5 hours ago
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Xabi Alonso has agreed with Arne Slot’s comments that Florian Wirtz will have a significant impact at Liverpool when he has fully settled and adapted to the physicality of the English game.
Wirtz played under Alonso 119 times during his time at Bayer Leverkusen and established himself as one of the world’s most exciting young players, as he became a title winner at the German club in 2023/24.
Those performances convinced Liverpool to commit to paying a £116million ($152M) fee on the 22-year-old, but he is yet to make a real impact at Anfield since his arrival. Wirtz has failed to score in 14 appearances for the Reds and has registered just three assists.
The German international has admitted he has found the physical demands of the Premier League difficult to get up to speed with, and it’s no surprise that two of his three assists have come in the Champions League.
But Alonso, who knows Wirtz better than most, said he is sure Liverpool’s no. 7 will start making a bigger contribution soon.
“For sure, I have no doubts,” the ex-Liverpool midfielder said ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League trip to Anfield.
“It could just be a matter of time. For sure, it’s a big change for him to come here to Liverpool after so many years in Germany, his whole life, and a few years in Leverkusen.
“But he’s a really special player. He has the quality, he has the personality, he’s competitive.
“It has happened with many great players in the Premier League, and I have no doubts with Flo, he was so special and probably one of the reasons that I am here, so I am thankful for him, and hopefully not tomorrow, but we are looking forward to him starting to show his quality and his class.”
Those comments chime with Slot’s thoughts on Wirtz, which he expressed just a few hours earlier in the build-up to the Real clash.
“You can say he started one out of the last four, you can also say he already started eight, nine, 10 or 11 games this season
“For a player that comes from a different league, which is a very good league by the way, but I think nine out of 10 people would agree that the Premier League is a bit more intense, especially in all the games.
“Then, if you look at that, then he already played a lot, and he’s had his impact in many games, but has been unlucky with the end product, either by himself or his teammates.”
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