Inter Milan 0-1 Liverpool: Arne Slot press conference
The former goalkeeper discussed Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz after the 1-0 victory over Inter Milan.
Shay Given is confident that Florian Wirtz will shine for Liverpool.
The Reds splashed out a fee of £100 million for the attacking midfielder in the summer transfer window. Wirtz is regarded as one of Germany’s best players and he snubbed a move to Bundesliga powerhouses Bayern Munich for a move to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen.
The 22-year-old endured a difficult start to his Liverpool career. He still awaits a Premier League goal, although his performances have been impressive of late. He proved to be the game-changer as the Reds secured a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Wirtz’s introduction in the 68th minute put Liverpool on the front foot before he won the penalty for Dominik Szoboszlai to net the visitors’ winner at the San Siro. Wirtz’s shirt was tugged by Alessandro Bastoni and a spot-kick was awarded following a VAR review.
In total, the former Cologne man had 25 touches, made 18 of 21 successful passes along with winning two ground duels.
What’s been said
There have been some critics of Wirtz and the sizeable price tag that Liverpool paid. But Given does not doubt that Wirtz can prove an Anfield hit. Speaking on Premier Sports after the Inter win, former Aston Villa and Newcastle goalkeeper Given said: “He's one of those players who floats into little pockets and sometimes stands still and the game goes on around him. He receives the ball and there is no-one near him. That is having a feel of being on the pitch. I think he does need a run of games to actually prove to a lot of people (how good he is).
“We have seen in Germany and seen in the Bundesliga that he is a top player. He just needs to get a run of games. Games he has had, he has created assists as such but they just haven't stuck the chances away. I have no doubt he will shine in a Liverpool shirt.”
Wirtz’s father on Liverpool start
Speaking on Wirtz’s opening to his Liverpool career, his father, Hans, recently told German outlet Bolzplaz (via BILD): “My thought from the very beginning was to wait and see how the first ten league games went. We and Florian are perfectly happy with that.
"The incredible speed, the back and forth. That was very impressive for the first few games. The distances covered and the speed were significantly greater (than in the Bundesliga. But the style of play is sometimes enormously different because it doesn't seem as organised, but rather more focused on pace.
"I think the league table clearly shows that there's still room for improvement in this football machine. But the mechanics will sort that out. I hope he's such a good player that he can adapt to the demands there and that he enjoys it just as much as he did in the Bundesliga."
"It was exciting for him to join a team that had certainly grown and had added one or two new players besides himself,” he added. And all of them were of a corresponding quality. All of that was quite exciting for him.
"It was important that Arne Slot spoke with Florian and explained his value to him, also his value to the future team and how he envisions the collaboration. And that convinced Florian."
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