Florian Wirtz Leads Liverpool Win at Brentford but Role Debate Continues
German playmaker creates nine chances from open play as Liverpool bounce back from their first league defeat of the season
By AXY Sports Desk ·
Key points
- Florian Wirtz was central to Liverpool's Premier League win at Brentford, the club's first league victory since a defeat to Manchester City the previous weekend.
- Wirtz created nine chances from open play, a figure matched in a Premier League game only by Sadio Mane in January 2021 over the past six seasons' comparison.
- Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard suggested Wirtz could benefit from being left out, while pundit Danny Murphy argues his number 10 role makes the side too easy to play against.
- The debate centres on balancing Wirtz's creative output with the team's defensive shape under manager Andoni Iraola.
Florian Wirtz was instrumental as Liverpool returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a victory at Brentford on Saturday, but according to BBC Sport the question of how best to use the German playmaker remains unresolved for manager Andoni Iraola. The 23-year-old produced some of the most eye-catching attacking numbers of his Liverpool career, yet the wider debate about his place in the team has not gone away. For Iraola, the match offered proof of what Wirtz can deliver, and also a reminder of the trade-offs that come with building a side around a free-roaming creative player.
Brentford were reduced to 10 men before half-time, which shaped the rest of the match. Liverpool used their numerical advantage to take control, scoring twice in the second half. That response mattered because it followed their first league defeat of the season, a 1-0 loss? No, the source does not give a score, so this report does not state one. The defeat came against Manchester City the previous weekend, and it had raised questions about whether the team could regain its rhythm. Liverpool recorded 21 attempts on goal in total, and 14 of them came in the second half, when they had the extra player on the pitch. A convincing away win helps a club move on quickly from a defeat, especially in the early part of a season when every result feeds into the wider picture.
Wirtz was at the centre of much of that pressure. According to BBC Sport, he created nine chances from open play, more than any other player has managed in a Premier League game over the past six seasons. Open play refers to situations that develop through the normal flow of the game rather than from set pieces such as corners and free kicks, so the figure points to repeated creative actions rather than a single moment of inspiration. The last player to create as many chances in a single Premier League game was Sadio Mane, who did so for Liverpool against Burnley in January 2021, also with nine. Away from home, the feat is even rarer. Wirtz is the first player to reach that tally on the road in more than 15 years, since Samir Nasri recorded 10 for Manchester City against Tottenham in August 2011.
His overall passing was also notable. He completed 53 of the 65 passes he attempted, a success rate of 81.5%, and he led the match with 38 passes inside the final third. The final third is the area closest to the opponent's goal, and passes completed there are often the ones that lead to shots or chances. Taken together, the numbers suggest that Wirtz was not simply circulating the ball in safe areas but was regularly pushing Liverpool forward and creating opportunities for teammates.
Those statistics matter because Wirtz has faced criticism over his form. Liverpool paid Bayer Leverkusen a club record fee of £116m for him in June 2025, which set high expectations for a player who had been one of the most admired young attacking midfielders in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football. Transfer fees of that size tend to shape how fans and commentators judge a player, because the cost becomes a yardstick for performance. Wirtz has struggled at times to match the form that persuaded Liverpool to make such a significant investment, and that gap has become a regular topic of discussion.
The debate has taken on a sharper edge in recent days. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard said this week that Wirtz could benefit from being taken out of the team altogether, which he framed as a possible way of helping the player overcome what he perceives as a lack of confidence. Gerrard, who captained Liverpool, speaks from long experience of the pressures that come with the club's shirt, so his comments carry weight. They also reflect a broader argument among supporters and pundits about whether a player in Wirtz's position needs a break from the first team, a change of role within it, or simply more time to settle.
That is where the second strand of the debate comes in. BBC Sport pundit and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes that a midfield featuring Wirtz as the number 10 remains a problem, because it makes Iraola's side too easy to play against. The number 10 is the attacking midfield role that sits behind the main forwards and in front of the central midfielders. Players in that position are usually given freedom to move between opposition lines and create chances, which is exactly what Wirtz did at Brentford. The trade-off is that the space he occupies can leave gaps in front of the defence if the midfielders around him are not strong enough to win the ball back quickly and protect the back line. Murphy's view, as reported by BBC Sport, is therefore about balance rather than talent. In his reading, the structure of the midfield, not the quality of the individual, is the problem to solve.
The key dilemma facing Iraola was again evident in west London on Saturday. Wirtz's output showed that his creative ability is still central to how Liverpool attack, particularly when the opposition is under pressure or reduced in number. Yet the same qualities that make him dangerous, namely his willingness to drift into space and find passes in advanced areas, are the ones that critics say can unsettle a team's shape when the balance of the midfield is not right. This is the core of what BBC Sport describes as the manager's great conundrum: a player who can decide matches is also a player whose positioning and influence can change how the whole team functions.
It is worth being clear about what the match does and does not settle. One strong afternoon can answer some questions about Wirtz's influence on the ball, but it cannot resolve the structural question that Murphy raises. Football analysts often distinguish between a player's individual output and the collective shape of the team, and the two do not always move in the same direction. A creative midfielder may produce excellent chance-creation numbers while still leaving the team exposed when the opposition wins the ball back. Equally, a manager may find that the most productive solution is not to remove the player but to adjust the midfield around him, perhaps by giving more protective responsibility to the players alongside him. Analysts following the club would expect Iraola to weigh how many midfielders are needed to support a free-roaming creator, and whether the better option is to build the team around Wirtz or to change where he is asked to operate.
The Gerrard suggestion adds another dimension. Taking a player out of the team can be a way of addressing confidence, but it can also send a message about a manager's faith in a player whose fee and reputation are already under scrutiny. Whether Iraola chooses that route, or keeps Wirtz in the team and works on the surrounding structure, will be one of the most closely watched decisions of the coming weeks. Either choice carries risk. Dropping a player who has just produced a standout performance could be seen as a reaction to commentary, while keeping him in place without changes could allow the defensive concerns to persist.
What happens next will be closely watched. Liverpool's upcoming league matches will show whether the team can sustain the level it reached in the second half at Brentford, and whether Wirtz remains the main source of chances. Supporters and pundits will also look at how Iraola sets up his midfield in games where Liverpool do not have a numerical advantage, because that is where the criticism about defensive balance is most likely to resurface. A match against opponents who keep their full complement of players will give a clearer test than a game in which one side is already a man down. The response to Gerrard's comments, if any, and any change to the starting midfield, will also offer clues about the manager's thinking.
For now, Wirtz has given his manager a clear reason to keep faith in his creativity. His chance creation, passing into the final third and control of the second half at Brentford all point to a player who can still change games. But the conundrum that Gerrard and Murphy have highlighted has not been resolved by one strong performance. The central question is not whether Wirtz is capable of producing big moments, but whether Liverpool can build a team structure that lets those moments come consistently without leaving the side exposed. That is the test Iraola now faces, and it is one that will shape how Liverpool's season develops.
Topics: Liverpool, Florian Wirtz, Andoni Iraola, Premier League, Brentford, Football, Steven Gerrard, Danny Murphy
Sources: BBC Sport