2 months ago
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Arne Slot has been speaking to the media ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser against Bournemouth.
On the agenda was Florian Wirtz, the new Liverpool signing who is likely to be thrust immediately into the action after his impressive preseason exploits. The real judgments will be reserved until Wirtz has some competitive minutes under his belt, but the signs so far have certainly been encouraging.
Nevertheless, Slot has revealed that the playmaker still requires help in certain areas. With a fee potentially rising to record levels, the pressure will be on Wirtz from the outset, although he has not appeared fazed by the price tag.
And Slot has sent a reminder that even for a player of such huge quality, there is a bedding-in period that needs to be acknowledged and respected. First and foremost, Slot heaped praise on his new signing. He is clearly delighted with his acquisition.
"His mentality is maybe his biggest strength," Slot purred. "That says a lot because when you see him play, you're like, 'Are you serious?' Because he's so creative!
"But how mentally strong he is, he doesn't get distracted at all by transfer fee or anything else. So I think good players always find a way to play well in good teams: he's a good player, and he plays in a good team."
However, Slot was then asked if Wirtz needs any help from him. Slot conceded that he does:
"Yeah he does, like all the others," Slot confirmed. "But we have a very good player care department, so I'm not looking for houses with him!
"But on the pitch, and on the training ground, and in videos, he needs help to understand the way we want to play. That's not 180 degrees different from Xabi Alonso.
"The system is different. But we want to be intense, Alonso wanted to be intense, he liked to dominate possession, Xabi tried to bring [Wirtz] in positions we want to bring him in.
"But it's true, he has to adjust to England, to the league, to the intensity, and to his new teammates as well. But I think if you saw the games, his adjustment went quite well — better than even expected, and we already expected a lot!"
Wirtz impressed again in the Community Shield, recording an assist for fellow new boy Hugo Ekitike. It has taken remarkably little time for him to look at home in his new surroundings.
No doubt, having a full preseason has helped in that regard, with Wirtz given the best chance possible of hitting the ground running.
Discussing the challenges of retaining his title, Slot once again referred to the fact that international tournaments effectively limited the team's preparation to two weeks last summer — the build-up this time around has been far more to his liking.
Of course, there is still time to add more players, and Slot would not be complaining about preparation time if Alexander Isak took the club record transfer label from Wirtz before September 1.
But the German is primed to make his impact felt from the off, with Liverpool fans eagerly awaiting his Premier League debut against Bournemouth tomorrow.
English (US) ·