Over the course of the 2026-27 campaign, a lot has been said about Florian Wirtz and his Liverpool career so far.
The German international has only shown flashes of his potential at Anfield since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, leading to suggestions that he should be dropped from the team.
However, in recent weeks, Wirtz appears to have found his feet after commanding displays vs LASK in the UEFA Champions League and Brentford in the Premier League.
And now, Andoni Iraola has singled him out for special praise, while former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has once again given him a glowing endorsement.
Florian Wirtz gets ringing Liverpool endorsement
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Iraola praised the 23-year-old for his recent displays, adding that credit should be given when it’s due.
“I think he’s coming in from two very good games, LASK and Brentford; he helped a lot in and out of possession.
“I hope we can keep him there. We analyse and scrutinise everything but when he does well, it’s fair to say.”
Gerrard appeared to echo those claims. The former Liverpool captain believes Wirtz needs to be allowed to play his way through his Liverpool rut as opposed to being frozen out of the team and scrutinised.
“As soon as they start getting a bit of criticism, from whoever starts it, everyone jumps on the bandwagon and everyone wants to really dramatise it and serialise it.
“I think Florian Wirtz has to perform better and give more,” said Gerrard via The Overlap.
“I did say that and I think he has underperformed in more than enough games. It took him a lot of time to get up to speed with the Premier League and he has been frustrating at times.
“The easy thing is to try and kill him and try to move him on and wish him well. You just need to stop and think: how can you fix it?”
“If you’re the manager of Liverpool, you want Wirtz to be shining. You need him contributing goals and assists. That’s what the fans want.
“I’ve seen enough throughout his career and flashes in a Liverpool shirt to think that he can play through this and come out the other side.
“The last two performances against LASK and Brentford, he’s put two performances together. He’s contributed to the win in both.”
“Don’t give up on him. This is not just Florian Wirtz. I’m talking about any young kid who has a dip in form or who is finding it hard to cope with a price tag.
“Let’s work with him. Let’s try and help him, let’s support him. Let’s hope he’s on an upward curve now for more consistent performances.”
Safe to say Gerrard and Iraola are certainly on the same page….
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