Arne Slot to blame for Florian Wirtz’s disastrous Liverpool start – ‘has to take some accountability’
When clubs make big-money signings, the pressure is on for them to deliver, and Florian Wirtz has crumbled under the weight of expectation at Liverpool.
Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a whopping £116million in the summer, with supporters left excited about watching the German at Anfield.
Fast forward to November, and his start to life at Liverpool could have hardly gone any worse, after struggling to meet the Premier League’s physical demands.
Whilst Wirtz impressed against Real Madrid in the Champions League, the 22-year-old is yet to score or assist in England’s top-flight, and according to Joleon Lescott, Slot is largely to blame for his struggles.
Joleon Lescott blames Arne Slot for Florian Wirtz’s struggles
When the German international completed his nine-figure switch to Merseyside, hardly anyone could have predicted him failing to contribute to any goals by November in the Premier League.
But equally, it was always going to take time for him to truly adapt to the demands of English football, and that is why Lescott has slammed Slot for throwing him in at the deep end.
Speaking to TNT Sports after Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Man City, Lescott felt the Dutchman should have slowly drip-fed Wirtz game time – just like Mikel Arteta has done with Eberechi Eze – instead of throwing him in at the deep end.
“I’d give [Mikel] Arteta more credit for the way he’s handled [Eberechi] Eze,” the former Everton defender said.
“People said that he should be in a team, and he should be starting. But Mikel was patient, because he did well at Crystal Palace, but then when you go to Arsenal, you have to perform.
“It’s a similar situation to Florian Wirtz coming from Bayer Leverkusen, where he now has to perform, but Slot didn’t give him a grace period of bedding him in, letting him find his feet.
“It’s on Slot the way he’s managed it, not the fact he’s brought him in. I understand when you lose Trent [Alexander-Arnold], you need a replacement. When you sell [Luiz] Diaz, you need a replacement. Obviously, the tragedy that happened with [Diogo] Jota, you need replacements.
“But, the way it’s been handled, he definitely has to take some accountability.”
Wirtz can shine during Liverpool’s favourable fixture run
A player of Wirtz’s quality is going to come good eventually, and while he should have been used more sparingly since joining, he can truly hit the heights after the international break.
It could be make or break for Liverpool’s Premier League title chances, and six of their next eight fixtures are against teams in the bottom half.
- Nottingham Forest (H) – November 22
- West Ham (A) – November 30
- Sunderland (H) – December 3
- Leeds United (A) – December 6
- Brighton (H) – December 13
- Tottenham (A) – December 20
- Wolves (H) – December 27
- Leeds United (H) – January 1
During this run, Slot’s men face relegation-threatened Leeds United twice, as well as bottom team Wolves, with opportunities in the coming months for Wirtz to explode into life.