Iraola Praises Wirtz After Criticism: A Masterclass in Creativity

Head coach Andoni Iraola praised German international Florian Wirtz's creative contribution as Liverpool came from behind to beat Brentford.

In a chaotic first half on Saturday, Keane Lewis-Potter had put Brentford ahead before Yehor Yarmoliuk was sent off, leaving his side with 10 men. In the second half, Wirtz led Liverpool's comeback.

Wirtz assisted Victor Munoz's equaliser and was at the heart of the attacking move that saw Alexander Isak, back from injury, put the Reds 2-1 ahead.

Despite some nervy late moments, Iraola's side held on to the lead and finished the match against nine-man Brentford after Vitaly Janelt was also shown a red card in stoppage time for a challenge from behind on Rio Ngumoha.

Wirtz registered his second Premier League assist of the season; the German star's other assist also came for Munoz, against Nottingham Forest in August.

Wirtz, who has been the focus of criticism for his performances since his move from Bayer Leverkusen, created nine chances from open play against Brentford, becoming the first player to achieve that in a single Premier League match since January 2021. Sadio Mane was the last to reach that mark, against Burnley; the last to do so in an away match was Samir Nasri (10) for Manchester City in August 2011.

Assessing Wirtz's impact on the pitch after Brentford's first red card, Iraola said: "Especially in the second half, if you need someone to unlock the game, it is definitely Flo. Just like Rio. The spaces are very tight, the time on the ball is limited... Because Brentford are a team that defend their box superbly, you need players who can solve the fine details. You need names who can make a difference, like Flo, Rio and Victor, who attacked the opposing full-back brilliantly."

Iraola, who was pleased with his team's overall performance but felt they should have managed the game better after going 2-1 up, said: "We played brilliantly against 10 men until we got to 2-1. We were patient, we found the right situations and we were in control. After the goal I was a little disappointed, because when you go 2-1 up you fall into the mindset that you have something to lose. We did not take the clear counter-attacking chances that would have killed the game. Still, overall we did well against 10 men."

On Yarmoliuk's controversial first-half red card for his action towards Jeremy Jacquet, Iraola steered clear of any controversy, saying: "I have to say it was a difficult incident. I watched the replay on the screen, but I still do not have a clear view, I am not entirely sure."