Liverpool Banter 2

19 Oct 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - OptimumShots has posted a new article entitled, Everton Need More Than Moyes' Stability

18 Oct 2026 21:30:40
Anyone know if we have shown any interest in Leonel Flores, the Argentinian right winger?

18 Oct 2026 22:28:43
Who is he? Milei's deputy?

19 Oct 2026 10:14:26
Very good Starseeker.

19 Oct 2026 10:34:54
He would get on with Romano Benito Floriani Mussolini, the right winger at Nazio, sorry I mean Lazio.

18 Oct 2026 19:15:34
Alonso has got chelsea playing his way faster than Adoni has at Liverpool,
Early days but after few hiccups alonso has really got a system going while we adoni is still trying to get the best out the team.

I think he is still not decided on his first 11 and we have a heavy run of games and these injuries don't help. He should have trusted koumas and trey against Brentford and given isak and szobo the villareal game.
Rotation is key but he gas to get price tags out of his mind and play people on best fit.

18 Oct 2026 19:21:55
They got hammered 3-0 by the team we just beat.

18 Oct 2026 19:51:08
Shipley, yeah but the truth and Harry have never been comfortable bed fellows.

18 Oct 2026 19:43:55
He got to choose his own transfers rather than waiting for a Brylcreme model working part-time from Saudi Arabia to finish instagram stalking random goalkeepers.

18 Oct 2026 20:17:46
AI requires a high level of fitness from his squad for his system, he inherited a squad completely unable to last 60 mins after Slot destroyed their stamina with his coaching.
AI will get the most out of what he has but he will need time to do it. This one's a slow burner.

18 Oct 2026 20:24:50
Chelsea made many more signings and have a larger squad. They also do not have European football so have more time on the training ground.

18 Oct 2026 20:52:22
One point ahead of us and no European football to get in the way.

18 Oct 2026 21:21:12
Yes massive mistake playing the player who scores the match winner mate.

18 Oct 2026 22:04:19
Nonsense. Iraoli clearly has a preferable starting 11 but he is also very wary of the need for rotation and shows no signs of playing favourites over price tags. Koumas is nowhere near as clinical as Isak in front of goal, the kid gets an A for effort, but he can't lace Isaks boots at the moment. In regards to Wirtz, he needs to build confidence along with the relationships in the team, he's essentially playing with a new frontline this season, and in a different position, last year he played predominantly on the left with Ekitike and Mo, whereas this year he's playng centrally with Isak, Barcola and Munoz.

Its almost like playing in a new team for the kid.

18 Oct 2026 22:13:28
Chelsea no European football which massive advantage as we have seen with man United last season and this season.

19 Oct 2026 00:01:29
Agree Chewy- its crazy how much flack Wirtz cops purely as a result of his price tag. There were positive signs against Brentford and I think he will start to do better as the season commences.

I feel sorry for Heki tho- hes not going to get much gametime if Isak and Barcola stay fit.

19 Oct 2026 07:53:43
So where did Gakpo play? Because was that not one of the main gripes last season, that Cody was starting every game?

19 Oct 2026 08:25:29
My sole opinion is he comes on here to get attention not to talk about Liverpool, you just have to look at his username.

Very chuffed for Isak atm he's starting to score regularly now and sure its doing great for his confidence. Hope his fitness and eye for goal can keep up with our stacked season.

19 Oct 2026 09:02:52
AI won't have the chance to use a full squad until early next year. It'll be interesting to see if Bradley, Leoni and / or Ekitike make the starting line up when they are available.

19 Oct 2026 09:56:44
If this is Harry, then I think he has abandoned City and now just gone to his basement for his old Chelsea blanket to get back underneath after he chucked it away to support City.

If it is not then, @Shipley is correct. Imagine trying to convince us that Chelsea who just got absolutely wrecked and mollywhopped by this same Brentford team we fought hard to beat even with 10 men (cos they are tough to beat at home) to beat (and should have battered them, btw) is now playing "faster football than we are".

Yeah, because apparently to these lot down is up and bad is good, right? Pathetic.

The fact of the matter is that We beat the team on their patch that wrecked your lot. We got the 3 points and your lot got zero. Those are the facts.

Read them and weep.

19 Oct 2026 10:23:23
Moving to the prem will
Be the making of Wirtz.

19 Oct 2026 10:33:38
At least we have today's most melodramatic post winner @09:56.

19 Oct 2026 12:11:37
When I checked the table I could've swore Chelsea were above us.

19 Oct 2026 15:10:14
Rome, they are, but they haven't played the Harlem GlobeCheaters yet!

18 Oct 2026 19:13:37
The next batch of home fixtures will give a really good indication of where this squad and certain individuals are going imo.
CL game should be a comfy 3 points but I think Iraola needs to go strong at first & put the game to bed but next up Brighton who are in great form and that'll be tough tough game?
I'd take 4 points out the 6 from the league fixtures & it's a toss up vs Chelsea in the cup.

18 Oct 2026 22:28:46
I think Villarreal will be a tough game.

19 Oct 2026 08:40:44
Due to the new CL format Tue game isn't a must win. Due to the teams ahead in the PL the Brighton and Arsenal Games are must wins.

Must win because whilst a draw isn't the end of the world it doesn't close the gap on two of the teams we are chasing.

19 Oct 2026 09:04:30
You certainly know your maths @JK - thanks for helping with the explanation 😉 Sorry, couldn't help it.

19 Oct 2026 10:31:16
WDW like a young Carol Vorderman I am, but without the significant chest and glutes.

{Ed001's Note - you could always get the same surgeries as she had.}

19 Oct 2026 11:52:14
Ed001 i'd never leave the house if i did.

{Ed001's Note - don't do that then, as that would mean you were on here more often and we would never get any peace!}

18 Oct 2026 14:26:57
Question to Ed001, and indeed all my fellow Macca skeptics, how do you view his early season contributions? I'm personally happy with how he is performing right now, even if I still would like to see him replaced in the summer. I think if he can carry on like this, it may be actually on considerably better terms in more ways than one.

{Ed001's Note - he is having a decent season, but he is not good enough.}

18 Oct 2026 20:22:30
Did you not watch the game then? You need to watch the goal we conceded and his "attempt" at preventing the cross which led to the goal.
Macca has to be moved on nevermind him seeking a bumper new deal.


I'll keep repeating. The first team needs two top midfielders to go straight in. One, a top 6 and another proper midfielder who can dictate the play. Grav and sob should not be guaranteed.

18 Oct 2026 20:48:06
If we're finger pointing, Ron, Nyoni lost Potter to allow him a free header.

18 Oct 2026 21:00:48
Ron, make sure you bring up the issue with our mids again tomorrow so none of us forget. Haha.

18 Oct 2026 22:09:33
He's consistent enough - just like Gravenberch and possibly Szobo.

Midfield needs to be stronger and more disciplined, we all see it.

Szobo is a good player but he's not very solid in midfield. He needs to improve this aspect, hopefully Iraola and his coaches can help him.
I'd not lose any sleep if we replaced Mac Allister and Gravenberch.

18 Oct 2026 22:17:15
Ron the Potter goal was entirely Nyoni's fault, he was fast asleep, pulld a Trent completely forgot he had to actually track his man. I think MacAllister simply misjudged the angle at which Thiago struck the ball.

18 Oct 2026 22:24:39
I think it was pretty clear in the post - especially clear for my posts - that I don't want him as part of the long term midfield setup. I was more intrigued to see if those who agree with that position agree that he has been decent.

I think Szoboszlai and Gravenberch need to be paired with someone more defensive minded RK. As others have suggested, at some stage we could return to the 2024 configuration with Szoboszlai the most advanced of the midfielders. I haven't lost hope in Wirtz though and I think he was really good the other day. It was good to see him perform well against such a physical side.

18 Oct 2026 22:29:32
Typo - He ISN'T consistent enough .etc.

18 Oct 2026 22:41:30
Fornax, Macca has upped his game this season, for sure, he still goes missing at times, but he at least looks to be putting in more effort. He's doing a good job for us atm, but of course he could be improved on, he was always a bit of a budget purchase, and even at his best we could bring in somebody better.

Wirtz is highly mobile, whilst he lacks that edge that really makes him effective effective in the final third at the moment; that high level mobility is a huge part of what we do need in the 10 right now. He's essentially playing a new role with a new frontline this season. From playing on the left with Ekitike and Mo to playing centrally behind Isak Barcola and Munoz, it's a big change again for him. I think the kid deserves the season to prove himself but he needs a string of goal contributions sooner rather than later to boost his confidence and hopefully kick on, otherwise I fear it will be more of the same.

I remember when people were saying Dom wasn't doing enough as an attacking midfielder prior to moving into the 8, yet he was far more effective than Wirtz, so the kids going to have to pull his socks up or he'll be heading back to Germany come June.

19 Oct 2026 00:27:29
If Sunderland continue to tank then Sadiki might become available.

19 Oct 2026 10:00:28
So essentially, the Potter goal was a collection of errors with Macca not closing down Thiago and Nyoni not checking his mirrors to see Potter ghosting in behind him.

Wait, isn't this how goals like that always happen?

If that is the case then, why the scapegoating, exactly?

20 Oct 2026 11:06:30
Because you have to have someone to blame these days @Oli.

18 Oct 2026 11:49:06
So many on here were saying we should sell Ngumoha over the summer. A "one trick pony".

Seems to me he's developing nicely.

18 Oct 2026 11:55:20
Very nicely and very quickly, it usually takes time to develop, kid's a natural 🔥🔥.

18 Oct 2026 11:57:05
The thing is that he is very very good at the one trick that he does. He really needs to learn how to be a threat running in behind rather than always needing to run at the defence with the ball at his feet and he is not a terribly good passer or crosser yet, but one on one he has to be one of the hardest to contain dribblers in the entire league, and he's only 18.

Even when his dribbles don't come to anything they can result in a goal because of the chaos they create when he cuts in the box, as we have seen of late.

18 Oct 2026 12:12:15
Munoz and Rio seem to be pushing each other along nicely with a little bit of friendly competition.

18 Oct 2026 12:43:19
Rekon arrival of Munoz has pushed Rio. Rio is playing more direct and low to the ground. Still don't like the stand still and inching forward that 99/100 ends up in losing the ball but hey, Barcola is don't that too so. lol Rio picking up some bad habits from another 100m+ player!

18 Oct 2026 13:07:01
He should've been on at half time against 10 men

As fate would have it, Frimpong gets injured yet again so Rio did get on quickly, but it definitely worried me how Iraola was forced rather than naturally looked towards Rio at half time.

18 Oct 2026 13:14:48
Thing is Burgher, that beating defenders head on is the most difficult of all the skills you mentioned.

18 Oct 2026 13:15:03
Kids 18.Not liked on here. Truth is though he's better than the £100m plus bloke we have on the left so far this season.

18 Oct 2026 13:26:56
Minteh will bring a different quality to the right side, one which we have sorely missed at times.

18 Oct 2026 13:29:55
Barcola has been with us for 6 weeks, 3 of those was away at international duty. Please can we give the lad a break? 😅.

18 Oct 2026 13:54:35
@ASB, no we can't. Just because it's a different league in a hew country for a club that has a new head coach and a different style of play to what the lad's used to doesn't mean we make any allowances.

18 Oct 2026 13:59:09
Truth is Florian, he's not. Maybe he will be and maybe he won't but Barcola has just arrived. Give him a break. Give them all a break actually.

18 Oct 2026 14:28:01
On cow's arses and banjos. Barcola can't finish, we should have just taken Darwin back on a free transfer.😂.

18 Oct 2026 15:05:16
I go by what's done in a Liverpool jersey. Yes Barcola is not here long and he may well improve(I should bloody hope so)but so far what I said is not untrue. Give Barcola a break? Ngumoha just turned 18, very few seem to give him a break.

I actually see more football intelligence from Rio at 18 than I do from Barcola. Some of the things Barcola did yesterday were mystifying.

18 Oct 2026 15:23:12
Absolutely Chewy, it's frightening watching Rio when he is in full flow knowing how young he is and how much room he still has to develop.

I'm curious as to what you thought Barcola did yesterday that was mystifying Florian, do you mean when he messed up the counter attack near the end when he looked like he was out on his feet? I think he just ran out of gas the last quarter of the game, he didn't have a preseason and it's a new environment with new physical demands.

18 Oct 2026 15:41:12
The 3 previous LFC left wingers were Mane, Diaz and Gakpo that's the minimum standard for him to equal, will he be as good as Mane only time will answer that? he should at least equal Diaz and Gakpo, but Mane is obviously the Gold standard! the only defence for Barcola is the 3 above played in a far better Klopp team, one plus none of the 3 above scored a hat trick in the UCL, and in a lesser team?

Mane scored his first PL goal on his debut, Diaz scored his first PL goal after 5 apps (21 days, he scored an FA Cup goal before a PL goal, after 2 apps)), Gakpo signed 7 January scored first PL goal circa 35 days later on 13 February against Everton.

Barcola is yet to score a PL goal, but time is on his side? all the three above could also quite comfortably play as a CF also if needed. Talking of goals man United have today versus Leeds conceded a PL goal in every PL fixture so far.

YNWA Andoni.

18 Oct 2026 16:22:02
Rio has definitely improved since last season. He frustrated me last year by not attacking his man directly enough and waving his foot over the ball.
I wonder if he was nervous of loosing position under Slot and Keeping the ball was priority?

Lately he's been moving the ball quicker and turning his defender around. Quick 1-2s in tight areas makes good viewing.

Barcolla looks a little lightweight at times. His runs in behind are good, like to see him get the pass quicker to make the defence drop off us a bit. But overall very early to say at the moment. Hope he doesn't become a flat track bully, playing well against weak teams and not showing up against the big boys.

I'm definitely pleased with the progress overall slightly better than I expected. 2 away wins in the PL already is surly worth noting I think under Slot we would most likely have lost or drawn those?

YNWA.

18 Oct 2026 16:58:30
Rio is 18. Imagine him after another 3 years of development. Those wanting rid of an 18 year old needs to give their head a wobble. Kid has bags of potential but needs time and to learn which is done in training.

18 Oct 2026 18:49:14
Salah wasn't exactly pulling up trees at 18.

18 Oct 2026 22:23:10
In Barcolas case I think he's suffering from a dose of Eki-isak syndrome. He's only a 70-minute man right now. You could see he wasn't really there physically or mentally in the dying minutes, he had a long Summer and no real pre-season.

We've already seen him suffer from cramp, he said in an interview the biggest difference between Ligue 1 and the PL was all the running and we've heard Iraola speak about him improving his fitness so he gets a pass for now.

18 Oct 2026 22:28:03
Past two performances on the right wing have been very good in my opinion. He's shown more variety, both cutting inside and hitting the byline.

19 Oct 2026 10:02:25
I see what you did there, WDW.

And I like it.

19 Oct 2026 11:52:20
Getting Minteh as well now? How many forwards do we need? Midfield and defence need to be prioritised.

18 Oct 2026 11:35:06
Watching the game yesterday and was thinking about how many of our first team squad will be still around in 2/3 years time.

Jaquet, Kerkes (maybe) Barcola, Rio, Florian (maybe) Ekitike, Isaak (maybe) Munoz, Trey, Leoni (if he comes back and is as good as we hope) Dom (maybe)

Got me thinking about how much we've spent lately and how much it's looking like we still need to invest.

Alison, Verg, Macca, Gapko, Enzo, Gomez, frimpomg (hopefully) Grav, The Greek etc I don't see in the first team by then.

Some big shoes to fill - interested in others thoughts on who you guys think will still be around 29/30 season.

18 Oct 2026 12:44:24
dunno mate, but was listening to potential of Alex Scott for another $100m and was thinking at this rate in a couple years' time, we'll have a starting XI where all the players were bought in for $100m each lol.

18 Oct 2026 13:18:17
None if the goalies. Bradley, Jaquet and Leoni. Trey and Dom from the midfielders. Rio, Isak and Ekitike.

18 Oct 2026 14:09:51
Jaros, the giant Belgian kid, Bradley, Jacquet, Leoni, Ndukwe, Kerkez, Wirtz, Munoz, Nyoni, Ngumoha, Kumas, Wright, Barcola Ekitike of the younger generation all seem to be reasonable possibilities. There is also the South American 17 / 18 year old attacking midfielder and the 17 / 18 year old French CF, that we bought in the last window to bring in next summer and now apparently the lad Mora from Mexico who's 17 or 18 may be joining next summer.

Plus the ones that the club will bring in over the next 3 or 4 windows.

18 Oct 2026 16:08:02
Gravenberch too old at currently 24? played against the cheats with and against 3 midfield players who cost £100 million plus and was easily streets ahead of all of them? While Andoni is here, Ryan will be going nowhere?

19 Oct 2026 11:54:31
Definitely a future with us for Grav I feel. Macca doing well this year but I'd sell if RM come calling.

18 Oct 2026
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled,

Click picture for larger image

18 Oct 2026 11:02:39
🤣🤣 it's surprising the team don't look to put more crosses into the box rather than check back and recycle possession which seems to be the common theme.

Only run I saw Isak do in first half was on the left edge of the box and Barcola just got in the way and headed it.

Can Isak do more. Absolutely

but I'll take match winning goal though over the praise "he ran around a lot and caused chaos" propaganda.

18 Oct 2026 11:12:36
It's not either / or JK.

There will be many more games where we will left wanting more from Isak than games he does nothing then pops up for the winner.

He'll literally need to score 30+ in the prem to get Mo Salah level praise for doing nothing but scoring ( :p )

18 Oct 2026 11:15:58
I think we'll all be happy, JK, when Isak starts getting caught offside about 20 times a game. In addition to just running around like a headless chicken. He needs to work on both those aspects of his game.

18 Oct 2026 11:18:08
Who's giving him Mo Salah level praise?

So you're bashing him on future fixtures that haven't even happened 🤣.

18 Oct 2026 11:19:26
So would you take Isak over Firmino then JK23? Bobby used to get slated for not scoring enough goals, but his movement allowed Salah and Mane to get in on goal more.

18 Oct 2026 11:35:18
Taurus I'd say a 35 year old Bobby would struggle under Ai's intensity mate and Salah and Mane are no longer here. Barcola got in on goal a few times yesterday and didn't capitalise.

Bobby, Mane and Salah were world class as a 3. I don't think anyone would put Isak in that team era ahead of Bobby.

However a Suarez I would. The guy was world class and despite having the morals of an alley cat he could nut meg a mermaid.

Probably the best player I've seen live over a sustained period of time.

However saying that Salah, Suarez and Mane might not work and we know how class the other 3 were together.

I've never seen someone describe Bobby as causing chaos in fairness and 111 goals for the club is hardly slim pickings.

18 Oct 2026 11:50:33
Isak does make quite a lot over a that do t come off
We have to transition from keeping the ball and playing it safe to playing more risky balls in behind.

That mix of playing short and long passes means opposition do t know whether to press high or drop deep.

We are slightly too predictable at the minute until we get away from the approach taken by Slot and his coaching team

Until we do that, we won't get the best out of Isak, or Wirtz, or Barcola.

18 Oct 2026 12:01:01
Could it be that Isak is being instructed to stay in the box and attack the 6 yard box? At Newcastle he was constantly dropping deep and laying it off, or drifting into the left channel, at Liverpool his radius seems to have shrunk and he is much less involved in general play.

You can't argue with the results so far, he's the second leading scorer at match day 6 despite not having played well in any of the games. His finish last night was absolute top quality, world class instinctive number 9 goal.

18 Oct 2026 12:24:57
Bobby did brilliant JK23 and he did have one season where he scored 27 in all comps. His normal range per season outside of that one was 11-15 per season. His ratio of goals per minutes was actually slightly worse than Darwin Nunez. Nunez had a goal every 195 minutes, with Bobby at a goal ever 225 minutes according to ChatGPT.

18 Oct 2026 12:46:24
JK - I'm saying that Isak will need to hit Mo's goal output year in year out to get to the point we can praise him for doing nothing but scoring. That was tongue in cheek dig at Mo of course.

Back to my main point - Isak needs to do more. We aren't going to have a majority of games where we need him to pop up for a winner whilst doing nought. We need him for all the other games when we're struggling.

18 Oct 2026 12:48:40
I think we need to build our attack around Isaac. He has 5 in 6 in the league. Goals win matches, we need him fit and staying at a high scoring level and the wins/success will follow.

18 Oct 2026 13:21:53
For the record, I couldn't care less about Isaks movement so long as he scores, I knew what he was when we first went in for him, he's not the typical 'Liverpool-style' forward we've been used to, but he's absolutely clinical, and I'll take goals over any other stat all day.

18 Oct 2026 13:23:24
Faith I fully agree and I did in my original post that he needs to do more.

But in fairness I think we could all argue that point about every single player in the squad.

Excellent result yesterday but every player could have done more and done more in previous games.

Games have been far more watchable in my opinion this season than they were last so that's a massive bonus.

Brighton and Arsenal next sandwiched in between Europe and league cup.

2 PL games should be the priority at this point and looking at Ai lineups to date it appears he shares that sentiment.

Main point is great result but lots of areas for improvement for all players.

18 Oct 2026 13:23:35
Well at the moment he has popped up with winners in 50% of the league games he's played so we are not been left wanting. And this is at a time where let's face it we are not exactly playing scintillating football. Stays fit and he's only going to get better for us.

18 Oct 2026 14:12:46
What's wrong with a CF who scores goals? Isn't that what they are supposed to do?

18 Oct 2026 15:07:35
No WDW. A centre forward is meant to feed the wingers 😁.

18 Oct 2026 16:18:55
Nunez or Isak?

Nunez couldn't score goals, Isak couldn't press a button, Isak has a very dirty habit of regularly putting the ball in the back of the net! how dare he!

YNWA Andoni.

18 Oct 2026 17:07:11
Say what you will about him, but inside the penalty box, he is lethal. His instinctive finishing is top class, and the power he generates from almost no backlift is so good. That being said, its not his fault we paid 125mn for him and hence he is expected to be out of the world each game.

But he is a world class player and if he stays fit he will bag 20-30 goals a season without a doubt.

18 Oct 2026 22:39:59
JK - yup and that result will do a lot for the team's confidence. Away result at a tough ground, injuries stacking up, adjustments mid-game. That's a great result.

19 Oct 2026 03:52:09
As long as we all live we would be very, very lucky to see a front three that could work as well as Mane, Firminho and Salah. Individually they were all excellent, collectively they were even better. We were spoilt rotten watching those three playing together. They were all different in their style and approach but complimented each other perfectly.

Thing is, they didn't do it straight away, they worked at it and got better and better - a lesson there for us in the current situation maybe? I will say again though that we were lucky beyond belief as fans to watch them play together.

19 Oct 2026 08:36:36
Isak scores the winner and he still gets lambasted for lack of movement

All I can say, is that I don't care as long as he scores, and if his goals end up being the match winners, then Amen.

19 Oct 2026 10:37:10
Personally, I don't even know what this argument is about. Also, why are we comparing Bobbie to Isak. To Darwin and then back to Isak? I am sincerely baffled.

They are all different players who were being asked to do different things from different managers. One can score goals for fun (Isak). The other couldn't but could do other things (Darwin) to facilitateand open space for others to score.

While the 3rd guy (Bobbie) was literally being asked to do everything and facilitate other great goalscorers (his main job) without being asked to score goals, per se. And even at that, man still scored 100 plus goals in an LFC shirt.

Good luck trying to get anything out of this debate.

You're going to need it.

18 Oct 2026 08:52:06
Ed01, here are a few observations from yesterday's game.

First of all, it was a great result. We have not always done well away at Brentford, and given their recent form, three points there is a very good return.

I won't say much about Wirtz. My fanboy bias is well known, and enough has already been said about him. Good game or bad, the lad never stops trying, and that is all I will add.

Ronald Araujo has been a strong addition to the defensive setup, but he is holding back our attacking play down the right. His crossing is not great, and there is very little offensive supply coming from that side at the moment in my opinion. Gomez is probably a better option there but his fitness won't allow it which is why Iraola is probably refraining from using him there.

The other thing that stood out was how many players were holding onto the ball for far too long instead of passing. Munoz and Rio both had a very good impact, but even for Munoz's goal, the sensible option was probably to play it to Macca, as the chances had dried up by that point. Rio rarely plays a pass either. It all worked out yesterday, but it will not always. Barcola was guilty of the same thing and squandered a lot of chances. The one positive was that he did pass to Koumas in the final attack. It was the wrong decision at that moment, but it at least showed he wanted the other man to score, even if it came far too late in the game. Koumas also failed to pass on a couple of occasions when it was the obvious choice, and doing so would probably have made a difference.

I am sure this will improve with time, but it was noticeable.

Isak did exactly what we hoped he would, so any complaint about him would sound foolish. That said, when Ekitike is fit again, could he rotate with Isak up top? His hold-up and link-up play may be slightly better than Isak's, provided he learns how to press. He has the skills and the pace, and if the attitude is right I think it could work well. It would also give Isak the chance to get fitter and sharper in his overall play.

What do you think?

{Ed001's Note - I can't say anything yet as I wasn't able to watch the game, I had family stuff to do. I will have to watch the game during the week.}

18 Oct 2026 09:54:02
With Wirtz, I think Iraola needs to put the hammer down and get the message to the team - feed Wirtz the ball.

The CMs dictate way too much if the play and swinging the ball around imo. Whilst there is a place for that, I think once we're settled in the attacking third, that they should be prioritizing getting the ball to Wirtz and playing off of him.

So many times he gets the ball, passes to someone, he should get the ball right back. Instead the ball goes to a CM then goes to the others side of the pitch. Then Wirtz is head down then motors over to the other side of the pitch.

He's running so many miles because he keeps running back and forth across the pitch to get the ball hahahaha

Just feed him, feed him, feed him. Prioritizing him as the attacking fulcrum and that will also help boost his confidence and feeling of importance on the pitch

Since arrival it looks like he is playing to prove he belongs. We need to make him belong and we will do that by giving him that focus and priority.

18 Oct 2026 11:14:10
Just wait for the match review LFCDas. That'll give you all the info you need.

18 Oct 2026 13:28:26
Gets plenty of ball Faith. Done well yesterday and midweek. But whether he does well or bad is on him the other players need to stop being blamed.

18 Oct 2026 09:53:28
Did we win because you didn't watch it Ed001 ;)

{Ed001's Note - that's what worries me!

18 Oct 2026 14:18:57
Perhaps the team having now played 8 or 10 games are starting to understand what their team mates are going to do?

Wirtz's match stats for chances set up against a solid, top half unbeaten PL team this season were astonishing - the most in a game since Mane about 7 or 8 years ago. Suggests to me that the more chances we make the more we'll take as Barcola, Munoz Rio, Wirtz, Isak, Gakpo and Ekitike get to know each others roles and the way the coach wants them to play.

18 Oct 2026 22:42:05
Florian - you're missing my point and I'm not blaming anyone. Go back and watch the game and specifically just watch Wirtz. I counted at least 10 times where he is right there and available for a pass but whoever has it opts for a sideways pass.

To my overall point, it's about getting his integrated as a key part of the team and actually playing to him. there is talk in thread above about playing to Isak's strengths. Well, we'll unlock that if we play to Wirtz's strengths and get him on the ball early and often.

19 Oct 2026 10:42:55
Good points there, Faith esp. your last point re: Isak and Wirtz.

As for Wirtz, he has played a lot better in the last 2 games because he seems to be getting a bit more decisive in his runs and decision-making. These are the things he needs to be doing because those are the things he can control.

Also as WDW, it is a bit of the understanding and relationships that are beginning to brew within the team that guys seem to know where to be so he can find them. Not a stats guy per se but the stats from Flo in that Brentford game were absolutely mad.

I agree, a lot more needs to be done and come from him but he can take heart in the last games and keep believing in himself. Again, the talent and ability just oozes from this kid when you just focus on him on the ball.