We don’t know if Florian Wirtz will be in action against West Ham on Saturday, but it could determine how the afternoon goes.
According to the Opta gods, Liverpool are heavy favourites to beat West Ham.
The Hammers are in the relegation zone right now, and while performances have seen an uptick in recent weeks, they are still one of the Premier League’s worst sides.
Not everyone sees this as a routine outing, though. Roy Keane thinks the question of Wirtz has to be accounted for.
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Florian Wirtz form for Liverpool
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Roy Keane says Florian Wirtz a big loss for Liverpool
Keane appeared on the latest episode of The Overlap alongside the usual crew and special guest Roberto Martinez.
When doing their predictions for the weekend’s action, the Portugal manager was first to go. He tips West Ham to pull off the upset and come away 1-0 winners.
Keane doesn’t agree, but admits the Wirtz factor could swing it.
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He says: “Liverpool not to score at home? Is Wirtz playing? How long is he out for? Wirtz is a big loss, Liverpool were dreadful against Forest.”
Florian Wirtz warming up for Liverpool
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Indeed, the Reds looked out of ideas at the City Ground, missing their midfield maestro popping up to link play and break the lines. Wirtz picked up an injury before Forest, but Slot didn’t think it was anything serious at the time.
Until we get team news on Friday, Keane is still favouring Liverpool.
He concludes: “You’d have to fancy Liverpool. Don’t overthink it. Don’t overthink it. Liverpool at home to West Ham.”
If we’re being honest, this is a game that would be unacceptable to falter in. Facing a bottom-of-the-table side at Anfield, anything but a win will not be received well by those in attendance.
Florian Wirtz’s importance to Liverpool shown in his absence
We can all agree that Sunday’s display was plain awful.
Liverpool got a late winner against Forest to make up for it, but we should be starting games much better.
At the moment, it feels like any team that faces Liverpool has full confidence in getting something from the game.
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The big problem against Forest was a complete lack of creativity, and that’s why Wirtz is so pivotal for Slot’s tactical setup. Without him, Hugo Ekitike barely gets on the ball, and Liverpool are often helpless against a low-block.
Fingers crossed he can come back into the side for West Ham.
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