The boss has had enough of the questions

Andoni Iraola has pushed back on the narrative surrounding Florian Wirtz, insisting his attacking midfielder is being "over scrutinised" after what the Liverpool manager described as two very good performances in quick succession. Given that Wirtz came in for considerable criticism following the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City earlier this month, you can understand why Iraola is drawing a line under the discourse.

"You ask me basically every day about him and we analyse and over scrutinise everything about him," Iraola said. "But when he does well also, it is fair to say." It is a reasonable point, and one worth sitting with. Nearly 60 appearances into his Liverpool career, Wirtz has not yet consistently reproduced the Bayer Leverkusen form that made him a £116m signing, but that does not mean every showing deserves to be put under a microscope.

What the numbers actually say

The evidence from the past week does support Iraola's case. Wirtz was excellent in the 6-3 win over LASK last Wednesday and followed that up by creating nine chances in total against Brentford on Saturday, including an assist for Victor Munoz as Liverpool came from behind to win 2-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium. That chance creation figure was the highest by a Liverpool player since Sadio Mane five years ago, which is a statistic that deserves more attention than it has received.

"I think he is coming in from two very good games," Iraola said. "He played really well at LASK away and the other day against Brentford. He helped the team a lot, in and out of possession and I hope we can keep him there, no?" The manager's challenge now is to sustain that level from Wirtz, and there are reasons to think the confidence from this past week could carry into Tuesday's Champions League fixture against Villarreal.

Rotation headaches ahead of Villarreal

Iraola acknowledged he is juggling fitness concerns as Liverpool navigate a packed schedule. Ryan Gravenberch has returned to the fold, but Dominic Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong are both unavailable for the Villarreal match, which is likely to force changes to the starting XI. Iraola was candid about that: "I am thinking of putting out the best starting XI I can against Villarreal but maybe it is not the one you are thinking because some players are not fresh enough."

The Brentford match, he revealed, was the most physically demanding Liverpool have played this season in terms of running statistics. That context matters when selecting who starts on Tuesday. The manager made clear he will prioritise freshness over familiarity, thinking just as carefully about how to affect the second half from the bench as about who begins the match.

Munoz making his case

Iraola also took time to speak warmly about Victor Munoz, who scored the equaliser from an unfamiliar right-back position at Brentford. The manager made plain he knows the player well and has spoken with Munoz's previous manager, Alessio Lisci, who was equally complimentary. "He is a player with hunger," Iraola said, noting that despite never previously playing professionally at a club of Liverpool's stature, Munoz came through the academies of Barcelona and Real Madrid and understands the standards those environments demand.

"He is a player that is adapting really well," Iraola added, and Saturday's contribution suggested that adaptation is ahead of schedule. A third consecutive Champions League victory against Villarreal would do the same for Wirtz's momentum too.