Jamie Carragher's Harsh Critique of Florian Wirtz at Liverpool
Jamie Carragher did not bother dressing it up. Florian Wirtz, he said, produced his worst display yet in a Liverpool shirt at Bournemouth – and on this form, the former defender would leave him out of Andoni Iraola’s line-up for the looming showdown with Manchester City.
The verdict came first in real time, Carragher wincing through co-commentary on Sky Sports as Liverpool edged a 1-0 win at the Vitality Stadium. The tone was blunt.
“Wirtz has been really poor again,” he said during the first half. “It’s just nothing. Nothing is happening there at all.”
The performance did not improve enough to change his mind.
‘One of the poorest I’ve ever seen him’
On his bonus Jamie Carragher Podcast for Sky Sports after the game, the former Liverpool centre-back doubled down, questioning whether Wirtz will ever become the player many at Anfield thought they were buying.
“That was one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt,” Carragher said.
“I’ve been critical of the fact that he hasn’t got the numbers. But normally when you watch Wirtz, he’s neat and tidy, he keeps possession, there’s things that you like. He gets out of a tight situation where you’re normally expecting your player to lose the ball.
“But the reason I worry is, I don’t think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I actually think what we’re seeing is what he is.”
This, for Carragher, is not a sudden crisis. It is a slow-burn concern.
“I was worried for Wirtz probably 12 months ago. And maybe that was a little bit early to say that, but I didn’t say it. It was just in the back of my head.
“I commentated on Liverpool away at Burnley and Liverpool won with a late penalty from Mo Salah. And when I was watching that game it was what I’ve seen for the last 12 months: I don’t see how he’s going to hurt you. It’s just neat and tidy. And in some way, the price tag for that type of player should be half of what Liverpool have paid.”
The issue, in Carragher’s eyes, is not just the lack of goals and assists. It is the chasm between expectation and reality.
“The worry for Wirtz now is that his performances so far, or what he’s given Liverpool, is so low. Where we were expecting him was to take Liverpool to another league title, to take Liverpool to a Champions League.
“The gap he’s got to get to almost justify what people were expecting, I almost think is too big. You can’t get there. Even if he improves a bit and gets there, it’s still not what Liverpool thought they were getting.”
The knock-on effect on Szoboszlai
Carragher also highlighted the tactical domino effect of persisting with Wirtz at No 10.
“And it’s not just Wirtz, it’s the knock-on effect. So when he plays at No 10, it means Dominik Szoboszlai has to play central midfield. I don’t think Szoboszlai is a central-midfield player, I don’t.”
In other words, one underwhelming performer is dragging a second out of his best position. For a side chasing titles against Manchester City, that is a luxury Liverpool can ill afford.
‘He can’t be in the Man City team’
The calendar now sharpens the debate. After a three-week international break, Liverpool walk straight back into a storm: Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City at Anfield on October 11, live on Sky Sports. Around that fixture, Iraola’s side also face Brentford and Brighton in the league, then Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on October 1, with Champions League ties against LASK and Villarreal and a Carabao Cup fourth-round clash with Chelsea squeezed in.
Carragher believes the Bournemouth game was a pivotal audition for Wirtz – one the midfielder failed.
“I think going forward Iraola’s got a decision to make here. Wirtz would not be in my Liverpool team,” he said.
“I thought this Bournemouth game was a big game for Wirtz. Because if he doesn’t produce [against Bournemouth], he’s then going to have a three-week break. By the time we come back, we’re into October. Before you know it, it’ll be Christmas in six to eight weeks, or it’ll feel like we’re getting to Christmas. He has to do something!”
Carragher then widened the lens, measuring Wirtz not against Europe’s elite, but against steady Premier League creators dotted around mid-table.
“If you go through the Premier League and think of players in his position – not just for the top teams, forget the top teams who we should be judging him against, I’m talking about normal Premier League players in the middle of the table – who have done more for their clubs.
“I think of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at Everton. No one out there would say Dewsbury-Hall is a better player than Wirtz, or would go for more money than Wirtz, or would cost £120m. But every three or four weeks he scores a goal.
“I watched Morgan Gibbs-White for Nottingham Forest last week at Aston Villa, and in the second half he put in a performance in 45 minutes that Florian Wirtz has never done before for Liverpool.
“I’ve seen a goal Emiliano Buendia scored for Aston Villa at Tottenham. Again, these players aren’t going to get over £100m, or £120m, but they’re still giving their clubs bits every few weeks.”
Then came the line that will echo around the build-up to City.
“Wirtz wouldn’t be in my Liverpool team. Manchester City at home, for me, he can’t be in the team.”
Iraola’s big calls – and the next one
Carragher does at least believe Iraola has shown he is not afraid of ruthless decisions.
“The things I’ve liked so far about Iraola, he’s had the courage to make big decisions. Ryan Gravenberch has just signed a hefty contract on a five-year deal on massive money, because they thought him and Szoboszlai were going to be the future of the midfield going forward. He’s not playing.
“Now, I can imagine the guys at the top of the club looking at that, thinking we’ve just given him a hefty contract. But no, he’s not playing.
“The full-back situation, he keeps changing the full-backs, he’s dropped Jeremie Frimpong straight away. Milos Kerkez has been in and out. So he’s made decisions.
“But sooner or later he’s going to have to make a decision on Florian Wirtz, and, for me, I hope it’s sooner. Not because I don’t like Florian Wirtz, I’m desperate for the kid to do well. I just want Liverpool to win. That’s it, basically.”
It is a harsh assessment, but not a cold one. Carragher’s criticism is framed by a desire to see Wirtz justify the faith and the fee – just not at the cost of Liverpool’s season.
Klopp, Germany and a possible lifeline
If there is a route back, Carragher believes it may run through the international break and a familiar figure.
Jurgen Klopp, now in charge of Germany, has called Wirtz into one of two Nations League squads. The Liverpool midfielder will rest initially, then be in contention for Germany’s final two games against Serbia and Greece.
“The one hope for Liverpool supporters now is Jurgen Klopp is the Germany manager,” Carragher said.
“Wirtz goes away with the Germany team for three weeks, and he’s obviously one of the best players in Germany, that’s how they see him. Can Jurgen Klopp sprinkle a bit of stardust on him in that position?
“Jurgen is one of the greatest managers in the world, we know that. And what he gets out of players is probably more than most managers because of the nature of his personality, and fingers crossed something can happen for him.
“There’s a scenario there that Jurgen Klopp and Germany have a great international window, he gets loads of goals, assists and comes back on a high. Manchester City’s the next game, he impacts that, all is forgotten, all is forgiven. There’s a potential turnaround there.
“I would love that to happen, I’d love him to be the match-winner against Manchester City.”
For now, though, the reality is starker. A £100m-plus talent, under intense scrutiny, heading into a three-week break with his place in Liverpool’s biggest game of the season very much in doubt.
