Liverpool finally got back in the win column against Brentford on Saturday, but for all the celebration of two second-half goals, the real story might be the continued head-scratching around Florian Wirtz. The German playmaker was absolutely instrumental in getting that W, yet boss Andoni Iraola still faces his biggest puzzle trying to figure him out.
Wirtz Goes Nuclear, Sets Records on the Road
Look, you can’t deny the raw numbers. Wirtz was absolutely everywhere in the final third. The guy created NINE chances from open play against Brentford! Let that sink in for a second: no other player has managed that in a Premier League game in the past six seasons. The last time a player for Liverpool created nine chances in a single game was Sadio Mane back in January 2021 against Burnley. But even crazier? For an away game, you have to go back over 15 years, to Samir Nasri for Manchester City in August 2011, to find a player hitting that tally. Wirtz is pulling out some serious throwback magic on the road.
He wasn’t just creating, either. He completed 53 of his 65 passes for an 81.5% success rate, and a match-leading 38 of those were in the final third. He even played in Munoz to kick off Liverpool’s fightback. This was the first time he’s assisted in back-to-back games across all competitions, even if it was only his second assist overall. And get this: Wirtz is now level with Brighton’s Pascal Gross at the top of the Premier League for chances created this season, with 18. The talent, the vision, it’s all there, plain as day.
But The Price Tag, The Pressure, And The Problem Persist
So if the dude is putting up these kinds of numbers, why is he still the Reds’ “greatest conundrum”? Well, it starts with the cash. Liverpool shelled out a club record £116m to Bayer Leverkusen for him in June 2025. When you drop that kind of dough, you expect consistent, game-changing magic, not just flashes. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard even weighed in this week, suggesting Wirtz might benefit from being taken out of the team completely to get his confidence back. Ouch.
The real issue, according to BBC Sport pundit and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy, is what Wirtz’s playing style does to the team dynamic. Murphy believes a midfield with Wirtz at number 10 makes Iraola’s side too easy to play against. He said that even though Liverpool got the job done against Brentford, they looked vulnerable. “The spaces are too big,” Murphy stated. “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.” So while Wirtz is racking up ridiculous individual stats, the team’s overall balance is still under a microscope, and that’s a tough spot for Iraola to be in.
Liverpool bounced back from their first league defeat of the season against Manchester City last weekend, securing the win over a Brentford side reduced to 10 men before halftime. They generated 14 of their 21 attempts in the second half with that man advantage. While the win is huge, especially after the City loss, the Wirtz situation isn’t going anywhere. Iraola has to find a way to unlock his record signing’s full potential without leaving his side exposed. It’s a massive challenge that will definitely define some of the early season narrative.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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