Club not as stable this season as they were last year, says Germany manager
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has defended Florian Wirtz from critics after the midfielder’s difficult start to life at Liverpool.
Wirtz moved to Anfield in the summer for £116m in a deal that made him one of the most expensive signings in Premier League history.
But the 22-year-old has yet to register a league goal or assist for Arne Slot’s side and was again ineffective in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City.
Criticism of the German international has continued to grow, with some pundits questioning whether he fits Liverpool’s current system. Arsene Wenger went as far as to suggest the move has “destroyed” the balance of the club’s midfield.
Nagelsmann, however, believes Wirtz is being judged too harshly and that the poor run of form by the squad as a whole has made it harder for him to settle.
“Liverpool could also help him out by scoring some of the chances he creates,” Nagelsmann said. “They somehow don’t like to shoot the ball in.
“To be honest, the overall situation doesn’t make it easy for Flo either. The whole club isn’t as stable this year as it was last year. It’s much harder to slip into the team now.
“If you look at the game against City, they were actually the worse team over the 90 minutes. So it’s also difficult for Flo to make a big impact.
“Ultimately, the overall situation is such that he just needs a little more time, which is normal; you see that with other players who move to the Premier League too.”
