Liverpool: Slot told Reds are missing two stars to ‘point the finger’ as Wirtz sent demand – ‘don’t do it’
Liverpool summer signing Florian Wirtz has been sent a clear demand, while head coach Arne Slot has been told that they miss two former players.
The Reds have been heavily criticised in recent days after suffering back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.
Before these games, Liverpool had won their opening seven matches in all competitions, although they were fortunate in certain games, relying on late goals to cover up their issues.
Most of their summer signings are struggling as Slot is yet to find the right balance with his new-look team, with the Premier League giants under pressure to bounce back when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to remain top of the table.
Ahead of this weekend’s game, former Liverpool star Jason McAteer has explained why he thinks they miss James Milner and Jordan Henderson.
“Do you know what I worry about? When it wasn’t going well under Jurgen Klopp, they had James Milner and Jordan Henderson – real characters not just off the pitch but on it,” McAteer said on BeIN Sports.
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“When those balls were given away tonight, if Jordan Henderson was on the pitch, he was at them. He was pointing the finger at you and it’s like, ‘You don’t do that again’.
“He demanded a mindset on the football pitch – ‘You don’t give that ball away again. You don’t expose us again, and if we get punished, it’s your fault. Don’t do it’.”
£116m summer arrival Florian Wirtz has been criticised more than most at the start of this campaign, and ex-Liverpool star Glen Johnson thinks he needs to have more of an “end product” and “be more ruthless”.
“I think we’ve already seen moments from him in football games where he’s looked world class. You can tell from the way he angles himself, and the positions he’s taking up on the pitch,” Johnson said.
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“I think not every player can pick out what he’s doing just now, and once he settles in and his team-mates learn what he’s doing, he’ll be world class. But at some point there needs to be an end product more often than right now.
“For Florian, I think that he might need to realise that he can be on the ball less than he is now, but when he does have it he needs to be more effective and ruthless. But we’ve already seen with some of his touches and possess that he can be world class.”
He added: “I can see some similarities between Florian Wirtz and Philippe Coutinho, but Phil had the end product reliably. He was short and sharp, and something would happen when he picked up the ball.
“I think Wirtz has that in him too, but he needs to sharpen up his brain before he receives the ball so he can act quicker. There’s no point just receiving the ball and making a nice little pass sideways. Anyone can do that.
“Coutinho at Anfield, he always had that cutting edge more than Wirtz does right now. But look, he’s come with huge pressure on him, and there’s a lot of boxes he needs to tick.
“I think that’s going to take some time, while he settles, just like it is with Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid. It’s normal for players.”
