Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has repeated his call for patience over big-money arrivals Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, with staff told to continue to work with the duo. Both have had slow starts to the season and have been criticised by some pundits and fans.
However, the last two games, against LASK and Brentford, have shown signs that they are finding their feet. Wirtz, who arrived at Liverpool last summer for up to £116 million, provided an assist in both games.
Gerrard Backs Wirtz to Turn Career Around
Speaking last week, Gerrard backed the attacking midfielder to turn his Liverpool career around. He has now repeated that stance and sent a clear message to the Reds coaching staff.
Speaking on Overlap Daily, he said: “I think we live in a world of football where if someone comes with a pricetag and they don’t hit the ground running and start scoring regularly or are not the standout on the pitch consistently. As soon as they start getting a bit of criticism from whoever starts it, everyone jumps on the bandwagon, and everyone wants to really dramatise it.
“I think Florian Wirtz has to perform better and give more, I did say that. I think he has underperformed in more than enough games, but if you just take a step back from all the heat and the criticism and think about where he’s at.
“He’s 22, he’s a German international, he does really well for Germany every time he plays there, Liverpool have bought him from being a standout performer in Germany consistently and he’s come with this big pricetag and he hasn’t hit the ground running, it took him a lot of time to get up to speed in the Premier League, and he has been frustrating at times.
“The easy thing is to try and kill him and try and move him on and wish ‘how are we going to sell him?’ or ‘who’s going to buy him?’ When you just need to think, how are we going to fix it? You’re the manager of Liverpool football club, you need Florian Wirtz shining, you need him playing well consistently, you need him contributing goals and assists, that’s what the fans want.
“I’ve seen enough throughout his career and I’ve seen flashes of it in a Liverpool shirt to think ‘I think he can play through this and come out on the other side.’ I think the last two performances in Europe against LASK and at the weekend against Brentford, he’s put two performances together, he’s contributed to the goals in both results, two wins.
“I’m one who will be thinking if you’re on the Liverpool staff or you’re a Liverpool senior player, this kid is a talent, ok, he’s not had the best of times so far, but don’t give up on him. This is not just Florian Wirtz I’m talking about, any young kid who has different form or is finding it hard to cope with the pricetag. I’m someone who’ll work with them, let’s try to help them, let’s support him, let’s get him in a better place, get him enjoying his football, and that’s when you’ll see the consistency.
“He’s put his strong two performances together after a disappointing performance against Man City last week and let’s hope he’s on an upward curve now for more consistent performances.”
Barcola Showing Signs of Improvement
Barcola is another player who has failed to make an instant impact at Liverpool since his £123 million move at the end of August. The winger had failed to register a goal or an assist in his first six games in all competitions.
That changed against LASK as he scored a hat-trick in the 6-3 win. He backed that up on Saturday by providing an assist in the win over Brentford.
Gerrard believes that we will now start to see the best of the Frenchman as he gets up to speed. “I think we are so close to a big lift-off, if he’d have took the goal in that one v one,” he said.
“He still played well, he still looked a threat, you can see it more with Bradley, he didn’t have the best of pre-season, he didn’t play many minutes, he was training, but that’s different as a player. When you have pre-season, training is important, but it’s the game that gets you close to your top level.
“So, I think, a bit like the Isak situation last year, I think Bradley came to Liverpool undercooked a bit, in terms of game time. I don’t know how many games he’s played this season, five or six, probably so far and they’re not full games.
“I think it probably takes that amount of games to get close to your level and I think we’re seeing a player that is getting close to his level. He’s so fast, he’s so dangerous, he can take players on, he can create and score.
“The hat-trick against LASK, with all due respect to LASK, is really important for him personally, confidence, belief, feeling that you’ve actually arrived at Liverpool after a big pricetag and a big summer move. But to then go and back it up with another strong performance and get an assist.
“But I think the one v one was a big moment for Liverpool, that would have been beautiful.”
Upcoming Fixtures and Manager's Support
The duo have the chance to continue their improvement when Liverpool host Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday night (8pm kick-off). They then return to Premier League action on Sunday as they face in-form Brighton at Anfield (2pm kick-off).
Speaking about Wirtz following the win over Brentford, Andoni Iraola has backed the midfielder. "I think he is coming in from two very good games," he said. "He played really well at LASK away and the other day against Brentford. He helped the team a lot, in and out of possession and I hope we can keep him there, no? You ask me basically every day about him and we analyse and over scrutinise everything about him but when he does well also, it is fair to say."
