Andoni Iraola leaps to defence of £240m duo he "trusts 100%" before Champions League task

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Isak led the way with four in five starts already eclipsing his league tally from last term while Gakpo provided two goals and four assists, three of those setting up Isak directly.When the duo clicked, as they did during September's 2-0 win at Ipswich or Isak’s winner at Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola’s frontline looked sharp, fluid, and deadly.Then came the international break. Add Dominik Szoboszlai’s hamstring overload and Hugo Ekitike’s ongoing Achilles rehabilitation, and Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City exposed a glaring void at the heart of Liverpool's attack.With the Reds sitting ninth in the Premier League after six games and preparing for Wednesday's Champions League trip to LASK, eyes have naturally turned to two summer marquee arrivals who now carry the full weight of expectation: Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola.Iraola’s Verdict: “Don’t Focus Too Much on the Numbers”Barcola, who arrived for £123m from Paris Saint-Germain to take on the monumental task of replacing Mohamed Salah on the wing, is yet to register a goal contribution in six appearances.

We don’t have them, we didn’t have them against City and we need those players to give us those numbers. We trust the players we have now to play in those positions.""Bradley and Florian, I think they’ve had good games, bad games this season like everyone else but are two players that we know their level and will give us good performances for sure.

I was happy with a lot of things from Bradley the other day against Man City, he had good situations, we didn’t finish them, but him and Florian are players that I trust, 100%."Regarding Wirtz specifically, Iraola urged for a collective perspective rather than singling out individual displays following the City defeat."When you are in this club like we are, if you don’t have a good performance and I think he probably didn’t have his best game, but has had good games this season with us. Their continental class is undeniable.Timeline for the returning starsFor those wondering when Isak, Gakpo, and Szoboszlai might return to ease the burden, Iraola offered a pragmatic update, taking things day by day."They are not bad but it’s difficult to tell right now when they will be back.