2 hours ago
15
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has again questioned the impact of Florian Wirtz just four games into his Anfield career, following a $158 million (£116 million) move from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Wirtz is yet to score or assist for Liverpool but the 22-year-old has been adjusting to life in a different country. There have been flashes of what he can do but Wirtz is yet to fully ignite.
"If we were going to talk about one player who is disappointed the most, I think we’d have to say, if ever a player was brought in to break down a game, this was it today... and that, I’m afraid, is Wirtz’s job," Nicol said on ESPN FC.
"That’s what he was brought in to do. And today, just again, he couldn’t do it, and he hasn’t done it yet since he’s come to the club now.
"The fact that Liverpool wins again probably means that Arne Slot can keep pushing Florian Wirtz in the starting XI and keep giving him time, hoping that his true form is going to come out."
Nicol even suggested that Wirtz might need to come out of the team (something that will happen at some point — he can't play every minute of every game, and the fixture list is about to move into the phase where there are two matches per week).
"Well, there has to be a point where you do bench them," Nicol continued. "You could try and play him on the left.
"I mean, there has to come a point where Arne Slot has to decide whether Florian has to sit (on the bench)... If that’s the best thing for the team, then again, that’s why he gets paid the big bucks.
"You have to make tough decisions regardless of whether you paid £112 million for somebody or not, if they’re not producing. Then you have to make a decision, and that can’t be that far away, quite honestly."
Things are not going too badly for Liverpool, the only team with a 100 per cent record in the Premier League so far this season.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
The Reds are next in action on Wednesday, facing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The first Merseyside derby of the season then comes on Saturday against Everton.
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz has started slowly but there is context. Burnley was the first 'normal' game after the intensity of Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal.
The German has looked better in each second half that he has played, suggesting he needs time to warm into things. That might well be the case across the course of his debut campaign in the Premier League.
English (US) ·