Florian Wirtz Embraces Andoni Iraola’s Vision at Liverpool

Florian Wirtz is not panicking about pre-season scorelines. He is looking at the man on the touchline.

The Liverpool midfielder cut a calm, almost curious figure after a 3-2 defeat to AS Monaco, his thoughts drifting quickly from the result to the new voice shaping his second season in England: Andoni Iraola.

Wirtz buys into Iraola’s ideas

Arne Slot’s abrupt summer departure could have unsettled a dressing room still adjusting to life after Jürgen Klopp. Instead, Iraola has walked in from Bournemouth and, two weeks into Wirtz’s training schedule, already left a mark.

“Yeah, I think especially the last three years he did at Bournemouth, you could see what he can do with the team,” Wirtz said, pointing straight at the Spaniard’s work on the south coast rather than dwelling on Liverpool’s own stuttering friendly form. “Of course, we are looking forward to working with him.

“The first weeks for me, I think it's only two weeks now that I'm training, so I can just say that I'm enjoying it. I like the idea of football he has, so I'm really looking forward to it.”

That “idea of football” is what will define Liverpool’s season far more than a narrow defeat in August. Iraola arrives with a reputation for intensity, front-foot pressing and fast transitions. Wirtz, a creative 23-year-old who produced 15 goal contributions in all competitions in his debut campaign, sounds eager to plug himself into that current.

Encouraging flashes, clear warning

The Monaco game offered a snapshot of where Liverpool stand. For half an hour, Wirtz felt they looked like a side ready to hit the new campaign running. Then the level dropped.

“I think only the first 30 minutes were good from us,” he admitted. “I think we still have a lot to improve in training and also in the next match.”

That honesty matters. Pre-season can seduce teams into thinking sharp spells are enough. Wirtz framed them as a benchmark instead, a reminder of the standard Liverpool must sustain once the real games start.

The message from inside the camp is simple: the ideas are landing, the execution needs time.

Adapting to England – and now to Iraola

If anyone understands the demands of adaptation, it is Wirtz. A year into his Premier League career, he has lived the shift from German football to the relentlessness of England.

“I've played one year now in England. I've said this often enough that it's a different style of football in England than in Germany. You just get used to the games and the opponents,” he said.

He has not delved deeply into tactical details in public. “I've not spoken about the style so much. I think he has his ideas of playing football. We just have to work on that even more now,” he added.

So the picture is clear. A young playmaker, now acclimatised to the league. A new head coach with a defined, aggressive blueprint. A team that can look slick for 30 minutes, then ragged for 60.

Liverpool have their direction. The question, as the season looms, is how quickly Wirtz and Iraola can turn shared enthusiasm into 90-minute control.