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Florian Wirtz has issued a resolute message following Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. The German midfielder insists the Reds will not be disheartened by their recent slump in form, stating: "We keep going."
Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku all found the back of the net, while Virgil van Dijk had a potential equalizer disallowed. This result saw Liverpool drop to eighth in the Premier League, having lost five of their last six matches in the league.
Following a summer of significant investment, the reigning Premier League champions have struggled to replicate their success of last season under Arne Slot. This has led to players like Wirtz and Milos Kerkez facing criticism.
Wirtz's defiant Instagram story comes as his performance is scrutinized by former Manchester United defender and current pundit Gary Neville. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen star has yet to contribute a goal or an assist in the Premier League since his record-breaking move to England.
Neville feels that the 22-year-old's performances need to be addressed after he appeared out of his depth against City. The former United skipper didn't mince his words.
On the Gary Neville Podcast, he stated: "Wirtz is a problem. Let's just call it as it is. It's an issue. He's £100m+, and to be fair, I said a few weeks ago [Milos] Kerkez looked like a little boy out there. Today I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy. That can't be the case.
"We've been tiptoeing around him for a few months, around the fact that he's young, he's coming to a new country, but he's £100m+, you're going to have to stand up soon. He's obviously got something, he's a really good player, he's technically fantastic, but he's been mauled out there today by Matheus Nunes and by others.
"He's been chucked around the pitch, and didn't deliver on the quality side of things as well, so his performance was a real worry."
However, despite his harsh assessment of Wirtz's display, Neville insists Liverpool have a responsibility to help him adapt. The pundit believes Slot needs to continue backing the summer acquisition.
"He's a Germany international of great standing, and he looks well short in respect of what you'd expect in a top physical Premier League match," Neville continued.
"They've got to get him up to speed, they've got to get that little bit of tenacity into him, and that little bit of something that means he'll start to get into form, because what they have to do is stick with him and persist."
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