Florian Wirtz has had a slow start to life at Liverpool, with the £116m man failing to register a goal or assist for the Premier League champions since his debut.
Liverpool manager Arne Slott has been told by Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann that Florian Wirtz’s struggles are not “his fault”. Wirtz, 22, joined Liverpool for a record-breaking £116m in the summer transfer window, edging out Bayern Munich in favor of the Premier League champions.
Manchester City and Real Madrid were also interested in the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker. Wirtz got off to a good start with an assist on his debut in the Community Shield, but since then he has contributed just one goal in 12 games for club and country, a direct free-kick against Northern Ireland during the final international break.
Wirtz didn’t score or assist in Germany’s 4-0 win over Luxembourg on Friday, but his performance was reminiscent of his time at Leverkusen. The 22-year-old created four chances, one of his five shots hit the post, had 15 touches inside the opposition penalty area and did a decent job defensively despite playing as a number 10.
After the match, Nagelsmann praised Wirtz and defended his lack of final product since signing for Liverpool. “Even if he’s not scoring goals, he’s the player who creates the most chances in the Premier League,” the German told Sport 1.
“It’s not his fault if his teammates don’t make it, and that statistic is less than a third of the truth. He just needs to get used to the league.”
read more: I know how angry Florian Wirtz will be – my opinion on the Liverpool star is very clearread more: I spent 17 years at Liverpool – Luis Suarez did something on the training ground that I’ve never seen before
“I’ve seen him feel completely liberated. He knows his abilities and how things work. Not everything was always given to him. He’s going to work hard from now on too.”
However, according to official Premier League statistics, Nagelsmann’s point is incorrect. In fact, Wirtz isn’t even among the top five players in most open play opportunities created this season.
Will Florian Wirths be successful at Liverpool? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.
Still, Werts was a creative force under the slot, creating 17 chances in all competitions and showing clear sharpness in the Champions League match. However, Anfield legend Jamie Carragher still called for Wirtz’s departure, ahead of last weekend’s defeat to Chelsea (Liverpool’s third straight defeat).
“I don’t think we have the right balance in the squad at the moment,” Carragher lamented on CBS Sports. “The obvious standout is Florian Wertz.” “He just hasn’t raced at all.
“He’s a young player coming into a new league. He’s had plenty of time to be a Liverpool player, but I think he needs to leave the team now. Liverpool need to get back to where they were last season and build confidence from there and build defensive solidity.”
“Because it’s a mess right now. It’s not a loss, it’s not a defeat. This has been coming from day one.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
