Florian Wirtz agrees with controversial Arne Slot comments after Man city defeat

Liverpool lost 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday, but not all those associated with the club felt it was a terrible result. Wirtz, in particular, was pleased with certain elements of the performance

Florian Wirtz and Arne Slot agrees with Arne Slot's verdict of the defeat to Manchester City

Florian Wirtz feels Liverpool can take plenty of positives from last weekend’s defeat to Manchester City despite the disappointing conclusion to the game.

The Reds led 1-0 with six minutes of normal time remaining but conceded twice and had a man sent off in the final stages of a chaotic encounter at Anfield. However, after the game, Arne Slot highlighted the difference between the competitive match on Sunday and the one-sided 3-0 loss at the Etihad in November.

Wirtz is clearly in agreement with the head coach’s assessment and feels that Liverpool’s ability to go toe to toe with one of Europe’s best is a sign of the team’s upward trajectory.

“I think we can take a few things from the City game for the rest of the season,” Liverpool’s No. 7 told the club website.

“I think in the end, [it's] my personal opinion and maybe also a few others agree with me, it's that we didn't deserve to lose because we made a good game.

“Of course, in the first half we didn't have that much control, but we also didn't concede a lot of chances against us.

“I think we made a quite good game, [won] a lot of duels, especially the second half was good from us.

Liverpool endured a frustrating day against Manchester City(Image: Getty Images)

“We put pressure on a top team, and I think that we can see that we are in the same [level] and that we compete with top teams.

“That's what we can take from the game and also [it] gives us [confidence] for the rest of the season [that] we know that we can hurt every team. Against Sunderland, it's not an easy game now, but we just try to give everything again.

“We know it's going to be physical, so we just try to bring 100 percent on the pitch until the last minute and take, hopefully, the three points home.”

Wirtz has been among the Reds’ top performers in recent weeks and, after a jittery start, is finally beginning to find his feet in the Premier League. That is underlined by nine goal involvements in the last 12 games.

Wirtz's form has improved in recent weeks(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

“I think now I'm already in a better position than I was at the start because I think I got a bit stronger,” said the 22-year-old.

“I spent a lot of time in the gym. But it's also the duels on the pitch and also in training and the extra work after training is helping me.

“It helps me also for the games, especially the Premier League games. I just want to continue to get better and stronger and more powerful. That can only help to be even better.

“It's also nice to play this kind of football [that is] intense because I can run, I can fight and I like to bring that on the pitch. It just took me a little time to get where I am now, but I don't want to stop there.”