The plan for him at least positionally was where he played at the start of the season, at #10. But the team so far didn’t perform well enough, even if we had good results at the start. Szobo, being our best presser and in form this season, has made himself almost impossible to drop. Though I don’t think Wirtz is now or should be disappointed if he’s used from the sides in order to still come inside. Plans are plans, reality is something elese, there are no guarantees. My questions over what the plan was are more towards the choice of two full backs and two important strikers. In forward areas, the way the summer went (some of those signings arriving late or relatively late), that has seriously affected our press from the front. A few phases of the game are not working well. The lack of balance in the team is the worst aspect so far, not only where we came from, but especially considering Slot this summer put last seasons’ (or last spring’s) PSG as a benchmark we have to reach next.
I assume the plan may have worked but there are also a number of underperforming players. When these players do perform we see the outcome so I don’t think Slot expected about 5 or 6 to be so poor.
People talk of tactics and so on but we’d be a better place if certain players had turned up.
Do you know him personally to say this.
There is a correlation for me to accommodate Wirtz Slot changed what we did well which has impacted the performance of others.
Really? Thats the reason Konate has looked hopeless and Salah can’t hit a barn door.
The more complicated you dream it the less likely it will get fixed.
This is true. The more expensive the player, the bigger the desperation. That said, it comes with the territory - signing for a club like Liverpool means that there’s a host of rival fans wishing for you to flop and/or even get injured, regardless of the price tag. I’m sure Newcastle fans are deligthed at seeing Isak’s plight, they just can’t be too vocal about it because their face is still bleeding from the wound they inflicted when they cut off their nose.
It depends, for example I didn’t wish for Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, Coutinho, Suarez, Sterling, Mane, Diaz, Trent or whoever else to flop post-Liverpool. I could be in the minority, I didn’t celebrate some of their issues. For me, when it comes to outgoing transfers like that, I just want us to get the best deal possible and that’s it. The rest is good luck.
But there are more categories in between other than total success or total flop. Then, there are people’s perceptions of all of that. There is no ultimate judge of this. Football is a great game to just ramble about stuff in it for the whole of our lives and get absolutely nowhere with any conclusions.
When you look at let’s say 50 of the most expensive transfers ever, you’d find that a lot of them haven’t been total successes and some of them are even total flops.
I can’t remember what was exactly what Graham said, but he said that more than half of them (or transfers in general?) end up not being successful.
Not everything can be viewed through the lens of the price paid, because you have some total successes that also cost more than what they “should’ve” cost? Then it depends of the club’s situation, possibilities and calculation at the time. Virgil could be one of those examples.
Of course that there is extra focus when you (as one of the most famous clubs in the world!) bring any of the following: an important or well known player or an expensive player. That’s not only opposition fans’ hatred, it’s just… general interest.
I doubt there’d be much less focus on Wirtz if he had cost even £50m less than he did.
Then it’s only up to the player how he deals with all of that.
I don’t need to. Just watch him…
https://www.instagram.com/p/DREyzGRCDH9/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
Hugo Ekitike on Wirtz’ instagram
‘Bring the jersey!!!’
The answer is to bin off Salah. Mo can’t be carried in this team and, to get the best out of Flo (and others) he needs to be sacrificed, sadly. You’ve been amazing Mohamed, one of our all time best ever players but your time has come and you no longer should start games for this club. I’d like to see Arne take action immediately - he can tell Mo that it’s keeping him fresh for the run in after AFCON - but realistically the team will benefit from him out of the team and we need to be integrating Flo (and perhaps carrying him slightly at times as we do so) and we just can’t afford to be carrying Mo 95% of the time. He doesn’t beat a player, hold the ball or track back and we have consistently looked a better team this season without him and to evolve to our new 11 with Flo, Hugo and Alex we would actually be better at this point not having him available.
It is a lovely shirt.
I enjoyed watching the show this morning and it was like he was taking the piss.
It won’t be long before some of the experts have egg on their face when he shows this dominance for Liverpool.
Is it really a problem of the pace and physicality of the PL? Position? Or is it more fitting into the system?
Whatever - he will be fine.
Knits everything together, managed to see a lot of the ball and add that much needed impetus to our play without ever losing the ball.
Only reason I managed to stay awake watching that drabfest.
Played in Germany colours today so felt good.
He has a tiki-taka style to him. Gets us another one. 
94% passing, excellent in the position he plays