EXCLUSIVE: Alan Smith Says £100M Liverpool Star Could Be Dropped For City Clash As He Delivers Blunt Verdict
Sky Sports commentator Alan Smith says there is a chance that Florian Wirtz will be dropped by Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola for the next game against Manchester City
The German international has received plenty of criticism for his performances this season, and speaking exclusively to Walk On, courtesy of Best Betting Sites UK, Smith gave this response when asked if Wirtz will be benched:
“Possibly, Bundesliga is one thing and the Premier League’s another. So even those with a lot of self-confidence, if they’re not reaching the levels that they did previously, they may be thinking: ‘Is this going to happen for me? Do I need to go somewhere else?’ and when those thoughts come into your mind, it doesn’t help your game at all.”
“So he’ll have to just get his head down and keep plugging away, keep working in training. And hopefully it does come good. I don’t think he’s going to be a world beater, but if he can produce something like his Leverkusen form, that’ll be a big boost for Liverpool.”
Comparing Wirtz’s Bundesliga numbers to the Premier League
The attacking midfielder scored 35 goals and provided 47 assists in 140 top-flight games for Leverkusen in Germany. He averaged a goal contribution every 1.71 matches.
Wirtz‘s Premier League stats pale in comparison. He has found the back of the net 5 times and contributed 5 assists in 38 appearances, which means he has averaged a goal involvement every 3.8 games.
Will Liverpool ever see the best version of the player?
As Smith points out, confidence plays a big role. The 23-year-old is clearly struggling at the moment, and he is even failing to execute simple passes.
Wirtz is much better than that, and Iraola has to decide whether it is the right thing to take him out of the firing line. We will find out how he approaches the situation when the Reds take on City at Anfield next month.
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