Liverpool may have managed to string together some decent results of late, but that has not exactly meant the individual performances have been convincing across the board.
In truth, that has been the story of their season. There have been flashes here and there, and enough quality to get through certain games, but very few Liverpool players have really set the tone consistently.
That was the backdrop when Chris Sutton was reflecting on a handful of Liverpool stars. Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz all came up, but it was one player in particular who was hit with a brutal verdict from the former striker.
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Alexander Isak pictured with his arms outstretched during Liverpool's Premier League match against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Cody Gakpo reacts during Liverpool's Premier League match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Credit: James Gill/Danehouse/Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Chris Sutton is far from convinced by ‘terrible’ Florian Wirtz
There’s just a few weeks to go in the season, and those who have stuck to FPL for this long are considering who to bring in to their teams for the run-in. Sutton is one such person, and was on the FPL Podcast carrying out that very exercise.
Asked whether Fantasy managers should look at bringing Salah in for one last push, Sutton had no hesitation in praising the Liverpool forward after the win over Everton.
He said: “He was really good against Everton as well, so, yeah. The other one would be Gakpo maybe from Liverpool, I wouldn’t touch Isak. And Wirtz, terrible, terrible.”
Florian Wirtz during Manchester City v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Of those four attackers, Salah and Gakpo were the obvious positives from that derby. Salah looked sharp and dangerous again, while Gakpo had one of his best performances of the season. By contrast, Isak was ineffective against Everton and still looks nowhere near fully fit, which makes Sutton’s reluctance there understandable enough.
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But it is clearly Wirtz who has tested his patience most. The German arrived with huge expectations and has found it hard to really settle, even if his numbers are not disastrous on paper.
He has managed six goals and eight assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, which is a decent enough return for a first season, but it still feels like Liverpool have seen only glimpses of the player they thought they were signing. Especially in the last few weeks, Wirtz just doesn’t look confident.
Some argue Wirtz has got off easy with Liverpool criticism, but there’s just so much wrong with the club this season that honing in on the 22-year-old who hasn’t yet figured it all out feels unnecessary.
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Arne Slot gives a thumbs up during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League win over Marseille in the Stade Velodrome
Credit: Stuart Franklin/UEFA/Getty Images
Settling into a side that has looked disjointed on and off the pitch is a difficult task for anyone, especially a young attacking midfielder expected to instantly transform things.
Still, Sutton’s point will resonate with some. Isak and Wirtz have not exactly blown anyone away in their debut campaigns. Whether they can kick on next season may end up determining everything for Liverpool.
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