Florian Wirtz Faces Criticism After Liverpool's Win
Jamie Carragher did not bother dressing it up. For him, this was the lowest point yet of Florian Wirtz’s Liverpool career.
Across Liverpool’s scrappy 1-0 win at Bournemouth, live on Sky Sports, the former Reds defender watched Wirtz drift through the game and finally snapped.
“Wirtz has been really poor again,” he said on co-commentary at the Vitality Stadium. “It’s just nothing. Nothing is happening there at all.”
By full-time, his view had hardened.
‘One of the poorest I’ve seen him’
On the Jamie Carragher Podcast, recorded after the game, the Sky Sports pundit went further, calling it the worst Wirtz display in a Liverpool shirt and questioning whether the German will ever become the player Anfield thought it was buying.
“That was one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt,” Carragher said. “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 admitted his doubts are not new.
“I was worried for Wirtz probably 12 months ago. And maybe that was a little bit early to say that, but I didn’t say it. It was just in the back of my head.
“I commentated on Liverpool away at Burnley and Liverpool won with a late penalty from Mo Salah. And when I was watching that game it was what I’ve seen for the last 12 months: I don’t see how he’s going to hurt you. It’s just neat and tidy. And in some way, the price tag for that type of player should be half of what Liverpool have paid.”
That price tag – and the expectations that came with it – sit at the heart of his concern.
“The worry for Wirtz now is that his performances so far, or what he’s given Liverpool, is so low. Where we were expecting him was to take Liverpool to another league title, to take Liverpool to a Champions League.
“The gap he’s got to get to almost justify what people were expecting, I almost think is too big. You can’t get there. Even if he improves a bit and gets there, it’s still not what Liverpool thought they were getting.”
The knock-on effect in Iraola’s midfield
For Carragher, this is no longer just about one underperforming signing. It’s about the structure of Andoni Iraola’s side.
“And it’s not just Wirtz, it’s the knock-on effect. So when he plays at No 10, it means Dominik Szoboszlai has to play central midfield. I don’t think Szoboszlai is a central-midfield player, I don’t.”
That positional compromise grates on him. In his eyes, it weakens Liverpool twice: a No 10 who doesn’t damage teams, and a dynamic attacker pushed deeper than suits him.
With a brutal schedule looming, Carragher believes Iraola can’t afford to indulge reputations.
‘He can’t be in the Man City team’
Liverpool now head into a three-week international break before a defining stretch of the season. When they return, Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City come to Anfield on October 11, live on Sky Sports. Brentford and Brighton also await in the Premier League, with a trip to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on October 1.
Threaded through that run: Champions League ties against LASK and Villarreal, plus a Carabao Cup fourth-round meeting with Chelsea.
Carragher is clear. Wirtz, on this form, should not be anywhere near Iraola’s XI for that first game back.
“I think going forward Iraola’s got a decision to make here. Wirtz would not be in my Liverpool team,” he said.
“I thought this Bournemouth game was a big game for Wirtz. Because if he doesn’t produce [against Bournemouth], he’s then going to have a three-week break. By the time we come back, we’re into October. Before you know it, it’ll be Christmas in six to eight weeks, or it’ll feel like we’re getting to Christmas. He has to do something!”
Carragher then widened the lens, comparing Wirtz not to the elite, but to solid Premier League creators.
“If you go through the Premier League and think of players in his position – not just for the top teams, forget the top teams who we should be judging him against, I’m talking about normal Premier League players in the middle of the table – who have done more for their clubs.
“I think of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at Everton. No one out there would say Dewsbury-Hall is a better player than Wirtz, or would go for more money than Wirtz, or would cost £120m. But every three or four weeks he scores a goal.
“I watched Morgan Gibbs-White for Nottingham Forest last week at Aston Villa, and in the second half he put in a performance in 45 minutes that Florian Wirtz has never done before for Liverpool.
“I’ve seen a goal Emiliano Buendia scored for Aston Villa at Tottenham. Again, these players aren’t going to get over £100m, or £120m, but they’re still giving their clubs bits every few weeks.”
The conclusion was blunt.
“Wirtz wouldn’t be in my Liverpool team. Manchester City at home, for me, he can’t be in the team.”
Iraola’s big calls – and the next one
Carragher pointed to Iraola’s willingness to make ruthless calls elsewhere as proof that the Liverpool head coach will not be scared of a marquee omission.
“The things I’ve liked so far about Iraola, he’s had the courage to make big decisions. Ryan Gravenberch has just signed a hefty contract on a five-year deal on massive money, because they thought him and Szoboszlai were going to be the future of the midfield going forward. He’s not playing.
“Now, I can imagine the guys at the top of the club looking at that, thinking we’ve just given him a hefty contract. But no, he’s not playing.
“The full-back situation, he keeps changing the full-backs, he’s dropped Jeremie Frimpong straight away. Milos Kerkez has been in and out. So he’s made decisions.
“But sooner or later he’s going to have to make a decision on Florian Wirtz, and, for me, I hope it’s sooner. Not because I don’t like Florian Wirtz, I’m desperate for the kid to do well. I just want Liverpool to win. That’s it, basically.”
Klopp’s shadow and a possible lifeline
Yet even as he laid out a harsh assessment, Carragher pointed to one possible saviour for Wirtz: Jurgen Klopp.
The former Liverpool manager, now in charge of Germany, has called up Wirtz for the upcoming Nations League fixtures. The midfielder has been named in one of two separate Germany squads, will rest initially, then be in contention for Die Mannschaft’s final two games against Serbia and Greece.
“The one hope for Liverpool supporters now is Jurgen Klopp is the Germany manager,” Carragher said.
“Wirtz goes away with the Germany team for three weeks, and he’s obviously one of the best players in Germany, that’s how they see him. Can Jurgen Klopp sprinkle a bit of stardust on him in that position?
“Jurgen is one of the greatest managers in the world, we know that. And what he gets out of players is probably more than most managers because of the nature of his personality, and fingers crossed something can happen for him.
“There’s a scenario there that Jurgen Klopp and Germany have a great international window, he gets loads of goals, assists and comes back on a high. Manchester City’s the next game, he impacts that, all is forgotten, all is forgiven. There’s a potential turnaround there.
“I would love that to happen, I’d love him to be the match-winner against Manchester City.”
For now, though, the reality is starker. Liverpool bought Wirtz to decide nights like that. Carragher’s warning is simple: unless something changes, and fast, Iraola’s biggest statement of the season might be leaving his £100m creator out when City come to town.
