Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has leapt to the defence of Florian Wirtz and backed the No. 7 to prove his worth at Liverpool once he “gets used to” the Premier League.
Despite Arne Slot being unable to get the best of Wirtz so far, Nagelsmann believes it is only a matter of time before he begins to replicate the form he showed during his five-and-a-half years at Bayer Leverkusen.
Asked after Germany’s 4-0 win against Luxembourg if he was worried about Wirtz’s struggles since moving to the Premier League, Nagelsmann told SPORT1: “Even if he hasn’t scored a goal, he’s the player who creates the most chances in the Premier League.
“It’s not his fault if his team-mate doesn’t score [the chances], and the statistic isn’t even a third of the truth.
“He simply has to get used to the league. I’ve seen him feel completely liberated. He knows what he’s capable of and how things work.”
Wirtz tops Premier League players for chances created
As Nagelsmann rightly points out, per Opta, no Premier League player has created more chances across all competitions so far this season than Wirtz (21).
His struggle to “get used to the league” shows, however, in that he is joint-15th for chances created in the English top flight (11), whereas Cody Gakpo (14) is third according to FotMob.
Man United‘s Bruno Fernandes, who has started all seven of his side’s games, leads the way with 19 chances created.
The Germany international has failed to record either a goal or an assist in the nine outings across the league and Champions League since moving to Anfield in June.
The 22-year-old was named on the bench for the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea last weekend, with his introduction coming at half-time in place of Conor Bradley after the defender picked up a yellow card.
• READ: Conor Bradley “outstanding” in 2-0 win – but worrying trend earns ban
When Liverpool visited Crystal Palace seven days earlier, Wirtz was deployed on the left side of the attack as Slot tried to kick-start the Bundesliga Player of the Year’s career in England.
After completing 90 minutes against Luxembourg on Friday, Wirtz is set to feature in Germany’s World Cup qualifier away to Northern Ireland on Monday before returning to Anfield ahead of next weekend’s clash against Man United.
Slot will be hoping his involvement with the national team will benefit him as he works his way into form for Liverpool.
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