Florian Wirtz Reflects on Liverpool's Pre-Season Loss and New Coach

Florian Wirtz is not panicking about Liverpool’s pre-season defeat to AS Monaco. He is looking at the bigger picture – and at the man now shaping it.

The 23-year-old playmaker, speaking after the 3-2 loss, cut a relaxed but focused figure as he outlined his early impressions of new head coach Andoni Iraola, who stepped in earlier this summer after Arne Slot’s departure.

Wirtz buys into Iraola’s ideas

Iraola arrives at Anfield with a clear reputation from his three-year spell at Bournemouth, where he dragged the Cherries into a more aggressive, front-foot style. Wirtz has seen enough already to understand why Liverpool moved for the 44-year-old.

“Yeah, I think especially the last three years he did at Bournemouth, you could see what he can do with the team,” Wirtz said. “Of course, we are looking forward to working with him.”

This is still very much the introduction phase. Wirtz has only just rejoined the group, but the sessions have already left a mark.

“The first weeks for me, I think it's only two weeks now that I'm training, so I can just say that I'm enjoying it. I like the idea of football he has, so I'm really looking forward to it.”

There was no attempt to dress up the Monaco result. Liverpool started brightly, then faded. Iraola’s blueprint is visible in flashes, not yet in full.

Promise in flashes, work to come

Wirtz, who delivered 15 goal contributions in all competitions in his first season in England, knows standards must rise quickly with the new campaign closing in.

“I've not spoken about the style so much. I think he has his ideas of playing football. We just have to work on that even more now,” he said. “I think only the first 30 minutes were good from us. I think we still have a lot to improve in training and also in the next match.”

That first half-hour – sharp, energetic, coordinated – hinted at where Iraola wants to take this side. The drop-off that followed underlined how far they still have to travel.

Wirtz is well placed to judge adaptation. One year into his English adventure, he has already lived the contrast.

“I've played one year now in England. I've said this often enough that it's a different style of football in England than in Germany. You just get used to the games and the opponents.”

The message is clear: the adjustment never really stops. A new league last year, a new coach this year, and another shift in demands for a player expected to sit at the heart of Liverpool’s attacking structure.

The defeat to Monaco will be forgotten quickly. How fast Wirtz and his teammates absorb Iraola’s ideas will not.