Forget Wirtz - Iraola Favourite Had Stinker vs Man City

· GiveMeSport

Liverpool were well beaten in the end by Manchester City

He has the weight of a £116million price tag weighing him down and the expectation that comes with that huge transfer fee.

And it is fair to say that he has failed to live up to the hype that led to what was then the German international.

The 22-year-old has it been since he arrived at Anfield and in his second season, the adaptation period of a new league and a new country is over.

He has to start producing on the pitch and seven goals and 11 assists in 56 appearances for the Reds just does not cut it. A goal contribution every three matches is not what anyone would have expected from a £116million player.

Against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, he was regularly criticised by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville. His decision-making was poor and he could not impact the match in an attacking sense.

He was hooked after the red card for Ryan Gravenberch and his quiet start to the 2026/27 season - he has just one assists in the first six matches - goes on.

But Wirtz did show some good moments that seemed to go unnoticed, starting one move from deep and then playing a part in it as Liverpool got to the edge of the City box.

The same cannot be said of another Liverpool player who is something of a favourite of new boss Andoni Iraola.

To be fair to Milos Kerkez, he did not have much help when it came to defending City's attacks, often left on his own at left-back, with Wirtz the one who perhaps could have done more to help out. But he was disappointing in the Liverpool backline, often failing to stop Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo.

Kerkez has come in for criticism regularly since he joined Liverpool from Bournemouth in the summer of 2025 and he was given a torried time on social media in the aftermath of the City defeat too.

Kerkez was handed a rating of 6.1 by FotMob, with only the two Liverpool centre-backs and goalkeeper Alisson getting a lower score. Even red-carded Gravenberch was rated higher.

The Hungarian only had a 70% passing success rate, touching the ball 49 times in the contest. he also failed with his two attempted crosses. He was dribbled past only once, which is surprising, given the players that got at him and won five of his seven duels.

With Andy Robertson having left the club for Tottenham in the summer, Kerkez is the number one choice at left-back, but bringing in another may be one of the big priorities in the January transfer window.

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