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Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has not held back in his criticism of Florian Wirtz after Liverpool were dismantled by Manchester City at the weekend.
The £116m summer signing flattered to deceive once again, and Neville says the German is struggling to come to terms with the physicality of English football:
“I thought Wirtz in particular, I thought it was a really bad day for him. We’ve been tiptoeing around him for a few months. He’s young, coming to a new country, but he’s £120m, 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 in the quality side of things as well. So his performance was a real worry.”
“Physically, I’d be worried if I was Arne Slot by that team, there’s a few of them look like they can’t run. Wirtz is a problem; let’s just call it as it is, it’s an issue. He’s £120m. I said a few weeks ago about Kerkez that he looks like a little boy out there, and today I thought Wirtz looks like a little boy, and that can’t be the case. He’s a German international of great standing, and he looks well short in terms of what you’d expect in a top, physical Premier League match…”
“They’ve got to get him up to speed, get that little bit of tenacity into him and a little bit of something that means he gets into form. They’ve got to stick with him and persist, but they’ve got to find a way to get the best out of him.”
Liverpool’s expensive summer signings are struggling
It’s fair to say that the vast majority of new additions have failed to hit the ground running. As mentioned by Neville, Milos Kerkez has been woeful, with the pundit having described him as a “baby” following the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.
Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong have had fitness issues, but the pair have looked well short of the required level when they have played. Giovanni Leoni is already out for the season after sustaining an ACL injury in the Carabao Cup against Southampton.
You could make a case to say that Giorgi Mamardashvili has done a decent job in Alisson’s absence, but some will argue that Liverpool’s No.1 would have saved some of the goals that Mamardashvili has conceded in recent weeks.
Hugo Ekitike is the only one who can really hold his head up high, and his form makes Wirtz’s struggles even more shocking, considering that both played in the Bundesliga last season.
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The defeat to Manchester City means this could be a very long season for the Reds. It’s going to take a lot of work to get things back on track.
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