Florian Wirtz is facing renewed scrutiny after another disappointing display for Liverpool, with Jamie Carragher questioning whether the German midfielder can eventually live up to the huge expectations surrounding his record-breaking move to Anfield.
Liverpool secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bournemouth, with Alexander Isak scoring the decisive goal in the second half.
However, Wirtz endured another frustrating afternoon, struggling to influence the game and appearing short of confidence for long periods.
The 23-year-old completed just 70% of his passes, with only Isak recording a lower passing accuracy among Liverpool’s starters.
Carragher delivers brutal assessment of Wirtz
Carragher did not hold back during his Sky Sports commentary, openly criticising Wirtz’s performance.
“He’s been really poor again,” Carragher said.
“It’s just nothing. Nothing is happening there at all.”
The former Liverpool defender was even more critical when discussing Wirtz on his podcast after the match.
“That was one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt,” Carragher said.
He continued:
“I’ve been critical of the fact that he hasn’t got the numbers. But normally when you watch Wirtz, he’s neat and tidy, he keeps possession, there’s things that you like.
“He gets out of a tight situation where you’re normally expecting your player to lose the ball.
“But the reason I worry is, I don’t think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I actually think what we’re seeing is what he is.”
Carragher’s comments will raise eyebrows considering Liverpool paid up to £116 million for the German international.
Wirtz still showed flashes of creativity
Despite his disappointing overall performance, there were still some positive aspects to Wirtz’s display.
According to Opta Analyst, the midfielder created three chances against Bournemouth, joint-most among Liverpool players alongside Dominik Szoboszlai.
That suggests his creative influence has not completely disappeared, even though his overall performance failed to meet expectations.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola also acknowledged that Wirtz started slowly but felt the midfielder improved as the game progressed.
The major concern, however, remains consistency.
Liverpool need considerably more from a player who arrived for a club-record-level fee, particularly when it comes to creating decisive moments and influencing matches.
Carragher’s criticism may be severe, but Wirtz’s performances are increasingly becoming one of the major talking points surrounding Liverpool.
The question now is whether the German can silence his critics and finally produce the consistent match-winning performances Liverpool expected when they spent heavily to bring him to Anfield.
