Andoni Iraola explains how he plans to use Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz at Liverpool this season

Newly-appointed Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has explained his plans to get the best out of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. The Reds spent over £200 million for the two players last summer but both struggled to live up to their massive price tags.

Isak became the most expensive player in the history of the Premier League following his £125 million switch from Newcastle United. However, the Sweden international played just 1032 minutes of first-team football across competitions due to injury problems and scored just four goals.

Meanwhile, Wirtz joined Liverpool in a £116 million deal from Bayer Leverkusen but also had an underwhelming debut campaign. He scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 49 games across competitions.

With both players joining the Reds' pre-season in the United States, Andoni Iraola has opened up on his plans for the two stars. He has insisted that he wants to use Wirtz centrally rather than out wide. He said, as quoted by Tribal Football:

"Obviously like all the players, but with Flo especially, we need a good version of Florian. We know what he can give us, he's also suited to our game model. I see him probably more that position behind the striker. We know that he was played more on the left sometimes but we are going to start working with in that position behind the striker. He is quite complete as a player. We want to try to add more things to what he already has which is very good. He is training in a good place mentally."

Iraola has also insisted that he believes Isak will deliver this season following an impressive 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. He said:

"I think he has come in a good place. I think he was good in the World Cup. I saw him comfortable. First training (session) here, I think I've seen a good version of Alex. Still it's very early because he has just started training, but I hope he can have some minutes against Leeds and build properly a proper pre-season. It's not going to be very long, but he will have three or four weeks of quality training, I hope, and we can put him in a good place because he is going to be massive for us this season."

Liverpool will take on Leeds United in their third pre-season friendly on Sunday, August 2 at the Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Isak and Wirtz are both likely to feature in the game as Andoni Iraola analyses his squad ahead of the season.

Liverpool star to miss start of the new season with injury- Reports

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is reportedly set to miss the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season. The Englishman suffered a muscle injury in the Reds' first pre-season game against Sunderland in the US.

Andoni Iraola's side took on the Black Cats in their first pre-season match in Nashville on Saturday, July 25. Gomez had to be subbed off after just eight minutes, but Liverpool went on to win the game 4-2.

Now, the 29-year-old is reportedly set to miss Liverpool's opening Premier League fixture against Newcastle United on Sunday, August 23. The versatile defender is currently the longest-serving player at the club, having joined them in 2015. He has made 274 appearances for the Reds till date while missing 225 games with injuries.

Kaynak: Sportskeeda. Telif hakkı kaynak yayına aittir; buradaki metin özet/atıftır.

Orijinal haber: https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/news-andoni-iraola-explains-plans-use-alexander-isak-florian-wirtz-liverpool-season