‘It’s difficult for Flow’ – Nagelsmann defends underperforming superstar Wirtz
Video credit: SNTV
Lescott feels Slott could have managed Wirtz’s playing time differently, just as Jurgen Klopp spent time draining the likes of Fabinho and Ryan Gravenbirch early in his Anfield career.
“I would like to praise[Arsenal manager Mikel]Arteta more for how he handled[Eberechi]Eze. People said he should be in the team, he should start. But Mikel was patient because he did well at Crystal Palace, but when he goes to Arsenal he has to perform.”
“It’s a similar situation to Florian Wirtz, who came from Bayer Leverkusen, where he has to play, but Coach Slott didn’t give him a grace period to put him to bed and let him get back on his feet.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/11/06/image-1e0d4f08-36f6-4ee7-9d5e-5190662c9f63-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Slott says ‘change in playing style’ affected Wirtz at the start of his Liverpool career
Video credit: TNT Sports
“In the slot, it’s not the fact that he brought him in, it’s the way he does it. I understand that when you lose Trent[Alexander-Arnold]you need a replacement. When you sell[Luis]Diaz, you need a replacement. Obviously, given the tragedy that happened with[Diogo]Jota, you need a replacement.”
“But given his response so far, he definitely has to take some responsibility.”
“The slot must return to its proven state.”
But familiar failings surfaced as Josep Guardiola’s side tore apart their opponents with three unanswered goals, leaving further question marks for the struggling champions heading into their third international break of the season after spending around £415m on attacking talent in the summer.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/11/04/image-c9ff43c7-3d84-42ed-99a7-b7df4a11b57d-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Highlights: Reds beat Real with Mac Allister goal, Alexander-Arnold boos
Video credit: TNT Sports
Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves believes Slott is struggling to combine the club’s new faces with the veteran guards, and feels the huge transfer fee puts further pressure on immediate results.
“I think they’ve brought in too many players and he’s had to deal with all of them. You can’t buy a player for £100 million and not play. He’s trying to adapt to the group. He’s trying to bring in new players.”
“The first game of the season, when they played Bournemouth, I think it was the first time in history that a defending champion played with four new players. You’d never see Arsenal or Manchester United do that in the past.”
“I think he was trying to think, ‘Yeah, we’re all good players, we’ll get through this,’ but I don’t think anyone could have imagined that it would throw the team off balance so much. Now he’s going to go back to a proven team, because he needs to. But playing with the new players, I think it actually shows that there’s a little bit of empathy there.”
“But in the end it affected the group and he had to go back to the proven team.”
What happened to Liverpool’s ‘Dependables’?
While much of the focus has been on the struggles of Wirtz, Milos Kerkes and, to a lesser extent, Alexander Isak to get into the swing of things, Ally McCoist has called on the more experienced members of Slott’s squad to rediscover the form that led Liverpool to a second Premier League title at the canter last season.
Mohamed Salah was the club’s top scorer in 2024/25 with 29 goals and also contributed 18 assists, but the 33-year-old has only scored four goals in the league this season.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/11/08/image-7b197375-fb94-48a6-94da-ec710d712edc-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
‘Salah’s form is declining’: McCoist assesses Liverpool’s struggles
Video credit: TNT Sports
McCoist began this way. “We’ve had problems with the new players. The two full-backs (Milos Kerkes and Jeremy Frimpong) are struggling. I know Frimpong is injured… Meanwhile, Wirtz is struggling to find his way.”
“The problem with Slott is, of course, he has a responsibility. He has to take responsibility, but there are also a lot of factors that we haven’t mentioned. We also mentioned the new contract. Did that give him a problem? Yes, it did.
“Who could have predicted the form of (Mohamed) Salah? Goalkeeper Alisson is out (injured). (Ryan) Gravenbirch is struggling. (Alexis) Mac Allister is struggling as well.”
“So don’t worry about the new signings…the players he relied on last season are either having injuries or just not performing at that level.”
