How Liverpool’s attack could look with Bradley Barcola | OneFootball

Liverpool Attack Taking Shape as Andoni Iraola Clarifies Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak Roles

Liverpool have spent heavily on the forward line and, for a while, it looked like they were buying pieces before deciding where they fit. That tends to happen when recruitment runs ahead of tactical clarity. Now there is at least a clearer idea of what the new head coach wants.

The broad picture is straightforward. Florian Wirtz is not a left winger. Alexander Isak is the central reference point. Bradley Barcola, if Liverpool complete the deal expected to cost more than £100m, comes in as a starting attacker rather than a development project. Put those three together and the shape starts to make sense.

Photo: IMAGO

For much of the past year, Liverpool’s attack felt like a collection of expensive options rather than a coherent unit. Mohamed Salah’s presence always affected the structure, and while he remained at the club it was difficult to imagine a genuine reset. Salah has now gone, Hugo Ekitike is expected to miss most of the 2026/27 season, and Liverpool have been forced into another adjustment.

This time, there are fewer excuses for muddled thinking. Iraola has been clear enough in public. More importantly, he has said things that line up with what the squad actually needs.

Wirtz Finally Has a Defined Position

One of the stranger issues around Liverpool over recent windows was how unclear the plan seemed to be for Wirtz after his arrival. He is too talented for that sort of uncertainty, but talent alone does not fix positional confusion. Playing him from the left dulled his strengths and did little for the overall balance of the side. Liverpool lost pace in the front line and Wirtz ended up doing work that did not suit him.

Iraola has cut through that quickly. “We know what he can give us,” said the Reds head coach. “I think he’s also suited to our game model. I see him more probably in that position behind the striker. We know that he has played with Germany more on the left sometimes.

“But I think we’re going to start working with him in that position behind the striker.”

Photo: IMAGO

That is the obvious answer, and it probably should have been all along. Wirtz between the lines, linking midfield and attack, is where Liverpool can get the best out of him. He can receive in tight spaces, combine quickly, arrive late in the box and create overloads centrally. Asking him to hug the left touchline was wasting time.

It also helps the rest of the attack. Put Wirtz where he belongs and you stop forcing others to compensate around him.

Isak Central to Liverpool Front Three

If Wirtz is the connector, Isak is the focal point. There is no ambiguity there either. Liverpool need him fit, sharp and available, because the entire structure becomes more dangerous when there is a striker who can occupy centre-backs on his own.

Iraola sounded encouraged by what he has seen so far. “Yeah, Alex, I think he has come in a good place,” he said. “I think he was good in the World Cup. I saw him comfortable. First training is here and I think I’ve seen a good version of Alex.

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“Still it’s very early because he has just started training. But I hope he can have some minutes against Leeds and build 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 then we can put him in a good place because he’s going to be massive for us this season.”

That last line matters. “He’s going to be massive for us this season.” It is not spin. It is reality. With Ekitike sidelined for the majority of the campaign, Liverpool require Isak to lead the line. He gives them mobility, penalty-box presence and the ability to stretch defences without turning every attack into a crossing exercise.

Wirtz behind Isak is not radical. It is just sensible. And for Liverpool, sensible would be a good start after a period when the attack looked overbuilt and underdefined.

Bradley Barcola and Right Wing Question

Barcola looks like the next major addition, and if Liverpool are prepared to go beyond £100m for him, there is no point pretending he is arriving to rotate quietly. He would start. The issue is what happens on the other side.

Iraola gave a useful clue when discussing his preference for adaptable wide players. “Our wingers, I normally used to try to encourage them to have the ability to play both sides,” he said. “I know some of them are more comfortable on one side, but our team is not normally symmetrical.”

That is an important point. He is not building a rigid, mirrored front three. He wants movement, role changes and different responsibilities depending on game state.

“So sometimes one of the wingers has to do more defensive work, sometimes one has to play higher, has to be more inside, more outside.

“So, if you can give me the option to put you [on] both sides, it’s going to be, selflessly, even easier for you to get minutes.”

In practical terms, Barcola would likely start nominally from the left. From there, Liverpool have decisions to make on the right. Cody Gakpo, Rio Ngumoha, Victor Munoz and Federico Chiesa all come into the conversation, even if none offers a completely settled answer yet.

That may frustrate supporters who want a neat, finished picture before the season starts. Football rarely works like that. Coaches want a framework first, then they test combinations inside it.