Florian Wirtz is facing renewed criticism after another difficult outing for Liverpool in their 1–0 Premier League victory over Bournemouth.
The German midfielder started as Liverpool’s No. 10 but was substituted after 71 minutes. Although Liverpool secured the three points through Alexander Isak’s second-half goal, Wirtz struggled to influence the match and completed only around 70% of his passes.
Jamie Carragher was particularly unhappy with the performance, describing it as one of the poorest displays he has seen from Wirtz in a Liverpool shirt. The former Liverpool defender believes the problem may be bigger than a temporary dip in form.
Carragher argued that Wirtz can usually keep possession, play neat football and escape difficult situations, but he feels the midfielder has not produced enough attacking numbers since arriving at Anfield.
The criticism comes after Liverpool spent a reported £116.5 million to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, meaning expectations around the 23-year-old remain extremely high.
There was, however, at least one positive statistic. Wirtz created three chances against Bournemouth, matching Dominik Szoboszlai for the most chances created by a Liverpool player in the match.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola also defended the midfielder, saying Wirtz improved as the game progressed.
Carragher has nevertheless questioned whether Wirtz should remain in Liverpool’s starting XI, particularly for the upcoming meeting with Manchester City.
For Wirtz, the extended international break now provides time to reset before Liverpool return to Premier League action.
