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Jamie Carragher has called on Arne Slot to take Florian Wirtz out of the team for Liverpool's game against Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend.
Wirtz is yet to register a goal or an assist in either the Premier League or the Champions League since moving to Liverpool, and he struggled in the 1-0 loss to Galatasaray on Tuesday night.
That defeat was Liverpool's second in four games, following the 2-1 reverse by Crystal Palace over the weekend, and next up is a trip to Stamford Bridge.
Although Chelsea has picked up just one point from its last three league games, the defeats by Manchester United and Brighton are caveated by red cards picked up by Blues players in both games.
Slot will be keen for Liverpool to get its season back on track against Chelsea, and Carragher believes one of the first steps to doing that could be taking Wirtz out of the team.
"There's a few problems there that he's got to fix, and it'll be really interesting how he goes about it because he's spent a lot of money on certain players," Carragher said.
"But right now, I don't think the balance of the team is right, and the obvious one that stands out right now is Florian Wirtz.
"He's just not at the races at all. He's a young boy coming into a new league. He's got plenty of time to go as a Liverpool player.
"But right now, I think he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool get back to what they were last season, and then go from there and try and build some confidence and build some defensive solidity because right now, it just looks a mess."
Slot was asked about Wirtz's display against Galatasaray and defended the Germany superstar, insisting that there were promising signs on show, particularly during the first half.
"The focus is always on the new signings. Which is normal if you see the money we spent," Slot said.
"I think Florian, especially in the first half, was involved in the chances we created. He was many times involved in dangerous situations tonight.
"From the starting XI, there were 3/4 positions different and we had to manage minutes tonight. That’s why we do need to rotate a bit - not everyone is as adjusted to each other.”
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