placeholder image
Getty Images
Florian Wirtz has scored his first goal for Liverpool but one teammate wants more from the Germany international.
Virgil van Dijk has spoken about how hard this season has been as Liverpool’s captain for as many reasons off the pitch as on it.
The summer signings have started to settle into life at Anfield with Jeremie Frimpong also making a welcome return to fitness at a pivotal time of the season. Getting Arsenal’s lead down to single figures could be the motivation needed for the second half of the season in which there is still everything to play for including the Champions League. The skipper has been key in keeping a frequently changed defence together with Ibrahima Konate yet to commit his future to the club.
Virgil van Dijk loves what he is seeing from Florian Wirtz
Van Dijk knows what it takes to win a Premier League title and, after beating Wolves, is confident that one of the new recruits is starting to show what they are really capable of, via Liverpool’s website: “He's getting more used to the intensity and the way we play. He's very important on the ball and obviously his qualities there is no debate about. We are very pleased for him, but he should be very pleased with the goal as well. I think after 60 minutes or something he was quite tired so that's something he and we have to work on as well in order to do that every three days for 90 minutes.”
Wirtz has gradually improved and grown in stature having always shown flashes of what he could offer in a Liverpool shirt. All he ever needed to do to be fully accepted was start adding goals and assists, only one of these statistics can he take responsibility for improving on his own though. The 22-year old has had chances, he’s also been unlucky in terms of efforts being deflected or blocked. That Van Dijk has now set the bar even higher for Wirtz shows exactly what sort of mentality is needed to succeed at Anfield.
Slot isn’t just impressed with Florian Wirtz
Slot was impressed with ‘special’ Wirtz and his contribution but was also quick to praise the impact of Jeremie Frimpong on his return to the starting XI in his post-match press conference after the win over Wolves: “Jeremie is a great example: now if he is fit, he can definitely help us because last week he had the assist against Tottenham and today he had a great assist against Wolves. Pace, that's what he has and that's so important and crucial in modern-day football. Because to create something against a low-block, teams that defend with so many players, usually teams break this down with set-pieces.
“Now that's not our biggest strength and then to have him available with his pace, because the first goal we scored was pure individual ability – quick, bam, bam and a cut-back cross. OK, we were positioned in the right position, but that's the pace I always wanted to bring in in the summer, and that's what we did with Hugo [Ekitike], that's what we did with Jeremie and with Alex as well. But unfortunately not all of the money we've spent we have used and that has to do with the injuries of these players.”
Wirtz has forged an impressive partnership with Ekitike but already had a good one with Frimpong from their time together at Bayer Leverkusen, a relationship that hasn’t had a chance to shine yet but could yet be the one that kickstarts Liverpool’s season.
Continue Reading