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Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has defended Florian Wirtz amid some of the criticism that has been leveled against the Liverpool star after a difficult start to the season.
It has been a tricky start to life on Merseyside since the 22-year-old made the $157 million switch from Bayer Leverkusen. Although Wirtz has started every game for Liverpool so far this season, he has only recorded one assist during the Community Shield at Wembley.
The international break didn’t get off to a great start either, with Germany losing 2-0 to Slovakia and Wirtz coming in for criticism from the country’s media and his manager for his performance.
He did manage to make some amends on Sunday as he scored a superb free-kick to help Germany to a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland, although there were still some question marks over his performance, particularly during the first half.
The German players were booed as they made their way at half-time, having surrendered a 1-0 lead in Cologne. Matthaus though has jumped to the defense of Wirtz, believing that his move to Liverpool may have affected his recent performances.
"It's a given in football that whistles sometimes target individual players,” Matthaus wrote in his column for Sky Sport.
“There's practically only top or bottom. But I'll defend Nick Woltemade and Florian Wirtz .
“The turmoil and the adjustment to a new environment, these things are affecting the players' minds. They still need time to adjust to the new situation. Wirtz wasn't present at all in the first half, but he scored the free kick to make it 3-1 in world-class fashion.
"The German team has quality when all its players show what they're capable of. It starts at the back and ends at the front.
“Antonio Rudiger wasted a ball before the corner that led to the 1-1 draw. That's not something you do as a defender. Experienced players have to find other solutions."
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Wirtz will be hoping he can improve on his showings for Liverpool so far when he returns to Merseyside this week. The Reds return to action on Sunday at Burnley, where they will be aiming to continue their winning start to the season, having already taken nine points from nine in the defense of their Premier League title.
Liverpool.com says: It was always going to take time for Wirtz to adjust to his move to Liverpool. It’s easy to forget he is still only 22, and having played in Germany his whole career before this summer, it is a big change in approach for him.
Hopefully that free-kick on Sunday will fill him with confidence ahead of his return to Merseyside, and he can start to show just why Liverpool spent so much money on him.
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