Wirtz backed to ‘show the English’ at Liverpool by two legends: ‘Oops, everyone here is as good as me’

Germany legends Oliver Kahn and Rudi Voller are sure Florian Wirtz will come good for Liverpool after a disappointing start at Anfield.

The Reds made a good start to the new Premier League season with five wins from their first five fixtures as Liverpool built a lead at the top of the table.

Liverpool have since lost two matches in four days in all competitions with their 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace quickly followed by a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray in the Champions League.

The performances of some of Liverpool’s underperforming players have now been highlighted with Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Ibrahima Konate and others coming in for criticism.

Wirtz – who signed from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial fee of £100m which could rise to £116m – is yet to contribute a goal or assist in his nine appearances in all competitions.

Amid calls to drop the Liverpool attacking midfielder, Germany legend Kahn has revealed his “great respect” for Wirtz and expects him to come good.

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Kahn told Welt.de: “If we start to condemn such a great player now, people, then something is going wrong.

“That’s just the tough professional business, and the wind blows completely differently in the Premier League. But that’s good for his development.

“I always have great respect for players who say: I’m taking the big step. He comes from the safe home of Leverkusen, where he was the hero, and suddenly he has to take the back seat everywhere and realises: ‘Oops, everyone here is as good as me, or many are as good as me.’

“You don’t buy a player of that age for that much money and then immediately smash him. They’ll give him a certain amount of time.”

Another of Wirtz’s compatriots, Voller, reckons the Liverpool star is going through “normal adjustment problems” and will “make the breakthrough” at Anfield.

Voller told Bild: “Florian shouldn’t let himself get carried away. I have no concerns about that: He’ll show the English what he’s made of.

“Florian is playing in a new league and a new club. These are normal adjustment problems.

“Almost every professional has them. I have no doubt that with his running and playing ability, he will make the breakthrough.”

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Former Liverpool winger Vladimir Smicer is also convinced Wirtz will be a great player for the Reds eventually, he told Boyle Sports: “He’s a fantastic player and I believe he will show his quality sooner rather than later. He’s a great player, and the pressure is certainly there, but that’s part of the game.

“The high transfer fee, of course, isn’t his fault, it was a decision between the clubs. But this is the world of football, it’s not always Christmas. This is war. Football games are war, and he must show he’s a warrior.

“He needs to demonstrate that he can play, even in the Premier League. I saw him in the game against Newcastle, where he was being tackled hard – that was a real test, a good test.

“Like an old British game from the ’80s or ’90s, it was really tough. He seemed surprised that everyone was kicking him and giving him a hard time, but this is the Premier League, and I think he will adapt.

“It will take some time, and he’s taking his time, but the pressure is constant. This is the Premier League, you signed for Liverpool, a Premier League winner, for a lot of money.

“This is the pressure. You need to deal with that. I know this from my own experience. When I signed for Liverpool, I replaced Steve McManaman.

“People expected me to replace him from the first game. It was difficult, I was under pressure. I felt the pressure, especially from the fans. But this is Liverpool, you need to perform. That’s just how it is.”

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