Danny Murphy says Iraola will be 'forced' to drop struggling Wirtz
Danny Murphy has waded into the Florian Wirtz debate, claiming Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola will eventually have no choice but to leave the German out of his starting line-up.
Football365 reports that Murphy believes Iraola will be "forced" to make a "brutal call" on a Reds star he feels is "not warranting his place" (Football365), while TeamTalk goes further, naming Wirtz directly and saying Murphy has shared "three major concerns" about the midfielder that mean Iraola may have to axe him from the side (TeamTalk).
Liverpool.com picks up the same theme, noting that calls for Wirtz to be dropped have been "renewed" after his performances were branded "unacceptable" by a former Red, even though the site points out he has "picked up a bit of form recently" and suggests Iraola could still make that call soon (Liverpool.com).
Not everyone is reading the situation the same way, though. The Liverpool Echo instead focuses on Wirtz's own words, with the midfielder explaining the influence Jurgen Klopp still has on his game, revealing he messages the former boss and takes confidence from Klopp's continued interest in how his Anfield career is developing (Liverpool Echo). That more positive mood is echoed by Liverpool.com elsewhere, who report that Wirtz has received "unanimous backing" from German media over his recent performances, with pundits in his homeland praising what they call his "latest heroics" during the international break (Liverpool.com). LiverpoolFC.com's own international round-up backs this up, confirming Wirtz was among the scorers for Germany on Friday night (LiverpoolFC.com).
So while Murphy and some domestic voices are sounding the alarm over Wirtz's Liverpool form, the German press and the player's own comments paint a picture of someone building momentum again, both for club and country. For Liverpool supporters, it leaves a slightly mixed picture heading into the next block of fixtures: a big-money arrival still finding consistency domestically, but clearly growing in confidence on the international stage and with Klopp still seemingly in his ear from afar.
Elsewhere, Liverpool.com also carried some lighter fare from former striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, who jokingly offered his services as a "personal trainer" to both Wirtz and Alexander Isak, suggesting the pair "need to hit the gym" and could do with some of his old "Beast Mode" training (Liverpool.com). It is not directly related to the Murphy debate, but shows just how much attention Wirtz's form is generating right now, on and off the pitch.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
