Florian Wirtz has found his form at Liverpool but Arne Slot’s side remain unconvincing after dropping points at home to relegation battlers Burnley on Saturday
Florian Wirtz has been in good form for Liverpool despite the struggles of Arne Slot’s team (Image: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Liverpool star Florian Wirtz expressed his disappointment after the Reds’ 1-1 draw at home to relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday. Wirtz put Arne Slot’s side ahead in the first half after Dominik Szoboszlai’s penalty miss.
But the Clarets hit back with Marcus Edwards equalising in the 65th minute before holding on for a precious point – although Scott Parker’s side remain eight points from safety. Liverpool, meanwhile, remain fourth as they look to secure Champions League football at Anfield for another season.
And while form had picked up after a poor spell that saw four consecutive league losses, Slot’s team are now winless in their last four top-flight fixtures. Pressure is ramping up on the manager after Liverpool spent a staggering £415million in the summer.
One of those signings is Wirtz, whom the Reds spent up to £116.5m on from Bayer Leverkusen. The German endured a slow start to life on Merseyside, but his form has picked up in recent weeks with three goals in his last five league appearances.
And the 22-year-old has now reacted to Saturday’s draw against Burnley – expressing his disappointment while issuing a rallying cry before Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Marseille.
He said: “Very disappointed not going home with 3 points. Nevertheless, a big thanks to you fans, the atmosphere was great! Now focus on CL.”
Slot believes Liverpool’s progress with their summer signings is being overshadowed by the ongoing failure to turn draws into wins.
“We all have a lot of frustration about the result and sometimes it’s also a frustration for me that all the development some players are going through is not being seen, because the results don’t show how the development of the team and individual players is,” he said post-match.
“Milos, he had another good game. Florian scored another great goal and was involved in a lot of other moments as well.
“Jeremie Frimpong, another good game from him. A big, big, big threat on that right side.
“Results don’t always reflect development and that I would almost say is another frustration because it’s also hard for the players to feel we are improving and they are improving if the results are not as we want them to be.
“Of course, we can talk about 12 games in a row now without a loss but our standards are higher than not losing. Our standards are winning every game.”
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