“Need a good version of Florian”: Liverpool FC’s new head coach makes his stance on Wirtz clear | Goal.com

Veröffentlicht am 01 Aug 2026 | Lesezeit: 2 Minuten

At a press conference, the Reds' Spanish coach said the Germany international should play more through the middle again in future rather than out wide.

"Of course that applies to all players, but especially with Flo we need a good version of Florian. I see him more in the position behind the striker. We know that he was sometimes used more on the left-hand side, but we will start working with him in this position behind the striker," said Iraola.

For Germany, and also under Iraola's predecessor at Liverpool, Arne Slot, Wirtz was repeatedly used on the left wing. Under former Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, though, he was also asked to drift infield from that position to make better use of his strong right foot.

Still, Wirtz produced his best performances as a No 10, for example at Bayer Leverkusen under coach Xabi Alonso, where he delivered 18 goals and 20 assists in 49 games during the 2023/24 Double season.

By contrast, his first season at Liverpool brought teething problems. Wirtz went a long spell without scoring, and only found his first goal in the English top flight at the end of December, on matchday 18 against Wolverhampton.

Since then he has made 49 appearances for the Reds, 31 of them in the centre, 15 on the left and three on the right wing. In the two wide roles he has one goal and two assists in each position. The numbers are significantly better as an out-and-out playmaker, where he has registered five goals and six assists.

"As a player, he is pretty complete. We want to try to develop even further what he already brings, and that is very good," said Iraola. Wirtz and the Reds are currently in the USA for pre-season. The new Premier League season begins on 23 August with an away game at Newcastle United.

Lesen Sie die Originalnachricht