Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has thrown his full weight behind Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, insisting he trusts both players "100 per cent" — even as critics sharpen their knives following a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City.

Wirtz, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for £116 million, has now been at Anfield for the better part of two seasons without ever truly establishing himself as the game-changing force Liverpool anticipated. Barcola joined from PSG in a £123m deal late in the summer window and has looked short of confidence across his six appearances to date.

Iraola's defence of his big-money duo

The Liverpool manager acknowledged the pair have had inconsistent outings but refused to waver in his belief. "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," Iraola said.

"I was happy with a lot of things the other day. Bradley had good situations; we didn't finish them, but him and Flo also are players I trust 100 per cent."

Iraola also pointed to Wirtz's recent performances for Germany during the international break as encouraging signs. "He had some good performances in the national team; he scored one goal. He will have better and worse games, but I like to look at it more collectively — how they help us play well and get results," he added.

Injuries piling pressure on the squad

The scrutiny on Wirtz and Barcola has intensified because Liverpool's three leading scorers this season — Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, and Dominik Szoboszlai — are all sidelined with injuries. Their absence leaves the two expensive attackers with nowhere to hide.

The trio will miss the UEFA Champions League trip to LASK in Linz, and Iraola has cast doubt over their availability for the subsequent fixtures against Brentford, Villarreal, and Brighton. "It's true Cody, Alex and Dom are top scorers this season as they are the ones playing more in those positions," the boss admitted. "We need our players to give us those numbers; we trust the players we have now to play in those positions."

With six matches crammed into 18 days, Iraola also confirmed he will rotate his squad for the Linz fixture. "Because of freshness reasons and some niggles it will be difficult to put the same starting XI out tomorrow," he said.

Carragher calls for Wirtz to be dropped

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher was far less charitable in his assessment after the City defeat, arguing that Wirtz simply must come out of the starting eleven.

"I'm just sorry to say this: the Florian Wirtz signing isn't working, and it hasn't worked so far. He's got to do so much more. I struggle to think of one game where he's won Liverpool the game, or he's been the man. He was brought in to be a star of the Premier League. Wirtz has been here for 55-60 games; it's a lot, and I don't see it changing. He needs to come out of the team."

Carragher was more forgiving of Barcola, noting that having arrived only six weeks ago without a pre-season, harsh criticism of the Frenchman would be premature. Wirtz, he argued, no longer has that excuse.

The numbers behind Wirtz's struggles

The statistics offer little comfort for those defending the German midfielder. Across 39 Premier League appearances since his move last summer, Wirtz has averaged just 0.16 goals, 0.18 assists, and 2.2 chances created per 90 minutes. Those figures lag well behind what Kevin De Bruyne produced for Manchester City across the same number of early games, and also fall short of the early returns delivered by Cole Palmer at Chelsea and Martin Odegaard at Arsenal.

There is nuance to be found: Wirtz ranks in the 90th percentile among attacking midfielders in Europe's top five leagues for chances created since last season began. Yet his assist rate does not even reach the 50th percentile — a sign that those around him have been unable to convert the opportunities he generates.

Whether Iraola's loyalty to his two marquee signings is rewarded over the coming weeks of congested fixtures will go a long way to defining Liverpool's season.