Florian Wirtz Remains Liverpool’s Big Tactical Question After Brentford Win

Liverpool got the result they needed at Brentford. They responded to a first league defeat of the season, collected an away win and climbed to fifth. On the surface, that is the kind of afternoon Andoni Iraola would have taken without much fuss. Dig a little deeper, though, and the same question keeps coming back, what exactly is Liverpool’s best shape with Florian Wirtz in it?

That is the issue raised in the original reporting by BBC Football, and it is hard to argue with the central point. Wirtz was productive, influential and statistically excellent in west London, yet he also remained at the centre of Liverpool’s structural uncertainty.

The numbers were impressive. Wirtz created nine chances from open play, a standout figure by any measure and one that underlines why Liverpool committed a club record £116m to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen in June 2025. He was heavily involved in the attacking phase, drove Liverpool forward and helped initiate the comeback after Brentford were reduced to 10 men before half-time.

That part is easy to see. Wirtz gives you craft, imagination and final-third quality. He spots passes others do not. He plays on the half-turn, receives in pockets and increases the volume of dangerous actions around the box. Against Brentford, he recorded 12 final-third entries and 37 passes in the final third. Liverpool spent long stretches with him at the heart of their attacking work.

There is, however, another side to it, and this is where Liverpool’s tactical balance becomes a serious conversation rather than a passing talking point. Wirtz lost possession 19 times, more than every Liverpool player apart from Milos Kerkez, and won only one of his nine duels. Those details matter because they feed directly into the wider concern about how open Liverpool can look when he plays as a number 10 in a side already using two wingers high and wide.

Liverpool tactical balance still looks unresolved

This is not really about whether Wirtz is talented enough. He plainly is. It is about what happens around him. If Liverpool play with Wirtz behind the striker, then a heavy burden falls on the deeper midfielders. They are asked to cover too much ground, close too many spaces and put out too many fires in transition. Against Brentford, even with the extra man, there were periods when Liverpool looked vulnerable in midfield and too easy to progress through.

Danny Murphy put it bluntly: “They got the job done. First and foremost, that’s another win on the road, which is always positive,” before adding, “But I thought they looked too easy to play against. The spaces are too big.” He then got to the heart of it: “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.”

That sounds harsh, but it also sounds accurate. A side can create plenty and still be unstable. A side can win and still leave you unconvinced. Liverpool did both at Brentford.

This is where Iraola earns his keep. Good coaches do not merely fit stars into a shape and hope for the best. They build an environment in which the team functions with and without the ball. Right now, Liverpool look as though they are still searching for that equilibrium. Murphy’s warning was straightforward: “It was too easy for Brentford to play out and to get in behind. That would be the biggest concern today for me.”

Florian Wirtz production offers encouragement

For all the tactical debate, there are signs that Wirtz is beginning to affect games more consistently. He has now assisted in back-to-back matches in all competitions for the first time for Liverpool, and no player has created more Premier League chances this season. He is level on 18 with Brighton’s Pascal Gross, which says plenty about his creative output even in a side that has yet to fully settle.

That matters because criticism of Wirtz had started to grow. Steven Gerrard had suggested earlier in the week that taking him out of the side might help restore confidence. After this display, that line of argument looks less persuasive. Liverpool do not have many players capable of producing this amount of invention from central areas. Remove him and you probably gain some control, but you also lose a significant share of your unpredictability.

Murphy’s solution was clear enough: “They don’t look solid and don’t look together in terms of shape,” and, “Instead of a number 10, where Wirtz is struggling to impact games, put three midfielders in.” He also added, “Always, the priority is foundation, defence, stability, being hard to beat. The other stuff can follow from there.”

That is a legitimate football argument. It is also a conservative one. Iraola may decide that the upside of Wirtz’s creativity is worth the trade-off, particularly if Liverpool can improve their rest defence, pressing distances and protection in front of the back line. Systems are rarely fixed in September or October. They evolve.

Andoni Iraola now faces squad strain

The timing is awkward. Liverpool are trying to establish a new identity under a new head coach while the schedule begins to bite. Alexander Isak returned from injury, which is a major boost, but Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong both picked up injuries at Brentford. That leaves Iraola with less room for experimentation at the very point when he needs options.

The manager acknowledged the strain afterwards, saying: “When you come here, you see the results of Brentford at home and you have to be ready for this kind of battle.” He also said: “We had a lot of chances. Even at the end, we had some counters where we were three against one and need to finish. When we go 2-1, every throw-in and every free-kick can be a problem.”

More revealing was his assessment of the wider picture: “We are in a delicate situation with some of the players. We were talking about this run of four games in 10 days, it’s very, very demanding.” Looking ahead, he added: “We have to rest again because we have another big, big game against Villarreal [in the Champions League on Tuesday].”

That probably tells you everything. Liverpool have won, Wirtz has delivered and the fixture list keeps moving. Yet the conundrum remains. Wirtz can elevate Liverpool’s attack, but if the collective structure around him remains loose, stronger opponents will punish it. Iraola has a gifted playmaker on his hands. He also has a tactical problem to solve.

Our View

From a hopeful Liverpool perspective, there is still plenty to like here. Wirtz is clearly a top-level footballer, and supporters can see that every time he gets on the ball in dangerous areas. Players who create nine chances in a Premier League match do not grow on trees. If he is doing that while still settling into a new league, under a new coach, in a side that has not fully clicked, there is obvious reason for optimism.

The bigger point is that this feels fixable. Tactical balance can be coached. Distances between midfield and attack can be tightened. Full-backs can be managed differently. One midfielder can sit a little deeper. None of that requires tearing up the plan.

Iraola has inherited a squad that still looks like a work in progress, and injuries are already complicating things. Even so, wins like this matter because they buy time. Liverpool do not need panic or overreaction after seven league games. They need patience and a few practical adjustments.

If Wirtz keeps producing creatively and Isak stays fit, the attacking quality is there for a strong season. The challenge is to make the side harder to play through without blunting its best weapon. Get that right, and this conversation shifts very quickly from conundrum to catalyst.

Source: BBC Football