Liverpool face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and Paul Merson has been less than kind about Florian Wirtz ahead of the fixture.
The Reds go into the clash having lost five of their last six league ties, with Arsenal now favourites for the title ahead of Arne Slot’s men.
After a tricky run of games, which most recently ended in a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, Liverpool are expected to beat Nottingham Forest this weekend.
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However, while Paul Merson is among those backing a home win on November 22, his comments on Florian Wirtz ahead of the tie were concerning.
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool looks dejected during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge
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Paul Merson’s worrying Florian Wirtz verdict before Nottingham Forest
Wirtz has been a scapegoat for Liverpool’s poor start to the 2025/26 campaign on the back of his £100m-plus move.
He has looked much better for Germany and though Merson remains a fan of the versatile midfielder, he claimed in his latest score predictions column for Sportskeeda that the 22-year-old ‘looked like he had never played football before’ against Man City.
Merson predicted a 2-0 win for Liverpool and said: “Florian Wirtz looked good for Germany in the international break. I know the opposition wasn’t the strongest, but he’s the top boy in Germany. Wirtz has the faith of the manager and goes out and expresses himself to the best of his abilities when he puts on that shirt.
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“At Liverpool, he is always behind the eight ball. Last week against Manchester City, Wirtz looked like he had never played football before!
“Don’t get me wrong, I like him as a player. But if you pay over £100 million for a player and he does nothing in such a big game, that is a worrying sign for your team. Wirtz wasn’t the only one who did nothing in that game, but Liverpool paid the big bucks for him to take them to the next level. It’s obviously not his fault that they paid that amount of money, but the price tag will always add to the expectations.”
Conor Bradley looks on during Liverpool vs Eintracht Frankfurt
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Conor Bradley receives the same criticism as Florian Wirtz
Worryingly, Troy Deeney gave a similarly harsh verdict on Conor Bradley after watching the right-back in action versus Man City.
He said: “Conor Bradley, for example, has been inconsistent, I would say this year, and that’s not all his own fault because Liverpool have been as well.
“He comes up against Vinicius Junior and he’s excellent. Best player on the pitch. The following week against Doku, who’s in a great moment, he looks like he’s never played football before.”
The Northern Ireland international had a tough afternoon up against Jeremy Doku but was still praised by Pep Guardiola after the match.
But the fact that two Liverpool players have been told they look like they have never played football before in such a short space of time is not ideal.