Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has said he has "100 per cent" trust in Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, after the two £100m-plus signings came in for criticism. Wirtz joined from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m and has yet to deliver on that price tag, struggling to influence Sunday's home loss to Manchester City. Barcola, who arrived from PSG in a £123m deal, has been given more leeway after joining late in the summer transfer window, but he looked short of confidence and has yet to properly contribute in six appearances.
The pressure has grown as injuries to Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, the team's leading three goalscorers this season, have left a small squad relying on its remaining big-name signings. The trio are missing for the Champions League trip to Austria to face LASK, and Iraola is unsure of their availability for the next three matches against Brentford, Villarreal and Brighton.
Iraola said the club needs its players to produce the goals, and that he trusts the current group to fill 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," he said. He pointed to Wirtz's performances for Germany during the last international break as a positive, adding that he prefers to judge the pair collectively, by how they help the team play well and get results.
Liverpool face six matches in 18 days, and Iraola is expected to make changes to the starting XI because of freshness and niggles.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing