Jamie Carragher has offered a brutal assessment of Florian Wirtz in a Liverpool jersey so far, with the German playmaker struggling to make an impact against Bournemouth
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.(Image: Sky Sports // YouTube)
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher says Florian Wirtz should be taken out of Andoni Iraola's starting XI from now on, with Jurgen Klopp the "one hope" for the Reds getting more out of the German.
Wirtz struggled to make an impact as Liverpool won 1-0 at Bournemouth on Sunday, with Carragher delivering a withering assessment of his performance on the south coast at the final whistle.
"That was one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt," Carragher said on Sky Sports. "I’ve been critical of the fact that he hasn’t got the numbers, but normally when you watch Wirtz, he’s neat and tidy.
"He keeps possession and when you watch him, there’s things that you like. You know, he'll get out of a tight situation where you’re normally expecting your player to lose the ball.
"But the reason I worry is, I don’t think Florian Wirtz is in poor form since he’s come to Liverpool. I actually think what we’re seeing is what he is.
"I was worried for him probably 12 months ago and maybe that was a little bit early to say that but I didn’t say it. It was just in the back of my head. I don’t see how he’s going to hurt you.
"He’s neat and tidy and in some ways the price tag for that sort of player should be half of what Liverpool paid.
Evanilson of Bournemouth is challenged by Florian Wirtz of Liverpool.
Evanilson of Bournemouth is challenged by Florian Wirtz of Liverpool.(Image: Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
"The worry for Wirtz is his performances so far have been so low and where we expected him was up here [high], to take Liverpool to a Premier League title, to another Champions League.
"The gap he’s got to get to almost justify what people were expecting, I almost think it’s too big. You can’t get there. Even if he improves a bit and gets there [to an OK level], it’s still not what Liverpool thought they were getting."
Wirtz was a superstar at Bayer Leverkusen but he is still finding his feet in England. The 23-year-old has seven goals and 11 assists for Liverpool to date.
"You’ve got to go back to the reasons why Liverpool bought him because they didn’t think they were probably getting enough end product from Dominik Szoboszlai, even though he gives you more stuff off the ball," Carragher continued.
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"He’s been bought in and it’s not just Wirtz, it’s the knock-on effect. When Wirtz plays at number 10, it means Szoboszlai has to play in centre midfield. I don’t think Szoboszlai is a center-midfield player.
"The one hope for Liverpool supporters now Jurgen Klopp is Germany manager, and he goes away there for three weeks and he’s obviously one of the best players in Germany. That’s how they see him and can Jurgen Klopp sprinkle a bit of stardust on him in that position."
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz has struggled, but there have been flashes of what he can do. Everyone knows he is capable of it, but Liverpool has to find the right system and set-up that gets the best out of him. With that said, with such a limited roster, taking him out for a sustained spell isn't really an option.