19 hours ago
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Liverpool has been informed that the signing of Florian Wirtz has upset their midfield balance - but he cannot be held responsible for the Reds' recent difficulties.
Arne Slot's players have suffered defeat in six of their previous seven matches across all competitions and already find themselves seven points behind title favorite Arsenal in their defense of the Premier League trophy.
Wirtz has endured a challenging introduction to life at Anfield following his summer transfer from Bayer Leverkusen - costing Liverpool up to £116 million ($152.2 million) - and has been named in the starting XI for just two of the last five Premier League games ahead of Saturday's clash with Aston Villa.
Former Liverpool player Joe Cole believes Wirtz would gain from additional time as a substitute, though he acknowledges that may prove a difficult decision for Reds manager Slot.
"Yes, Florian Wirtz's signing has disrupted the Liverpool midfield, but not in a way that can be laid at Florian Wirtz's feet," said Cole.
"There's no doubt he's a top player. You don't play number 10 for Germany, and win the league over in the Bundesliga, and produce what he did at Bayer Leverkusen, without being quality. We know he's quality, and he's shown it in flashes.
"Don't lay the blame on the four players coming in, or the four players coming out, or the manager, it's just a collection of everything.
"In hindsight, if Liverpool could do a restart of the season, they'd have probably put one or two players into the team, and we'll keep with what we're doing, and just gradually change it, and by January, you'll start looking to get Wirtz into the squad, into the team regularly, giving the time to come off the bench.
"It's all well saying that, but Slot trying to explain to the owners who just bought you a £100 million player while he's on the bench is going to be a difficult sell.
"It's a collection of about three or four different things, but Wirtz is a quality player."
Speaking exclusively to Paddy Power, Cole added: "Whether he's the right player for Liverpool or the Premier League, he's going to have to prove that. He can't shy away from that.
"There are certain players, good players, who go to clubs, and they just don't fit.
"And he's had a bad start, so the spotlights on him, and he's going to have to go and, in the next year, prove that he's a Premier League footballer."
Following the Villa fixture, the Reds face another home encounter on Tuesday when Real Madrid visits Anfield for a Champions League clash. They then travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City in the Premier League the following Sunday, before the next international break.
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