Emile Heskey Believes Liverpool Could Have Another Coutinho On Their Hands But Something Needs To Change
Ex-Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has leapt to the defence of Florian Wirtz following recent criticism of his performances.
Heskey’s ex-teammate Jamie Carragher has called on Andoni Iraola to drop the German for the Reds’ next game against Manchester City after witnessing his display versus Bournemouth.
However, speaking to Wettbasis.com, Heskey said Wirtz has the potential to play a similar role to Philippe Coutinho, but his former club have to find a way to get more out of him:
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“He probably should be looking at what Coutinho did. Him and Coutinho are similar in many aspects. Coutinho managed to really get the best out of himself, and Jurgen [Klopp] got the best out of Coutinho as well. And it goes to show because he went to Barcelona for how much millions?”
“I think they’ve got to look at how do we get him on the ball in the right positions, facing forward and driving with the ball. He’s got to drive with the ball a lot more and not just try to slide them balls in. He would do well with Isak but it’d just be one player. The others need to understand how to link with him. He’s a link player, isn’t he? He’s not one who’s going to bulldoze or dribble through 10-12 players. He’s a link player who can take one on, slide a ball down. But you’ve got to be making runs for them.”
Wirtz hasn’t become a bad player overnight
It is understandable that fans who have only watched his performances in the Premier League will feel short-changed. He hasn’t lived up to expectations.
However, Wirtz has won both the German Footballer of the Year and Bundesliga Player of the Season. It is clear that he is suffering from a lack of confidence, but as with Coutinho under Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp, Iraola has to find a way to unlock Wirtz.
As Heskey mentions, he is a link player. Giving him the ball in the right areas at the right times is vital. Can Iraola platform him in a way that makes the most of his talent?
Should Liverpool drop him for the Man City game?
There is a case for going back to the midfield that won the Premier League title in 2025. Dominik Szoboszlai thrived as the number 10, with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch behind him.
Even so, dropping Wirtz would be a massive call, and Iraola will know that he will be making headlines if he does bench one of his most high-profile players for the biggest match of the season so far.
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