Arne Slot has tipped one Liverpool star to go on to be ‘special’ at Anfield, after a debut season of many highs and lows, ahead of the Reds crucial second leg showdown in the Champions League versus Paris Saint-Germain.
It would be an understatement to state that Liverpool’s second season with Slot at the helm has been bumpy, with the Premier League title winner having to deal with a campaign fraught with constant difficulties.
Indeed, £446m was splashed on new signings, as the Reds underwent a rebuild after the glory days of Jurgen Klopp.
Unfortunately, a large majority of the expensive stars that arrived in Merseyside during the busy summer have since failed to immediately hit the ground running, with Alexander Isak‘s debut campaign consistently derailed by injury problems.
Florian Wirtz has also experienced a tricky first season in England, after leaving Bayer Leverkusen behind for pastures new at Anfield, with the £116m buy only on an underwhelming six goals for the campaign, at the time of writing.
He has shown some immense flashes of quality, though, to indicate that a positive future is on the horizon for the much-talked-about playmaker at Anfield, with Slot showering the inconsistent midfielder with praise when previewing the PSG clash.
Slot’s positive Wirtz comments ahead of PSG
The German has regularly been a bright attacking spark this season in the Champions League, even if his Premier League form has sometimes been indifferent.
One goal and four assists have come the expensive midfielder’s way from ten Champions League clashes on Merseyside, with his last outing in Europe’s elite competition, at Anfield, showing off the 22-year-old at his pulsating best.
Florian Wirtz delivered a masterclass in playmaking as Liverpool secured a dominant 4-0 victory over their Turkish opponents.
The German international, appearing revitalised in his new surroundings, created an extraordinary eight big chances, underscoring his immediate impact since joining the Merseyside club.
The Dutchman spoke at length in his pre match press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League second leg about the transitional period Liverpool currently find themselves in post Jurgen Klopp
Slot stated: “What we did after Jurgen left and always knew there would be a transition, sooner or later there’d be a cycle.
We spent the money on young talented players who had their time to build on the same cycle as the last seven or eight years with some who have already left or are leaving at end of the season.We brought in young talented players to create a new cycle.
Therefore we needed a lot of players to leave to find the money to buy them. We didn’t add Wirtz to the team that played PSG last season. We bought him to be successful in the future, which could be the short-term or the mid to long-term future.
I’m convinced maybe tomorrow, maybe next season, he will have special moments here at Anfield, like Hugo, Milos, Jeremie and we’re bringing another in in Jacquet. Tomorrow is the first great opportunity for him or the others. But we didn’t bring him in for this single game.”
Wirtz would surely begin to live up to his manager’s hype if he did play a key role in Liverpool pulling off a sensational comeback on Tuesday night, as the Reds attempt to get fans back on side, after a challenging season.
