Andoni Iraola has called on Florian Wirtz to be judged like everyone else as his performances for Liverpool continue to come under scrutiny. The Reds won the battle to land the German international last summer when they paid a then British-record £116m to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen.
But the 23-year-old struggled to settle in his first season at Anfield, ending with seven goals and 10 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions. And his performances so far this season have also come under scrutiny as the attacking midfielder only has one assist to his name.
Iraola backs Wirtz
However, defending Wirtz on Friday afternoon, Iraola said: “He should be judged like everyone else, he works. How does the team play when you are on the pitch?
“I am very happy with Florian, he understands what we need in every aspect of the game. We want to add assists and goals but he is helping us in all areas.”
Klopp echoes plea
Iraola’s plea comes just a day after former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp urged for less pressure on Wirtz. He said: “The communication has been very pleasant. We keep in touch from time to time.
“I think he's the player who covered the most ground at Liverpool this season, so the willingness is absolutely there. We have to move away from the idea that we need to see special moments from him. He is there to help us as a team. We have to make sure that Flo feels comfortable with us.
“When the team works, then every player shines as a consequence. You have to be satisfied with a game in which Flo Wirtz gave everything but didn’t have a goal or assist.
“We simply have to give the boy the feeling: ‘That was more than good enough today. You helped us as a team. We won 1-0 or 2-0’.
“And then all the experts sit there and discuss why it still didn’t work out for him. There are just as many reasons to say: ‘He is performing perfectly fine.’ Now we’ll take the next steps together. That applies for Flo and all the others.”
Iraola was speaking to the media on Friday afternoon to preview Liverpool's Premier League game against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this weekend.
