Iraola backs £200m-plus duo Wirtz and Barcola after Liverpool's 3-0 collapse against City

Andoni Iraola has publicly backed Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola after the two £100 million-plus signings drew sharp criticism for their performances in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, insisting he trusts both players “100 per cent”.

The scrutiny on the pair has intensified because Liverpool’s three leading scorers this season — Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai — are all currently injured, leaving Wirtz and Barcola as the primary creative outlets for a squad that is already stretched thin.

Wirtz, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m as one of Europe’s most coveted young talents, has yet to consistently replicate the form that lit up the Bundesliga. Against City he struggled to influence the game even during the periods when Liverpool were in the ascendency. Barcola, who joined late in the summer transfer window, has looked short of confidence across his six appearances to date.

“It’s true Cody, Alex and Dom are top scorers this season as they are the ones playing more in those positions,” Iraola said. “We need our players to give us those numbers, we trust the players we have now to play in those positions.”

“Bradley and Flo have had good and bad games this season like everyone else but we know their level and for sure we know they will give us good performances. At the end the responsibilities are the same. Sometimes we are too focused on just the numbers.”

Iraola also pointed to Wirtz’s recent international break with Germany as evidence of his underlying quality. “He probably didn’t have his best game but has had good games this season with us. I think he had some good performances in the national team, he scored one goal. He will have better and worse games but I like to look at it more collectively.”

The injured trio are unavailable for Liverpool’s Champions League trip to face LASK in Austria, and Iraola has expressed uncertainty over their readiness for the subsequent fixtures against Brentford, Villarreal and Brighton. With no immediate reinforcements returning, the pressure on Wirtz and Barcola to deliver is set to grow in the coming weeks.