Former Liverpool defender Jaime Carragher has been quite critical following Mohamed Salah's departure in the summer and has singled out - Florian Wirtz.
Carragher has started his campaign of criticism against Wirtz following Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Sunday, where a late penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai saved Liverpool a point.
During Monday Night Football, Carragher claimed:
"What to do with Wirtz? I’ve been seen as critical of Florian Wirtz maybe last season. This thing that it takes players a year to settle in the Premier League, I think is a bit of a myth."
"When I see people say he’s got to be number 10, that means Szoboszlai has to be in the team in central-midfield. He is not a central-midfield player."
"I don’t see where he [Wirtz] fits in at all… you can’t keep going with it."
Liverpool's number 7 will know better than anyone that his debut season in the Premier League was disappointing - but considering the context that surrounded the season, it's not a surprise that the club as a whole struggled last year.
What is interesting about Carragher's comments is that Szoboszlai himself said to Liverpudlian for CBS Sports in November 2025 that his "favourite position is actually a little bit maybe deeper," - contradicting the 48 year old.
The former Liverpool defender's comments come at a time where the club is undergoing a change, both on and off the pitch. Comments like these, don't help the players or club in the long run.
Prior to the season, Carragher said to Iraola "we'll wait", with regards to letting Iraola implement his style of play. Where has this patience gone?
“No we’ll wait we’ll wait, don’t worry.” Until it’s the first MNF of the season and you’ve got a chance to get clips on socials okay pal pic.twitter.com/KpamD0VeX6
— george (@GE0RGINIO) August 24, 2026
During MNF, the pundit continued:
"Liverpool need someone alongside [Ryan] Gravenberch."
" It doesn't necessarily need to be a player who can't get on the ball and he's just tackling and stopping players. If you play for one of the top teams in the world, you need to be able to get hold of the ball. But I want someone who can run."
"Szoboszlai has to go to the No 10. His biggest strengths are running and shooting. I think playing in that position gives him more opportunity to do that."
It was obvious during the game on Sunday that there were structural issues in Liverpool's midfield. Liverpool's number 8 and 38 both carried the ball past Wirtz, or were in similar areas of the pitch as the German.
This left Liverpool's back four, or back two at times, incredibly exposed and vulnerable to counter attacks - which is how the Reds conceded twice on Sunday.
But that is not Wirtz's fault. Gravenberch and Szoboszlai need better positional discipline to recognise the Reds are vulnerable on the counter and for one to sit deeper to help in transitions.
Carragher is right about the former Leipzig player's strengths - the Hungarian is incredibly dangerous from shooting positions and can cover a lot of ground.
But, shooting positions from deep, or situations where he can come onto the ball, are better suited to late runs that he can make from central midfield, not in the 10.
Liverpool's ex-number 23 added:
"Liverpool last season conceded 78 goals in the season. 53 in the Premier League, the most they’ve conceded in the league. And all summer, it’s about buying wingers."
"No thought about full-back position, position next to Gravenberch - no real thoughts about that either. I just think it’s getting to the stage now where I’m not sure where you fit him [Florian Wirtz] in."
"I always thought you could put him in a pocket from the left where he plays in Germany, but Iraola loves wingers. He wants players who have got the energy up and down the flank."
Carragher himself has been vocal about Liverpool's wingers in the past, particularly about Cody Gakpo and Salah, so many would think that the club looking to improve these areas would be welcome news.
Indeed, the club need reinforcements at fullback following Conor Bradley's lengthy injury, but the departure of Andy Robertson was mitigated with the return of Kostas Tsimikas.
A 'true' defensive midfielder would help with the structural issues mentioned, but Iraola should be able to expect his players to recognise dangerous situations and react accordingly.
The former centre-back's further comments on MNF about Liverpool's summer spending last year as "arguably the worst transfer window in Premier League history" also do not help. These are the kind of sweeping statements you would expect from a 15 year old online, not a world-class pundit.
Patience is needed from fans, the media and everyone at the club. The Reds could have performed better on Sunday, but there is plenty of time for Iraola to get his message across to his new squad.
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