Gary Neville has strongly criticised Florian Wirtz for his poor performance as Liverpool suffered yet another defeat.
After back-to-back wins against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, it felt like the Reds had turned the corner, but they went back to square one after an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.
Apart from one contentious moment, where Virgil van Dyke's header was ruled out after a VAR check, Liverpool were toothless in their attacking department, and Wirtz made no impact at all.
In the end, it was a meek surrender from the Premier League champions who were thoroughly outplayed and outfoxed by Pep Guardiola's side, as they now trail Arsenal by eight points.
Neville slams Wirtz after another poor performance
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Liverpool made a significant statement in the summer when they signed the German international from Bayer Leverkusen on a big-money deal, but he has yet to justify the price tag.
While he has created most chances for the team, the technically gifted attacking midfielder has now failed to score or assist in any of his first 11 appearances in the Premier League.
Wirtz failed to produce a shot on target and lost four duels before he was taken off in the 83rd minute, and Neville suggested that the German star should now start performing for his club.
“I thought Wirtz in particular – it was a really bad day for him," said Neville on his podcast.
“We’ve been tip-toeing around him haven’t we, for a few months, around the fact that he’s young, coming to a new country. But he’s £120million, you’re going to have to stand up soon.
“I mean he’s obviously got something. He’s a really good player and 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 either. His performance was a real worry.
“Wirtz is a problem, let’s call it what it is. It’s an issue. He’s £120m and he looked like a little boy out there. It can’t be the case. He’s a German international of great standing and he looks well short of what you’d expect from a top physical match.”
Liverpool are in complete mess at the moment
The major problem for Liverpool at the moment, which Arne Slot needs to address immediately, is finding a way to win games away from home.
They lost five times in 11 games this season, failing to pick up a point on their trips to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Brentford, and City.
The Reds are vulnerable at the back, conceding 17 goals already, with Ibrahima Konate failing to maintain a consistent performance alongside Virgil van Dijk.
There is a lack of cohesion, and Slot has yet to find the right system that can maximise the potential of players such as Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
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