Florian Wirtz reacts after Liverpool’s loss to Bournemouth (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Liverpool manager Arne Slott has sent a message to Florian Wirths, who had a tough time against Bournemouth and bounced back against Qarabag.
In today’s press conference, Slott was asked about Mohamed Salah’s goal in midweek’s Champions League win, but instead focused on Wirtz.
The Reds manager spoke about how small moments can quickly change things in football, including missing a narrow chance in the loss to Bournemouth but scoring in similar circumstances in the win over Qarabag.
Arne Slott brings in Florian Wirths after a string of bad luck in front of Liverpool’s goal
“I think it’s always about the team and the team has to make sure he’s in a good position,” Slott said.
“I think that’s something we’re doing more and more, not just with him, but with a lot of players. I think we’ve said this a lot lately, but our game between the boxes is often enough for our attackers to be in good enough positions, good enough promising positions.”
“We know, if this happens over and over again, our players are of such high quality that they will do what we expect them to do.
“You were talking about Mo, but Florian could also be a good example. He was in the exact same position three minutes before the end of the game against Bournemouth as he was when we scored 2-0 (against Qarabag).”
“At Bournemouth he decided to play a through ball, but now he has gone for his own chance and scored a goal. That’s how football sometimes happens: the ball hits the post, the ball hits the bar. Sometimes he makes the wrong decision, sometimes the execution isn’t perfect.”
“But I was really happy and happy that Mo scored that goal, because no matter how many goals he scores for this club, I think it’s always good to stay on the scoresheet, like it was for Federico[Chiesa]and Florian. It always gives a little bit of confidence not only for the team but also for the individual.”
Will Florian Wirtz have a successful season at Liverpool?
It hasn’t been the easiest start to life at Anfield for Wirtz, but Slott continues to show his faith in him and fans looking to get their hands on last-minute tickets for Liverpool vs. Newcastle can certainly expect the German international to start if he attends the game.
Wirtz in particular has taken some time to work on his final product, but he has improved recently, with the 22-year-old now having five goals and three assists in all competitions.
Those five goals came in the past 10 games, and Wirtz looks to turn things around at just the right time.
Slott clearly has a lot of faith in him so it will be interesting to see what kind of impact he can make against Newcastle this weekend.
