At this point, it’s a weekly thing to hear the latest attack on Florian Wirtz from Jamie Carragher.
Now, don’t get me wrong: Wirtz needs to do better and is currently performing below what you’d expect from a £116m signing.
That said, he has not been nearly as bad as the general discourse has suggested.
Last season – in a very, very poor Liverpool team – Wirtz scored 7 goals and assisted 10. One assist in ten games this season is poor, granted, but his game is so much more than the final pass.
It’s also important to note that this is still the very beginning of the Andoni Iraola era. Things will improve, especially for the attacking players in this team. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo’s immediate improvement is proof of this.
Carragher has another go at Wirtz
Carragher says Iraola needs to decide if Wirtz is going to be dropped at any point in the future.
Personally, I think the fact that he’s starting every game is proof that Iraola has no qualms about Wirtz. The German playmaker is perfect for stitching an attack like Liverpool’s together.
Carragher said: “I think going forward he’s got a decision to make Iraola. I mean Wirtz wouldn’t be in my Liverpool team. He wouldn’t. When I actually go through the Premier League, I was thinking about this on the way because I thought it was a big game for Wirtz because I thought if he doesn’t produce today, he’s going to have a three week break.
“By the time we come back to October. Before we know it, it will be Christmas! He has to do something. If you look at the league and players in his positions… forget the top teams… normal Premier League players in the middle of the table who have done more for their clubs. I think of Dewsbury Hall at Everton. No one will say he’s a better player than Wirtz… but every three to four weeks he scores a goal.
“I watched Morgan Gibbs White last week against Villa. He put in a performance in 45 mins that Wirtz has never done before for Liverpool. I see a goal Buendia scored. They are giving their club bits. I don’t think Liverpool fans have been harsh on Wirtz. I don’t think the football public in general have been harsh at all about Florian Wirtz.”
