2 weeks ago
47
Liverpool summer signing Florian Wirtz has been performing well this season — but those around him are not holding up their side of the bargain. That is the view of former Reds and Germany star Markus Babbel.
"I think his biggest problem is that he comes into a team where the key players are not 100 per cent in form," Babbel tells Liverpool.com. "Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister, Mo Salah... from the beginning, the team was struggling.
"They had the results but they were not playing well. Now it turns and luck isn't on their side and they are losing the games, but you could already see the balance isn't there.
"They concede too many and miss too many chances. For a new player, especially who costs so much money and everyone expects he can do fantastic things, you need players around to help him.
"At the moment, no one can help him because everyone is struggling. This is a big problem for Wirtz.
"He was always in the same bubble — Leverkusen is 20 minutes away from Cologne. He played fantastic football but now he is in a different country and a different style.
"I came to Liverpool when I was 26 and it was a different style. It was unbelieveable how fast, how hard and how quick it was. Everything is going so quick and you have to learn it.
"But Wirtz is a top player, so now it is time to bring your performance. It is time to show that it wasn't a mistake from Liverpool, but he needs help from the others."
Wirtz has created big chances for the likes of Mohamed Salah in recent games but they haven't been taken. And so while he is yet to score or assist, that is not wholly his fault.
"He can play passes that I can't see," Babbel says. "He brings something magic into the team. He is the guy who has to bring the difference to the other players.
"He has the skill and he is so intelligent. He is normally the main one for the strikers, who just have to put the ball in the goal.
"But at the moment, it is not there — don't ask me why. Even Jurgen Klopp said 'Don't worry, he will bring his best performance'."
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
In the main, Wirtz has played as a number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 system under Arne Slot. Babbel, though, believes that he could be unlocked by shifting wider and starting from the left.
"The best games, he always started from the left side," Babbel said. "The problem is that the best player from Liverpool at the moment is Cody Gakpo, and he is on the left side.
"For me, the best games he always started from the left, but then of course he is not a left winger. It is difficult against two or three players in the midfield to do something special. But this is the problem for Arne Slot.
"First of all, you think 'Wow'. But it is not easy for a manager to handle [all the attacking options]. Everyone expects to start in the first team because they are all top offensive players.
"The problem at the moment is that the balance is not right. They miss too many chances and concede too many goals, so it shows me that even if you have five or six top players up front, they are not scoring enough goals.
"This is where they have to work. The balance is not right and the team is not defending or attacking well as a team."
English (US) ·