Andoni Iraola admitted Florian Wirtz began Liverpool’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth slowly, while praising the midfielder’s improved second-half display on a day when the Reds ground out three hard-earned points on the head coach’s return to his former club.
Alexander Isak’s 57th-minute goal proved decisive at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It was far from a vintage Liverpool performance — the visitors looked disjointed for long periods and struggled to impose their usual control — but the result was what mattered most for Iraola as he faced the side he left behind.
Wirtz, one of last summer’s headline £100m+ signings, endured a difficult first half and was substituted with 20 minutes remaining. Jamie Carragher, watching from the Sky Sports studio, was characteristically blunt, saying he would have taken the German off at half-time. Iraola, however, offered a more balanced assessment after the final whistle.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Liverpool head coach said: “He started the game slowly, I agree. The first minutes they went quite intense and we were not quite with it in the duels in the middle. After that first phase, I think we improved.
“Florian has helped us also to improve. In the second half he was playing much better; he was finding better spots to receive and turn. Probably we haven’t found the last part or moment to score but I think I’m much more happy with his second half than his first one.”
The numbers backed up Iraola’s observation of a tale of two halves. According to Sofascore, Wirtz completed 26 of 37 passes (70%), lost possession 15 times from 57 touches, won six of his eight duels, created three key passes and made three tackles. He was involved in the build-up to Isak’s winner with an attempted flick into the Swede’s path, yet the overall output remains underwhelming for a player of his price tag and reputation.
Wirtz has come under increasing scrutiny for his early-season form. Former Liverpool midfielder Steve Nicol recently called for him to be dropped from the starting XI, while other pundits have questioned whether the club can continue to wait for the 23-year-old to fully adapt to the intensity of the Premier League. An awkward first-half collision with Milos Kerkez only added to the sense that things were not quite clicking for the German.
Still, there were encouraging signs after the break. Wirtz began to find better positions between the lines, received the ball on the half-turn more frequently, and looked more willing to drive into advanced areas. That improvement, however modest, was enough for Iraola to keep him on until the 70-minute mark before introducing a fresh pair of legs.
The victory itself was built on resilience rather than fluency. Bournemouth, true to the high-intensity style Iraola himself installed during his time on the south coast, pressed aggressively in the opening stages and forced Liverpool into uncomfortable situations. Once the visitors weathered that early storm, they gradually asserted more control, even if clear-cut chances remained scarce until Isak’s clinical finish.
For Wirtz, the coming days will offer a brief mental reset. He will now rest before linking up with the Germany squad for their UEFA Nations League fixtures in the first week of October. The timing coincides with Jürgen Klopp’s notable decision to split Liverpool’s squad into two groups for the international window — a move designed to manage workload and give certain players a fuller recovery period.
Whether Wirtz can translate these incremental second-half improvements into consistent performances remains one of the key storylines of Liverpool’s season. At more than £100m and with only seven goals in 55 appearances so far, the expectation is high. Iraola’s public patience suggests he still believes the best is yet to come. For now, the head coach will take the three points, the improved second-half display, and the knowledge that another difficult away trip has been navigated successfully.
