A Liverpool star has come in for significant praise after his side's 2-2 draw with Fulham.placeholder image
A Liverpool star has come in for significant praise after his side's 2-2 draw with Fulham. | Getty Images
Paul Merson has sang the praises of one Liverpool star in the run-up to tonight’s blockbuster showdown with Arsenal
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson claims Florian Wirtz is a player that is really starting to show his quality in a Liverpool shirt at this moment in time.
The German international joined the Reds from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer with lofty expectations after completing a then club-record move to the club for an upfront fee of £100m plus a further £16m in bonuses.
This briefly made him the most expensive footballer in Premier League history before the champions exceeded that figure again with a move for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak on deadline day for £125m.
Wirtz arrived with pedigree as a German international, a Bundesliga winner and was at one-time even named as the division’s Player of the Season after a string of excellent performances under Xabi Alonso.
However, he took time to settle at Liverpool and had to wait until early December against Sunderland to register his first assist. He’s since followed that up with another assist against Tottenham as well as a goal against Wolves while also more recently finding the net against Fulham.
Merson shares glowing Wirtz verdict
Sky Sports pundit Merson says Liverpool’s attacking department suffered when they substituted Wirtz during the team’s most recent 2-2 draw with Fulham.
The Reds went behind after 17 minutes when former midfielder Harry Wilson opened the scoring in west-London, but managed to level proceedings in the 57th minute through Wirtz despite controversy over whether it was offside. The German playmaker remained a threat throughout the contest but was taken off the field in the 77th minute, with fellow Bayer Leverkusen arrival Jeremie Frimpong taking his place.
Merson in his pre-match Arsenal vs Liverpool prediction believed this was an important moment in the contest as he singled out Wirtz for a stellar display. He told SportsKeeda: “Florian Wirtz is also starting to show his quality. When Liverpool took him off against Fulham, we saw how their attacking department suffered. I rate him and I expect him to become a key player for Liverpool in the future."
Liverpool are beginning to see signs of Wirtz at his best
Wirtz, who scored 57 goals in 197 Leverkusen appearances, has taken time to adapt to a new team and a new league. The Premier League is renowned for its fast pace and most notably its physicality which is something that flair players in particular need to learn to navigate.
In most cases, Liverpool have seen the best of Wirtz in Europe. He made two assists against Frankfurt in a 5-1 demolition and also created a goal against last season’s finalists Inter Milan. However, since the start of December he’s shown signs of translating that form into domestic competitions and is beginning to become more and more of a handful for opposition defences.
"The first few months in a different country – because it was also my first experience going abroad – it's different.
“Your life is a bit upside down, and that, for a manager, is probably not the biggest problem, because I don't have to perform on the pitch, but I could fully understand that some individuals and some players need a bit of time to adapt off the pitch as well. But the biggest adaptation if you come from abroad is this league and how intense it is.”
Liverpool are aiming to make it to 10 matches unbeaten ahead of tonight’s match with Arsenal. The Reds are currently fourth in the table but are clear outsiders for the title after falling 14 points behind the league’s pace setters.
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