Former Liverpool striker picked out Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong as key players from the Reds' 0-0 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates on Thursday evening
00:01, 09 Jan 2026
Arne Slot
Arne Slot's Reds managed a draw at Arsenal on Thursday(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool coach Arne Slot is having to field a smaller group of players week in and week out, with a significant portion of his squad either injured or away on international duty.
This has opened up consistent playing time for summer signings Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, two players who faced a heaping of criticism in the early part of the campaign after both failed to tally many goal involvements amid the Reds' poor form.
Both started in Liverpool's 0-0 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates on Thursday. Both Wirtz and Frimpong looked lively, involved in most of the Reds' (albeit few) attacking threats.
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Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge picked the pair out as standouts on the Sky Sports post-match show after discussing the Liverpool performance as a whole.
"I think Arne Slot will be absolutely delighted with the performance of the players. Got to give him credit for his game plan," Sturrdige started.
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"They weathered the storm in the first 20 minutes. After that, their work rate, how tenacious they were, was a very experienced performance, and they showed why they are champions.
"They lacked the cutting edge up front, but had very positive moments. Frimpong was a threat all night. Wirtz was very good, picked up a load of pockets, and was very clean tonight. The list goes on."
Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz looked composed against Arsenal(Image: Getty Images)
Frimpong, making just his fourth Premier League start, was deployed on the right as a touchline winger. He rarely flashed into the middle, but his runs helped drag the Arsenal defense out of position, namely on a play that led to Conor Bradley hitting the post.
He completed 22 of his 27 passes and logged 43 touches. With Bradley now injured, he may be asked by Slot to move back to the right back position.
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Wirtz lined up in a false 9 role, dancing everywhere around the pitch: his heat map shows that the German both dropped deep and flashed on both wings.
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Wirtz had a penalty shout against Odegard and completed 44 of his 47 passes, tallied 56 touches, won four of six ground duels, and completed a pair of successful dribbles while looking tidy and composed all night.
Sturridge also shouted out the Reds' defense, anchored by his former teammate Virgil van Dijk and the oft-criticized Ibrahima Konate, in his post-match monologue.
"The defence was magnificent," he said, "They stopped attacks all night, and I think the manager and players should be very proud of themselves. They performed exceptionally tonight."