German Media slams Florian Wirtz after a shocking incident in Slovakia loss

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Florian Wirtz has endured a slow start to life at Liverpool since his blockbuster £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen.

The 22-year-old assisted Hugo Ekitike four minutes into the Community Shield loss against Crystal Palace, but has yet to register a single goal involvement in three Premier League outings.

Liverpool supporters expressed frustration with Wirtz during the 1-0 win against Arsenal before the international break after a lacklustre first-half display from the midfielder.

He appeared much more comfortable throughout the second half as Dominik Szoboszlai’s “incredible” free kick claimed the three points for the Reds, and more like the player Liverpool broke the British transfer record for, before the arrival of Alexander Isak.

And now it appears Wirtz has continued his underwhelming form with the German national team after Julian Nagelsmann’s men suffered a 2-0 loss against Slovakia.

Florian Wirtz was “disappointing” for Germany

Wirtz has struggled in a red shirt throughout the start of the season, and Liverpool fans undoubtedly will have been looking forward to seeing their new star in action for Germany.

However, Wirtz was directly responsible for the first Slovakia goal according to Sport1, who awarded the Reds midfielder a 5/10 rating for his display, writing: “Completely under the radar for a good half hour and without much influence on the game – disappointing.

“But then he had a really good solo effort and finally had a shot on goal. He preferred to go head-to-head with Ondrej Duda shortly before the first goal, rather than running back.”

Wirtz lashed out at Al-Ettifaq’s Ondrej Duda after he lost possession in the build-up for David Hancko’s goal, and the German media believe he was more concerned with fighting the opposition rather than fighting for his side.

Bild matched the 5/10 rating, writing: “He created the only truly dangerous moments for the German national team: he fired in a low shot after a good dribble (32′). He set up Goretzka’s great chance. However, he lost the ball before the 0-1 goal (42′) and also got into a fight with his opponent.”

Alan Pardew claimed Wirtz needs to regain confidence after his quiet Premier League debut against Bournemouth, and now his recent displays will start to concern Arne Slot.

German newspaper Ran also awarded a 5/10 rating for Wirtz: “He loses the ball in front before the 0:1 and then goes into tete-a-tete with Duda instead of going into reverse gear.

“Tried with the ball but frustrated with ongoing playing time. Dubravka thwarts his best chance with a strong save in the 32nd minute.”

Arne Slot may be faced with a tough decision on Florian Wirtz

Wirtz will face off against Liverpool teammate Conor Bradley when Germany host Northern Ireland in the final World Cup qualifier of the international break.

Should the German produce another mediocre performance in that fixture, it will be incredibly hard for Slot to ignore the warning signs.

Indeed, Wirtz has not adapted to life in England as seamlessly as Ekitike has, but unlike his French teammate, he has huge expectations on his shoulders given the eye-watering transfer fee paid for his services.

Therefore, Slot should consider reverting to his Premier League title-winning midfield trio and allow Wirtz time, even for a match or two, out of the spotlight, so he can rediscover his flair. It will all depend on how he fares against Northern Ireland.