How Andoni Iraola Can Get the Best Out of Florian Wirtz for Liverpool

Iraola outlined his plan for a $156 million recruit who could be the key to Liverpool’s success next season.

Andoni Iraola’s main challenge will be getting Florian Wirtz up to speed. | PETER POWELL/AFP/Getty Images (Iraola), James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images (Wirtz)

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola made it abundantly clear how much the Reds would “need a very good version” of Florian Wirtz should they hope to have more success this season. A more settled position, the experience of last term and Iraola’s core coaching principles should all help the German playmaker realize his full potential.

“I have big goals for next season,” Wirtz admitted back in May, “because this season hasn’t gone as planned.”

Signed for what was then a club-record of $156 million (£116 million) last summer, the former Bayer Leverkusen creator emphatically failed to live up to his lofty billing. Wirtz didn’t register a Premier League assist before December and had to wait until Christmas before scoring his first goal for the club in any competition. Despite a brief purple patch at the turn of the year, the 23-year-old ultimately endured a desperately disappointing debut campaign.

Wirtz was not alone in underwhelming on Merseyside. Liverpool collectively failed to build upon the title triumph of 2024–25 to such an extent that manager Arne Slot was replaced with Iraola this summer. While many fans will be eagerly anticipating new arrivals, the Basque boss is keen to find a way of harnessing a talent which once justified his status as the most expensive British transfer of all time.

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More Settled Position for Wirtz

It was setback after setback for Florian Wirtz last season. | Shaun Brooks-CameraSport/Getty Images

Iraola’s first plan is simple: Play Wirtz in his proper position. The natural attacking midfielder did his best work—in fact, almost all his work—for Leverkusen in that central No. 10 role. Slot frequently fielded the playmaker on the wing last term in an effort to not only find a way of getting Dominik Szoboszlai into the team, but also spare his diminutive new recruit from the physicality of Premier League midfields. Germany adopted a similar approach at this summer’s World Cup, but Iraola has no plans for that.

“We need a very good version of Florian,” the incoming coach warned ahead of Liverpool’s preseason clash with Leeds United. “We know what he can give us. I think he’s also suited to our game model.

“I see him more probably in that position behind the striker. We know that he has played with Germany more on the left sometimes. But, I think we’re going to start working with him in that position behind the striker.”

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Wirtz Is a No. 10

Position	Liverpool 25–26 Apps (% Total Apps)	Bayer Leverkusen 24–25 Apps
Attacking midfield	28 (57%)	40 (89%)
Left winger	15 (31%)	0 (0%)
Striker	4 (8%)	5 (11%)
Right winger	2 (4%)	0 (0%)

Stats via Transfermarkt.

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This has clearly been a part of Iraola’s thinking throughout the summer, even if Wirtz is yet to feature. Without the World Cup participant available against either Sunderland or Wrexham, Iraola could have easily fielded Szoboszlai in the No. 10 role which suited him so well last term. However, the all-action Hungarian was saved for one of the deeper-lying positions in his new manager’s favored 4-2-3-1, leaving that attacking midfield spot free for when Wirtz comes back to replace Harvey Elliott.

Getting Wirtz in his best role could also be key to solving one of his major problems from last season.

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What Went Wrong for Florian Wirtz in Debut Liverpool Season?

Florian Wirtz was linked with Chelsea. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Every player has their own style. Manchester City’s ruthlessly efficient striker Erling Haaland takes pride in how little possession he has. “My dream is to touch the ball five times and score five goals,” he sniped during his debut Premier League season. “That’s my biggest dream.”

Yet, for a high-volume player like Wirtz, someone who needs several attempts to unpick the opposition’s rearguard, quantity is the route to quality. At Liverpool last season, he simply didn’t see enough of the ball.

Wirtz averaged around 16 fewer touches per 90 minutes in 2025–26 compared to his final season for Leverkusen. He attempted half as many dribbles and two-thirds as many shots. Slot’s use of the slight midfielder out wide naturally limited his involvement while there was a physical adjustment to his new, far more intense surroundings.

Stat (League)	Liverpool 25–26 (per 90)	Bayer Leverkusen 24–25 (per 90)
Touches	70.7	86.9
Dribbles Attempted	2.8	6.2
Expected Goals (xG)	0.26	0.24
Shots	1.9	3.0
Expected Assists (xA)	0.19	0.36
Key Passes	2.3	2.2

Stats via FotMob.

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Wirtz also had to share the ball at Liverpool. The Leverkusen academy graduate was the star of his team by the time he left the Bundesliga, so often the chief source of any and every meaningful attack. Liverpool were never going to be nearly so reliant on a spindly new youngster, especially when a living club legend in the form of Mohamed Salah was still stubbornly demanding the ball from his perch on the opposite side of the pitch.

Salah’s exit is another blessing for Iraola and Wirtz, who could also thrive in the manager’s fundamental style of soccer.

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Iraola’s Track Record Offers Wirtz Hope

Andoni Iraola intends to give everyone a fair chance. | Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC/Getty Images

Like any creative player, Wirtz is a risk-taker. Pass accuracy is a baseless statistic for a player constantly trying to thread the eye of a needle. The success rate is far less important than the total number of triumphs. In Iraola’s system, losing the ball is also a benefit.

Back when Iraola led Bournemouth and Rayo Vallecano, both clubs thrived when pressing the ball high up the pitch. Liverpool will do the same and encounter far fewer opponents who are brave enough to try to play their way through this fierce pressure. The Reds must make the most of potential moments of transition they inadvertently create by giving up possession.

Iraola is all about harnessing that chaos. “It’s a matter of how much you want to risk the ball,” the former Cherries coach explained during his time on the south coast. “I tell players whenever you recover it, your first look has to be not even to the No. 9, but the keeper. Can you score?” This verticality is a trait which should suit Wirtz, who has always been at his best in transition.

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