Gary Lineker and Micah Richards debate if Arne Slot was right to drop Florian Wirtz for Liverpool

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It’s not been the easiest of starts to the season for Florian Wirtz, ever since he made the transfer to Liverpool in the summer.

The German international initially broke the British transfer record, as well as the club’s own record, when he was signed for £116 million.

There was excitement surrounding Wirtz’s transfer to Liverpool, as the 22-year-old showed plenty of quality during his time in the Bundesliga.

That hasn’t translated to the Premier League so far, however, with no goals or assists in the competition.

With Liverpool’s drop in form, Arne Slot has been searching for answers, and his latest decision to drop the star has been discussed heavily.

Micah Richards and Gary Lineker think Arne Slot was right to drop Florian Wirtz

Given the money Liverpool spent in the summer transfer window, there has been pressure growing on Slot to find a formula with his team that will work.

After several successive defeats, a return to a relatively recognisable team saw the Reds beat Aston Villa to get their season back on track.

The decision to drop Florian Wirtz was a standout decision, as a midfield of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, and Dominik Szoboszlai started instead.

Gary Lineker and Micah Richards debated whether that was the right decision when talking on the Rest Is Football podcast after the game.

Richards said: “If you have Wirtz, and at the moment, he’s not quite up to speed for the Premier League, but they spent £100 million on him, so it’s difficult.

“It was 100% the right decision that he [Arne Slot] made, without a doubt. He had to do it. But in terms of the money spent, they’ve spent a lot, though they’ve also lost a lot.

“And I know we talked about Trent [Alexander-Arnold] before and all that sort of thing. Of course, you’re going to miss that calibre of player.

“Liverpool now just have to go back to what they did last season, slowly but surely move Wirtz into the side, whether that’s on the left, maybe for Gakpo at some point. But the Premier League is too fast and furious, and he [Wirtz] needs time to adapt.”

Lineker agreed, as he said: “It would also be good for Wirtz to come back into the team when there’s confidence in the squad.

“I think that would be sensible man management at the moment, take him out of the firing line a little bit, and then bring him on. Just because we know how good he is. I mean, Wirtz is a really good player, and you don’t buy these players for the first three months. You buy them for years ahead.

“He’s an exceptionally talented young player. We’ve watched so much of him over the last year or two at different places, whether it’s for the national team or when he was at Bayer Leverkusen, and he’s so gifted.

“It will come good for him as long as he’s mentally strong enough to deal with the situation at the moment, because it won’t be easy. Don’t think he’s not suffering a little bit from this.”

It’s been a tough start for Wirtz, who has struggled to hit the ground running in the way many would’ve expected.

It doesn’t get much easier for the star, however, with the upcoming fixtures.

Liverpool must hold off on reintroducing Florian Wirtz into the team

Liverpool’s return to the tried and tested formula has worked once so far, with a more recognised midfield unit coming together to help beat Aston Villa.

The return of Ryan Gravenberch has been a huge help in that, following a campaign where he was impressive as the deep-lying midfield option.

While there may be a temptation to throw Wirtz back into the mix after a win, Slot has to hold his nerve due to the upcoming fixtures.

Both Real Madrid and Manchester City await before the international break, offering tough tests for this Liverpool team.

With such a spotlight on those games, it may be better for the Reds to have that familiarity in their team, with the ability to call Wirtz on from the bench.

After the international break, there may be better opportunities to drop the star back into action against Nottingham Forest, PSV Eindhoven and West Ham.