz Created Nine Chances After Jamie Carragher Said Drop Him

• Jamie Carragher said Liverpool’s £116m signing Florian Wirtz “needs to come out of the team” after the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City.
• Wirtz has made a goal or an assist in three straight wins, including nine chances created from open play at Brentford.
• Manager Andoni Iraola says he is asked about Wirtz every day, and that it is “fair to say” when the playmaker does well.

Carragher Wanted Wirtz Out, Then Wirtz Answered on the Pitch

Jamie Carragher did not soften his verdict on Florian Wirtz after Liverpool lost 3-0 at home to Manchester City. “I’m just sorry to say this Florian Wirtz signing it’s not working and it hasn’t worked so far,” he said on the Gary Neville podcast. Liverpool’s £116m playmaker has answered with three strong games. He has a goal or an assist in each of his last three games, all wins, and Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola is tired of the daily questions about him.

What Carragher Said

Carragher argued that the German had been given too many chances. “It’s not harsh to be having a go at Wirtz right now, he’s got to do so much more,” he said. “I struggle to think of one game where he’s won Liverpool the game or he’s been the man. He was brought in to be a star of the Premier League.”

He also took aim at the midfield pecking order. “Gravenberch should not be sitting on the bench when Wirtz is playing for Liverpool,” he said. “Wirtz has been here for 55-60 games, it’s a lot and I don’t see it changing. Wirtz where he’s almost nailed on that he plays every week in that No 10 position it has to stop.” His conclusion repeated a call he had made before: “I think he needs to come out of the team, I said that last time out and I’m going to say it again.”

Three Games That Changed the Mood

Wirtz pulled the strings in Liverpool’s 6-3 Champions League win at LASK, where he created the second of Bradley Barcola’s hat-trick goals with an inside pass in a tight space. At Brentford he helped Liverpool come from behind to hand the home side their first defeat of the season. Opta counted nine chances created from open play, a total last reached in the Premier League by Sadio Mane against Burnley in January 2021. Only Samir Nasri, with ten at Tottenham in August 2011, has created more in an away game.

Then came Tuesday’s 4-3 home win over Villarreal. Wirtz made a second-half cameo that turned the game, and he scored his first goal of any kind after April. He now has a league-high 20 chances created this season. Iraola gave his view of Wirtz’s last two performances: “He played very well LASK away, he helped the team a lot in possession, out of possession,” the manager said.

Why the Doubters Have Not Gone Away

Iraola sounded worn down by the subject. “You ask me every day basically about him, we analyse and over scrutinise everything, but when he does well also, it’s fair to say,” he said. The noise is easy to explain. Wirtz managed seven goals and ten assists in 49 games across all competitions in his first season on Merseyside, and Liverpool rank only 16th in the Premier League for expected goals this term.

The detail behind the Brentford performance also gives the sceptics something to point at. Six of his nine chances arrived after Brentford were reduced to ten men by Yehor Yarmolyuk’s red card, and Opta classed none of them as big chances. The same applies to his 20 openings in the league this season: none were rated high quality.

Iraola’s Balancing Act

The next test is tougher. Liverpool host Brighton on Sunday, face Chelsea in the League Cup on Wednesday and then welcome champions Arsenal. Their last league win at Anfield came on April 25. The question for Iraola is whether a playmaker who needs time and space can start against sides that punish a loose midfield on the counter. Newcastle did exactly that on the opening weekend of the season.

Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O’Connor said the answer depends on the players around Wirtz. “If it’s not working then he’ll [Iraola] take a big decision [to drop Wirtz]” if the current approach stops working. He pointed to the lack of an out-and-out destroyer in front of the back four, a gap that leaves Liverpool “completely wide open” when Wirtz plays at No 10. O’Connor said that if Wirtz and striker Alexander Isak build their relationship, the pace of Barcola on the wing could open up more space for Wirtz.

Carragher has said his piece twice. Wirtz has three games of evidence on the other side, and a week of fixtures that will decide whether his run is a recovery or a short burst of form.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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