One player at Liverpool is believed to be ‘disappointed’ with his performances at Anfield and has taken some criticism to heart.
Last summer was one of seismic change in L4, with a large number of Arne Slot’s Premier League-winning squad moving on to pastures new and multiple new arrivals in the home dressing room.
Florian Wirtz became the Reds’ most expensive signing of all time when joining from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116m deal in June (that fee was later surpassed by Alexander Isak), and although his general play has been magnificent, the German has yet to score for LFC in 21 appearances.
Wirtz has been affected by some criticism at Liverpool
On Wednesday morning, The Athletic published a detailed insight into the dynamics of the Liverpool dressing room since the large-scale summer overhaul, with the lid being lifted on some internal secrets.
It’s claimed that Wirtz ‘has felt disappointed’ by his ‘slow start’ on Merseyside and has taken some criticism personally, despite previously insisting that he wouldn’t be perturbed by his substantial transfer fee.
The 22-year-old is also said to be ‘still finding his place within a squad of many new faces’.
Wirtz has been terrific for Liverpool despite curious goal drought
Liverpool’s number 7 may be on a gross weekly wage of £200,000 (Capology), but this report illustrates that even vastly-reimbursed elite footballers can be weighed down psychologically by the burden of expectation and the unforgiving judgement of the outside world.
Yes, constructive criticism comes as part of the territory when playing at the highest level of the sport, but we should never lose sight of the fact that he’s a young man who’s moved to a new country and has had to contend with the pressures of performing in front of a global audience who’d be only too ready to twist the knife.
The interminable wait for a first goal at Anfield must be torture for a player who scored 16 times last season and 18 in the campaign prior, and even when he thought he had it against Sunderland a fortnight ago, it was instead credited as a Nordi Mukiele own goal.
Wirtz may be disappointed by his own high standards, but anyone who’s watched Liverpool regularly this term will recognise that he’s been excellent in his general play.
Neil Mellor hailed him as a ‘joy to watch‘ against Brighton last weekend, while Alan Shearer has noted the 22-year-old’s ability to unpick opposition defences with his passing range and his exploitation of pockets of space.
Our number 7 just needs to keep up what he’s proven to be very good at and the goals will surely come for him. Even once he gets his first, the relieving of that weight from his shoulders might just break the dam and lead to several more following in quick succession.
Even if Wirtz feels underwhelmed by his own performances, he can rest assured that the majority of Liverpool fans think otherwise.
