Wirtz Highlights Iraola’s Advantage as Liverpool Face Bournemouth

Florian Wirtz believes Liverpool will walk into the Vitality Stadium on Sunday with a subtle but significant edge – their manager knows the opposition inside out.

Liverpool arrive on the south coast unbeaten in the Premier League, with one win and three draws from their opening four games, chasing only their second league victory of the campaign. The margins have been fine so far. Wirtz thinks Andoni Iraola’s past with Bournemouth might tilt them.

“We have to be very ready,” Wirtz told liverpoolfc.com. “I think the manager knows them really well, so maybe there's a small advantage we have – but we have to be ready and very focused for this game.”

It will be Iraola’s first meeting with the Cherries since leaving the club, a subplot that gives this fixture an extra edge. He knows the stadium, the corridors, the players, the mood when things get tight. Liverpool hope that knowledge becomes a weapon rather than a distraction.

They head into the game buoyed by a 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday. Wirtz was not on the pitch for that one. He watched it unfold from high in the stands.

“Of course, I'd rather be on the pitch!” he admitted. “But it was the first time I watched it from higher up in the stadium in the stands. It was nice to watch, and it was also a good win for us and for the mind. That definitely helps to build the momentum.”

That momentum is exactly what Liverpool want to carry into the league. For Wirtz, the Bournemouth trip also feels like a personal reset.

The Germany international is expected to return to the matchday squad and will be desperate to leave a mark. His start to the season has been subdued: just one assist in five league games, a modest return for a 23-year-old billed as a creative spark.

Iraola has stood by him so far. The Spanish coach insists Wirtz “should be judged like everyone else, whether he plays well or doesn't.” No special treatment. No excuses.

But the reality is clear. If the form doesn’t lift, selection will become a harsher conversation and Wirtz could find himself on the wrong side of it.

For now, though, Liverpool travel with their manager’s inside knowledge, a cup win in their legs, and a gifted playmaker looking to ignite his season. Sunday will show whether that “small advantage” Wirtz talks about is enough to turn promise into points.