‘He Shouldn’t Be in the Liverpool Team’: Carragher Delivers Wirtz Verdict

Jamie Carragher says Florian Wirtz should not be in the Liverpool team right now, after the German playmaker had a quiet game in a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City at Anfield.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Liverpool defender did not hold back. “He shouldn’t be in the Liverpool team right now. I don’t want to hammer Liverpool players. But we’re not saying this after five-ten games, we’re saying this after 50-60 games,” Carragher said.

City won comfortably. Goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki sealed the points for Enzo Maresca’s side, and the game turned after Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was sent off shortly after the hour mark. Andoni Iraola’s team never looked like getting back into it.

Carragher said Wirtz offered almost nothing in attack. “Wirtz never looks like scoring a goal. You don’t come away thinking he missed chances or he worked the goalkeeper. There was absolutely nothing today where you thought he put someone through, or nearly scored. There’s absolutely no goal threat whatsoever,” he said.

He also questioned why Wirtz was picked ahead of Gravenberch. “That can’t be right. It’s not right. It wasn’t a decision for anyone in the stadium when Liverpool went down to 10 men. And the big bright spark was Gravenberch. He started badly and was taken out of the team. There is no way Wirtz should be playing ahead of Gravenberch,” he said.

Liverpool were without Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, who Carragher called the team’s two best attackers this season. He said that made it a chance for others to step up. “We need Bradley Barcola and we need Wirtz to step up and help Victor Munoz and Lewis Koumas at the top of the pitch. Koumas and Munoz were better than the two £100m players,” he said.

Carragher had already criticised Wirtz after Liverpool’s last game at Bournemouth, and said some fans did not like it. “I was critical of him after the last game Liverpool played at Bournemouth,” he said. 

“I was then criticised a little bit by Liverpool supporters for putting a negative slant on it. But what I did say was it could be the last hope if Jurgen Klopp could get his arm around him when he was with Germany.”

He said Wirtz has played well for his country. “He played really well for Germany under Jurgen Klopp. But he has come here today, I’m looking at the game with no Isak and no Gakpo, our two best attackers this season,” Carragher said.

The main issue for Carragher is time. Wirtz cost £116.5m and has now played around 60 games for the club. He said new signing Barcola, who has played only four or five, should be given more patience. 

“What Florian Wirtz is doing for Liverpool is not enough right now,” Carragher said. “He’s played 55, 60 games for Liverpool. If we were looking at Barcola, he has played four or five. You would want more but hold your horses. If you were critical of him, it would be over the top, but not the guy that has played 60 games.”

Iraola now has a tricky job. With Isak and Gakpo out and Gravenberch facing a suspension, his options in midfield and attack are thin. He must decide whether to keep backing Wirtz or take Carragher’s advice and drop him.