Florian Wirtz had yet another disappointing outing for Liverpool in their defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, but a German pundit has urged Arne Slot and the Anfield faithful to believe in the attacking midfielder, who himself has reassured the fans.<\/p>\n
Wirtz<\/a> has been a major disappointment since his \u00a3116million (\u20ac132m, $152.5m) move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025. The Germany international attacking midfielder has not scored or given an assist in 15 Premier League and Champions League appearances for the Reds.<\/p>\n The 22-year-old flopped against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, too, as Pep Guardiola\u2019s side beat Liverpool 3-0 in the Premier League<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Germany international attacking midfielder did not have a single shot on target, did not complete a single cross, did not win a single tackle, and lost possession nine times.<\/p>\n Sky Germany<\/a> described Wirtz\u2019s performance for Liverpool<\/a> against Man City as \u2018ineffective\u2019.<\/p>\n Spiegel Sports<\/a> was not impressed with Wirtz either and noted: \u2018After a cross from Matheus Nunes, Haaland scored his second goal shortly afterwards (29th minute), but Liverpool offered little in attack.<\/p>\n \u2018This also applied to\u00a0Florian Wirtz, who at least was entrusted with the starting XI on the left wing again.<\/p>\n \u2018The German international had one good moment when he slid between two City players and was brought down by Nico Gonz\u00e1lez in a move that warranted a yellow card (27th minute).<\/p>\n \u2018Considering 83 minutes of play, that\u2019s a very small number of good moments.<\/p>\n \u2018Whether and when the Liverpool chapter in Wirtz\u2019s career will come to a head remains completely open.\u2019<\/p>\n Former Bayer Leverkusen and Germany international goalkeeper Rene Adler, though, believes that Liverpool manager Slot has to persevere with Wirtz.<\/p>\n The German pundit has said that it is too early to write off Wirtz and is convinced that he will become a star for the Merseyside club.<\/p>\n Sport1<\/a> quotes Adler as saying: \u201cArne Slot never tires of emphasising: \u2018Give the lad time.\u2019 I see it similarly. This is a long-term investment.<\/p>\n \u201cThey will have considered very carefully why they invested so much money in this exceptional player.<\/p>\n \u201cI am absolutely convinced that he will come. It\u2019s just a matter of time, whether it will be in three months, perhaps it won\u2019t even be his first season.<\/p>\n \u201cHe still has a few years left on his contract. From the Reds\u2019 point of view, it would be absolutely inexcusable to question him now.\u201d<\/p>\n READ NEXT\u00a0<\/strong>\ud83d\udd34 Liverpool stitched up by \u2018obvious and clear\u2019 VAR error says Arne Slot; Man City admission made<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Florian Wirtz remains confident of Liverpool success<\/strong><\/p>\n Wirtz himself is fully aware of his struggles at Liverpool, but the youngster, who won the Bundesliga title with Bayer in the 2023\/24 campaign, is confident that he will eventually come good for the defending Premier League champions.<\/p>\n Sport1<\/a> quotes the German playmaker as saying that he is \u201cvery happy\u201d to be playing for Liverpool.<\/p>\n Wirtz added: \u201cI\u2019m getting my playing time and my contributions on the pitch. So, it\u2019s a good fit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s (The Premier League) definitely different. But after 11 games, I now know exactly what to expect.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I don\u2019t need to keep mentioning it. I\u2019m here now.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m simply trying to contribute to our success. Unfortunately, it didn\u2019t work out today.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019re coming off a good week with two good wins.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a slight setback, and we\u2019ll try to attack again after the international break.\u201d<\/p>\n However, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that Wirtz is a problem for Liverpool.<\/p>\n Neville told his said on The Gary Neville Podcast: \u201cWirtz is a problem.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s just call it as it is. It\u2019s an issue. He\u2019s \u00a3100m+, and to be fair, I said a few weeks ago [Milos] Kerkez looked like a little boy out there.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy. That can\u2019t be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Neville added: \u201cWe\u2019ve been tiptoeing around him for a few months, around the fact that he\u2019s young, he\u2019s coming to a new country, but he\u2019s \u00a3100m+, you\u2019re going to have to stand up soon.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s obviously got something, he\u2019s a really good player, he\u2019s technically fantastic, but he\u2019s been mauled out there today by Matheus Nunes and by others.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been chucked around the pitch, and didn\u2019t deliver on the quality side of things as well, so his performance was a real worry.\u201d<\/p>\n Neville continued: \u201cHe\u2019s a Germany international of great standing, and he looks well short in respect of what you\u2019d expect in a top physical Premier League match.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got to get him up to speed, they\u2019ve got to get that little bit of tenacity into him, and that little bit of something that means he\u2019ll start to get into form, because what they have to do is stick with him and persist.\u201d<\/p>\n Latest Liverpool transfer news: Inter Milan raid, Man City threat<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Inter Milan are ready to offload a defende<\/a>r that Liverpool are ready to big on in 2026.<\/p>\n