Florian Wirths is “not particularly concerned” about the criticism leveled at him “from certain quarters” by Gary Neville and other pundits after a slow start to his Premier League career.
The Germany international is yet to score or assist in England’s top flight since his £100m move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, and has been criticized for his lackluster display for Liverpool as the reigning champions sit eighth in the Premier League, eight points behind league leaders Arsenal.
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“Wurtz is a problem,” Neville insisted after Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
“Let’s just say it like this. It’s a problem. He’s over £100 million. And to be fair, I said a few weeks ago that (Milos) Kerkes looked like a little boy over there. Today I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy over there. That’s not the case.”
He continued: “We’ve been sneaking around for a few months that he’s young and coming to a new country, but he’s worth over £100m so he has to get back on his feet quickly.
“He obviously has something, he’s a really good player, he’s technically great, but he was hurt today by Matheus Nunez and the other players.
“I was really worried about his performance because he was getting thrown around on the pitch and didn’t perform well in terms of quality.”
Germany’s Bild newspaper hit back by claiming that Neville, along with Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, who had made derogatory remarks about Wirtz, had “become a kind of doormat for many English football experts”. Especially those in “one corner” – “all of whom are former players for arch-rivals Manchester United.”
They must have missed hearing Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher say:I need to see something that makes me think this is going to work. ”
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In an article titled “England’s Wertz critics have no idea”, Bild speculates about why Man United-focused pundits were so angry at Wirtz.
“Either they are motivated by their dislike for Liverpool and the huge €140 million transfer fee that made Wirtz their new favorite victim, or they have no idea!”
In fact, Wirtz is a “carrier of hope” and will soon become “the league’s biggest attraction.”
“However, despite the lackluster start, Wirtz is not Liverpool’s problem, on the contrary. He is the bearer of hope that the champions get back on track and are fully there for a big title this spring, including winning the Champions League.
“Dear England experts, Florian Wirths is not only our best player, but he will soon be your league’s biggest attraction!”
