Andoni Iraola, Liverpool's coach, expressed complete confidence in the two players. German Florian Wirtz and Frenchman Bradley Barkula, after they were criticized after joining the team in deals worth more than 100 million pounds ($132 million).
Wirtz had the opportunity to play a full season with the club, but he has not yet lived up to the expectations that justify his value of 116 million pounds sterling. In the prominent confrontation that took place on Sunday against Manchester City, the player struggled to leave any mark on the course of the match, even at times when his team was in control and initiating the attack.
On the other hand, Barkola can be given some excuse due to his late arrival during the summer transfer period, but he seemed to lack confidence and did not make any real contribution during his six appearances so far.
The pressure on the players increased in light of the absence of the team's most prominent attacking trio this season. Alexander Isaac, Cody Khakpo, and Dominic Soboslai suffered injuries, which placed the team, which has a limited roster, with the responsibility of relying on the remaining major deals to make a difference and provide the expected performance.
The injured trio will miss the team's trip to Austria to face LASK in the Champions League, and with Iraola unsure of their availability for the next three matches against Brentford, Villarreal and Brighton, the spotlight on Wirtz and Barcola will intensify.
The Liverpool coach said, in statements reported by the British news agency, PA Media: “It is true that Cody, Alex and Dominic are the team’s top scorers this season, given that they are the most involved in those positions.”
He added: “We need the players to provide us with these numbers and statistics, and we have full confidence in the players currently available to fill these positions.”
He also said: “I was happy with many things in the last match. Bradley had good opportunities, even if we did not succeed in exploiting them, but I have complete confidence in him and Florian.”
An independent football regulatory body said in a report, issued on Tuesday, that English clubs face increasing financial risks, after concluding that 94 percent of the top five division clubs are recording losses.
The authority, which was established last year, proposed tightening controls on spending and requiring clubs to develop emergency plans, as part of a 6-point plan aimed at enhancing the financial sustainability of the game in England.
The draft “State of the Game” report, which will undergo public consultations for 8 weeks before issuing its final version, showed that about two-thirds of the English Football League and National League clubs are suffering from “financial insolvency.”
The authority added that an increasing number of clubs have become dependent on funding provided by owners to ensure their continuity, warning that this reality has led to “a worrying combination of high debt and excessive reliance on owners’ funds, which exposes the clubs and their fans to danger.”
She also stressed the need for clubs to manage their financial risks more effectively, and to develop alternative plans to deal with any decline or cessation in support for owners.
David Cogan, head of the Football Regulatory Authority, said: “While some of our clubs are among the richest and most competitive in the world, others are on the brink of financial crisis.”
He added: “A large number of clubs informed us that they would not be able to survive if their owners decided to withdraw their support. “This lack of financial flexibility can no longer be ignored.”
The English Premier League announced its support for what was stated in the report regarding the preference for “a solution led by the football system itself to distribute revenues.”
He said in a statement: “As the report makes clear, any additional funding must be coupled with effective financial controls and broader reforms that enhance the strength and stability of clubs.”
The Premier League is currently in negotiations with the English Premier League, which supervises the three divisions immediately below the Premier League, to reach a new agreement regarding revenue sharing.
Media reports stated that Premier League clubs offered to provide 1.8 billion pounds ($2.38 billion) over 10 years, in addition to current funding, while the English Premier League demanded one billion pounds sterling within 5 years.
The Premier League added: “We believe that the proposal we submitted to the English Football League, which was approved by all Premier League clubs in July, achieves the goals set by the Football Regulatory Authority in its report.”
He continued: “We remain committed to reaching a long-term partnership with the English Football League, which is fair and generous and achieves a balance between the interests of all clubs.”
