Liverpool's 0-0 draw with Fulham on Saturday has reignited criticism of Florian Wirtz, with Andoni Iraola pointing to fatigue as the reason for the Reds' lacklustre attacking display at Anfield.
The German playmaker, who joined Liverpool last summer for an initial £100million plus £16m in add-ons, has come under fire again after failing to influence the game. Wirtz scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 49 appearances last season, but this term he has just one assist in five outings. Against Fulham, he registered three shots with none on target and created two chances.
Pundits question Wirtz's impact
talkSPORT pundits Jason Cundy and Jamie O'Hara have targeted the Liverpool No. 10. A WhoScored statistic from September 4 claimed Wirtz has lost possession 53 times this season, more than any other player in the Premier League.
O'Hara said: “You know the problem I have with him? I can accept him adapting to the physical side of the game, and it takes time, right, but to then watch him, he’s getting the ball in space and giving it away. And it has nothing to do with the physicality of the Premier League. And I am watching and going, ‘Stop giving it away’.”
Cundy added: “Wirtz has been here now, right, this is his second season. I am not convinced that Wirtz is going to be a success. I think I might have seen enough.”
Iraola defends Wirtz and blames fatigue
Iraola, however, defended the star. “He played very well against Atletico Madrid,” the Liverpool boss said ahead of the Fulham game. “The game against Ipswich in the second half he lost more balls than normal but overall I have been very happy with his performances. He is a good player out of possession who helps us in our press. But he runs the same as the 10 of Arsenal, the 10 of (Manchester) City, the 10 of Fulham and more or less his stats are very similar to the number 10s other teams have.”
After the match, Iraola admitted Liverpool were lacking in forward areas. The Reds fielded an attacking lineup costing nearly £400m, with Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, Victor Munoz and Wirtz starting together in the Premier League for the first time, but all four spurned chances.
“I think what was lacking, I think it was quite clear,” he said. “It's the first game since I'm here, I think, that we've had problems to create chances, to score goals, to make the difference offensively. And that's the main reason. That we couldn't create as many chances as we wanted and we haven't scored a goal, and that's why we come away with just with one point.
“In the end, it's the easiest one (reason) for me, for you, for everyone. Because our players were tired. I think there is a lack of freshness, definitely. There is, we cannot hide it. I think it's the worst turnaround in terms of, I think 60-something hours between the games after a very big game the other day. But this is going to happen more times, maybe with one more day, maybe, but sometimes it's going to happen the same way during the season, and we have to adapt to these circumstances.
“And it's these kind of games that you need to win, sometimes with a set play, sometimes with a shot from the edge, sometimes from a moment of brilliance from the offensive players, and we haven't had today. We've been clearly not as good offensively as we've been other days.”
