Florian Wirtz played a central role as Liverpool returned to winning ways in the Premier League with victory at Brentford on Saturday, yet his place in manager Andoni Iraola’s system remains a subject of debate.
The Germany international created more chances from open play than any other player in a Premier League match during the past six seasons, producing nine in west London.
That matched the highest such total since Sadio Mane created nine for Liverpool against Burnley in January 2021. Wirtz is also the first player to reach nine chances created from open play in an away match for more than 15 years, since Samir Nasri made 10 for Manchester City against Tottenham in August 2011.
His performance came after a difficult period in which the 23-year-old has been criticised for failing to reproduce the form that convinced Liverpool to pay Bayer Leverkusen a club-record £116m in June 2025.
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said this week that Wirtz might benefit from being left out of the side altogether, arguing that the midfielder appeared to be suffering from a lack of confidence.
Wirtz responded with a statistically outstanding display at Brentford, although Liverpool’s use of him as a number 10 continues to raise questions about the balance of the team.
Liverpool were beaten by Manchester City in their first league defeat of the season last weekend, but recovered by scoring twice in the second half against Brentford, who had been reduced to 10 men before the interval.
The visitors created 21 attempts overall, with 14 of them coming after they gained the numerical advantage. Wirtz was heavily involved in Liverpool’s work in the final third and provided a consistent creative threat.
However, Danny Murphy, the BBC Sport pundit and former Liverpool midfielder, believes the shape leaves Iraola’s side vulnerable because it can be too straightforward for opponents to play against.
“They got the job done. First and foremost, that’s another win on the road, which is always positive,” Murphy said.
“But I thought they looked too easy to play against. The spaces are too big.
“They’re playing with two wingers and Wirtz at 10, so they’re relying heavily on the two midfield players to try and cover so much space.
“It was too easy for Brentford to play out and to get in behind. That would be the biggest concern today for me.”
Wirtz’s creative numbers offered a strong answer to his recent critics, but the match also highlighted the conundrum facing Iraola: how to make the most of the playmaker’s attacking qualities without leaving Liverpool exposed through the middle of the pitch.
