Liverpool have now won seven of their last nine matches, five of their last six and three in succession. Those are encouraging numbers for Andoni Iraola, particularly when you consider that performances have still left room for improvement.
The Champions League victory over Villarreal gave us plenty to discuss, particularly the extraordinary performance of Rio Ngumoha and the growing influence of Florian Wirtz.
I’ve spent plenty of time looking at the underlying numbers, and what strikes me is how quickly the conversation around these two players is changing.
Ngumoha is producing performances that invite comparisons with some of Liverpool’s greatest teenage talents. Wirtz, meanwhile, is demonstrating why judging a creative midfielder purely through goals and assists can produce a misleading picture.
Both deserve serious attention, because the numbers behind their recent performances are remarkable.
Rio Ngumoha’s Liverpool Performance Belongs Alongside Michael Owen
I’ll start with Ngumoha, because what we witnessed against Villarreal was exceptional.
At 18 years and 52 days old, he delivered two assists, completed nine of his ten attempted dribbles and won ten of his 13 ground duels.
Nine successful dribbles represents a 90% success rate. Consider the level of opposition and the number of defenders regularly confronting him, and that becomes even more impressive.
There were moments when Villarreal committed two or three defenders to stopping him. He continued finding ways through.
Yet the most important numbers are the two assists.
We’ve always known Ngumoha can beat defenders. His ability to carry the ball has been obvious throughout his emergence at Liverpool. What has changed over these last three matches is the quality of his final contribution.
Against Villarreal, he delivered an excellent cross for Ronald Araújo and another superb ball for Alexis Mac Allister.
That end product is what separates exciting dribblers from genuinely influential attacking players.
The historical comparisons are fascinating.
Ngumoha became Liverpool’s youngest European assist provider, surpassing Michael Owen’s previous record. He also became the club’s second youngest player to provide at least two assists in a match.
Owen achieved that feat aged 18 years and 44 days against Middlesbrough in January 1998. Ngumoha was only eight days older when he matched the achievement on a Champions League stage.
Whenever we examine Liverpool’s youngest players to achieve something significant, Owen’s name appears repeatedly. Robbie Fowler and Raheem Sterling also feature prominently in those conversations.
For Ngumoha to be entering that company is extraordinary.
I can see the influence Iraola is having, too. Ngumoha looks more direct, increasingly decisive and more capable of identifying the right pass after beating his opponent.
There is an important balance to maintain.
We cannot forget his age or the physical demands of regular senior football. Liverpool have Bradley Barcola, Victor Muñoz and Cody Gakpo available across the wide positions, providing opportunities to rotate without compromising the team’s attacking options.
That depth could prove crucial to Ngumoha’s development.
Florian Wirtz Is Transforming Liverpool’s Attacking Creativity
Wirtz deserves equal attention, particularly after his contribution against Villarreal.
He entered at half-time, with Ryan Gravenberch moving to right-back, and immediately demonstrated the value of having a natural number ten operating in that position.
Within six minutes, Wirtz had completed more passes than Gravenberch managed during the entire first half.
That tells you something about his ability to involve himself in Liverpool’s attacking play.
He finished with 34 successful passes from 38 attempts, won seven of eight ground duels and scored.
His introduction changed the rhythm of Liverpool’s performance. Possession became more controlled, Villarreal were pushed backwards and attacking opportunities became more frequent.
This followed encouraging performances against LASK and Brentford, giving Wirtz three consecutive matches with goal contributions.
What interests me most, however, is the wider evidence of his creativity.
Since the beginning of the 2025/26 Premier League season, Wirtz has created 75 chances from open play, averaging 2.29 per 90 minutes.
That places him first among Liverpool players and second across the Premier League, behind Bruno Fernandes on 108.
Cody Gakpo is Liverpool’s next highest player with 61 chances created, followed by Dominik Szoboszlai with 45.
There’s a reason players such as Fernandes, Rayan Cherki and Wirtz consistently feature in these rankings.
They are frequently responsible for delivering the decisive pass during an attacking move.
And there’s an important distinction between understanding what a statistic measures and dismissing its value.
A chance created is recorded when a player’s pass leads to a shot. Some opportunities are naturally better than others, but the definition applies equally to everyone.
Against Brentford, Wirtz created nine chances. That figure attracted criticism because several resulted from passes followed by speculative shots.
Yet the same performance contained excellent passes that received no statistical reward whatsoever.
He released Barcola into dangerous positions, including an opportunity where the forward chose to pass rather than shoot. Wirtz consequently received no chance created for that particular action.
Similar situations arose against Atlético Madrid and Ipswich, where promising attacking moves failed to produce the goal or assist his involvement might have deserved.
These examples illustrate why watching the football alongside examining the data matters so much.
Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz Is Delivering Under High Pressure
Perhaps the most revealing numbers concern how opposition teams are defending against Wirtz.
They recognise the danger he presents when afforded time and space.
Consequently, he is being pressured relentlessly.
Wirtz has received more touches under high pressure in the opposition half than any other attacking player in the Premier League this season.
For this measure, high pressure means an opponent is within two metres when the player receives or touches the ball.
What makes the next statistic particularly impressive is his ability to remain productive in those circumstances.
Wirtz has completed 17 defensive line-breaking passes under high pressure, placing him third in the Premier League.
Only Morgan Gibbs-White, with 22, and Bruno Fernandes, with 19, rank higher.
Remember, these are completed passes that penetrate an opposition defensive line while the player is being closed down.
Against Brentford alone, Wirtz completed seven defensive line-breaking passes, his joint second highest total in a Premier League match for Liverpool.
That tells me opponents are fully aware of his creative threat, and he’s still finding ways to influence matches.
It also explains why I place considerable importance on his recent improvement in confidence.
We’re seeing him attempt dribbles, receive possession in congested areas and play with greater freedom.
Liverpool need that version of Wirtz.
Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool Are Building Momentum at the Right Time
The wider attacking picture is increasingly encouraging.
Barcola has scored a hat-trick and supplied an assist for Alexander Isak against Brentford. Gakpo has reached five assists this season, Muñoz has scored his second Liverpool goal, and Ngumoha is producing exceptional performances.
Wirtz has contributed in three consecutive matches, while Isak continues supplying goals.
The difference between Liverpool’s domestic and European performances remains interesting.
Liverpool have scored four more goals in the Champions League than in the Premier League, despite playing four fewer matches in Europe.
Their European fixtures have produced plenty of goals at both ends, while Premier League matches have generally been tighter affairs.
Iraola has also made at least three starting line-up changes in seven consecutive matches, a level of rotation Arne Slot never achieved during his two seasons in charge.
That willingness to rotate could become increasingly important with Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal approaching.
Liverpool still have improvements to make, particularly in controlling matches and preventing opponents from creating opportunities.
Yet seven victories in nine matches represents meaningful progress.
And when I look at Ngumoha’s remarkable development alongside Wirtz’s underlying creativity, I see considerable reasons for optimism.
Ngumoha is already challenging records established by Michael Owen. Wirtz is creating more opportunities than any Liverpool player and finding teammates through defensive lines despite intense opposition pressure.
The challenge now is maintaining those standards, managing the players intelligently and turning encouraging individual performances into sustained collective improvement.
Because the numbers are telling us something important about Liverpool’s attacking future.
And, increasingly, the performances are supporting them.
Great post, I agree entirely.
I also think it was hugely apparent what we kissed from Wirtz both on and off the ball yesterday when he didn’t feature.
I’ve also been hugely impressed by Iriola’s willingness to rotate, use the squad, and improve players..
I think there’s clear evidence of the limitations that slot managed to create within the team by not rotating and not trusting his squad.
Rio and Trey will be stars… Kumas might never be but he can play a hugely important role due to Iriola’s trust and his energy, work rate, passion and will. Hopefully he finds the finishing to match.. but even if he doesn’t he could be vital to allow our team to flourish and rotate and in keeping squad morale and strength going..