1 week ago
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Arne Slot can point to the fine margins of defeat, but there's no escaping that it has been a bleak few weeks for Liverpool supporters. To compound the miserable run of results, individual performances have been under significant scrutiny as well.
None of the new signings have been unqualified early successess. The possible exception would be Hugo Ekitike, but he's found himself on the bench more often than not as Alexander Isak seeks to play his way into some sort of form.
Scrutiny is ramping up on Isak, after Slot declared him fully fit. But the spotlight has been on Florian Wirtz for far longer, and questions continue to be asked.
Another big-money arrival, Wirtz had the luxury of a full pre-season. So there's a great deal of focus on the fact that he is yet to make much of an impact.
Slot did try to give him a sustained run of minutes at the start of the campaign. But Wirtz now finds himself drifting toward the periphery, benched for the games against Chelsea and Manchester United.
The young German playmaker is not the worst offender in this Liverpool side. With so many poor performers, you can argue that the buck ultimately stops with Slot.
And if we do insist on picking out individuals, then Milos Kerkez is surely the most disappointing of the new additions. Wirtz can count himself unlucky to be bombed out of the side, when Slot insists on persisting with the Hungarian at the expense of Andy Robertson, who is far superior based on what we have seen from the pair of them so far this season.
Even so, the fact remains that Wirtz arrived with a big price tag and big expectations, and it does not reflect well on him that Slot's biggest complaint at the start of the campaign is that Liverpool has been unable to find a way through deep defensive lines. So far, there has been no return on the substantial investment.
It's at this point that a pundit with connections to Manchester United would usually come in with a gleeful, gloating quote. But in fairness to Dwight Yorke, he has provided a measured assessment.
"I wouldn’t go so far as to say Florian Wirtz has unbalanced Liverpool’s midfield, but it’s clear to see things haven’t quite worked for him yet," said former Man Utd striker Yorke, speaking to Escapist Magazine. "He’s had some moments of quality, and you can see there is a good player in there, but things haven’t yet materialised to the level everybody thought they might.
"He was signed for a huge sum of money and everyone was expecting him to produce magic straight away. That hasn’t happened yet and people are now starting to ask questions of him.
"None of that means he is not a good player, because he clearly is. Liverpool spent a lot of money on him, so the club and Arne Slot obviously believe in his quality.
"He still has a lot of time to show everyone just how good he can be. For me, there is no question about his quality, it just isn’t going his way at this moment in time."
That all makes a lot of sense. Indeed, Wirtz showed glimpses of what he is all about when he was introduced from the bench against Man Utd, elevating the team's overall level (albeit still not to an acceptable standard).
That's not the first time he has teased fans with flashes of his brilliance. If and when it all clicks, you can see that the price Liverpool paid could quickly begin to look like a bargain.
Yorke joins Jurgen Klopp in warning people against writing off Wirtz. Slot will hope that his summer addition starts proving the doubters wrong sooner rather than later.
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