Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Liverpool have an easy way to move on from Florian Wirtz but they can't do it just yet
Liverpool have an easy way to move on from Florian Wirtz but they can't do it just yet
Man City showed Liverpool exactly which two January signings they need to make to save their season
Man City showed Liverpool exactly which two January signings they need to make to save their season
Why Jurgen Klopp was once fuming with the referee who sent Ryan Gravenberch off during Liverpool vs Man City
Why Jurgen Klopp was once fuming with the referee who sent Ryan Gravenberch off during Liverpool vs Man City
Jamie Carragher has already ignored Andy Robertson's important advice about Florian Wirtz at Liverpool
Jamie Carragher has already ignored Andy Robertson's important advice about Florian Wirtz at Liverpool
Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
A graphic posing the question: "Where does Florian Wirtz go from here?" Image shows Florian Wirtz playing for Liverpool FC.
Credit: Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
One of Carragher‘s main points against Wirtz was that he has now been fairly anonymous for more than 50 games at Liverpool. While this is a reasonable conclusion in itself, Andy Robertson told the former vice-captain less than three weeks ago that this should be treated as the 23-year-old’s first season with the Reds after the difficulties of last year. Sadly, Carragher has already failed to take that advice on board.
Carragher is still judging Wirtz too harshly
Speaking to Sky Sports alongside Gary Neville after Sunday’s defeat, Carragher claimed that while he is happy to criticise Wirtz after 56 Liverpool appearances, he will not do the same for Bradley Barcola who has played only a handful of times for the club.
“I’m just sorry to say this Florian Wirtz signing, not experiment, that’s the wrong word, it’s not working and it hasn’t worked so far,” the Scouser said.
“Now, Barcola hasn’t made a good start so far for Liverpool, and he wasn’t particularly good today. If we started being critical of him, I think that would be harsh, because he’s been here six weeks, didn’t have a pre-season. You want a bit more from him than what we’ve seen already, but you think ‘slow down, give the lad a bit more time, another couple of months, get used to it, get up with his fitness.’ That would be harsh to him right now.
“It’s not harsh to be having a go at Florian Wirtz right now. He’s got to do so much more, and I struggle to think of one game where he’s won Liverpool the game, he’s been the man if you like. He’s been here for now 55, 60 games, it’s a lot. It’s a lot and I don’t see it changing.”
Though many Liverpool fans would agree, they should also have noted Robertson’s words about Wirtz and the impact that Diogo Jota’s tragic death had on him and his fellow summer signings of 2025 while appearing with Carragher on The Overlap at the end of September.
“I’ve got so much sympathy in football terms to all the new signings, because they came into a team that was elite in everything we had done for years, and maybe we couldn’t be that because of what had happened [with Jota] and they then started getting quite a lot of criticism,” Robertson said.
“I would treat this season as their first season, that’s the way I would do it. Go, ‘okay, this is Kerkez’s first proper season, Florian Wirtz’s first, Alex Isak’s first season and let’s see how they get on.’ Then at the end of the season if they’re not up to it or whatever, but I would treat this as their first proper season.”
According to Robertson, if Carragher is unwilling to judge Barcola so early into his Liverpool career, he should still be extending the same courtesy to Wirtz.
When is it fair to judge Wirtz?
It is obviously true that this is not Wirtz’s first season with Liverpool, and there is no way to erase the previous 12 months – and his 56 appearances – from the collective memory of supporters. However, it is possible to try and judge him only on what we have seen from him so far this term.
In fairness, that would still not be a good impression. The former Bayer Leverkusen man has arguably been worse this season than last. However, like with Barcola, it is still very early days into the campaign
Liverpool are also getting used to a new manager, a new system and transitioning expectations. Wirtz should be given time alongside the rest of the players to find his feet within that.
The reason he is not being afforded that is because of what happened last season. Having commanded such a big price tag, Liverpool fans are right to demand much, much more than they have seen so far from Wirtz, but constantly putting him under the microscope is obviously not helping.
Andoni Iraola can – and probably now must – help the situation by taking Wirtz out of the team, reducing the spotlight on him and letting him build his confidence back through appearances from the bench. But in the meantime, Liverpool fans should keep Robertson’s words in mind.
Carragher, having been there was the Scot made his point, should too, and although improvements are needed from Wirtz, the time to judge both him and Barcola will be in six months’ time. If things have not got better by then, there will be some serious conversations to be had. But, for now, Wirtz needs to be judged slightly less harshly.