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Jamie Redknapp has launched a passionate defense of Florian Wirtz, and insisted he will be a success at Liverpool despite his difficult start at the club.
Wirtz was dropped to the bench against Chelsea on Saturday as one of five changes made by Arne Slot following back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.
The German international has endured a difficult start to life with the Reds since making the move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. He is yet to score for the club after nine appearances, while he only has one assist to his name from the Community Shield in August.
Wirtz’s form has seen increased calls for him to be taken out of the firing line, with Jamie Carragher among those to tell Slot to drop him against Chelsea.
The former defender got his wish, with the Liverpool boss reverting to the midfield three of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai that served him so well during last season’s title triumph.
Redknapp wasn’t surprised to see Wirtz drop to the bench at Stamford Bridge either, but the former Reds captain did offer a passionate defense of the 22-year-old amid the recent criticism leveled at him.
“I can fully understand this decision because that midfield was fantastic last year,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“It has a little bit of everything, and Florian will become a top player for Liverpool, make no mistake.
“Everyone’s judging him miles too early - players need time. Sometimes players come into this league and they find it so easy, others, it takes a little bit of time.
“Ryan Gravenberch is a great example. It took him a year, now we’re all talking about him as one of the best midfield players in the world, and that’s how it can happen.”
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Despite the increasing pressure on Wirtz, Slot refused to use his form as a reason for his omission against Chelsea, instead pointing to Liverpool’s packed schedule.
“We play a lot of games, and if you play a lot of games, I think it’s quite normal, you see this everywhere around the world, that you do sometimes change one or two players. That’s what we do as well,” Slot said ahead of the game.
“The you try and select the games, before the game starts, you think it’s the best fit for that particular player, so you cannot compare the playing style of Crystal Palace and Chelsea.”
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