\n<\/p>\n
Liverpool spent more than \u00a3400m on new signings during the summer but, for one reason or another, Hugo Ekitike is the only one to have made an instant impact on the first team.<\/p>\n
Given the money spent on Florian Wirtz and the fact that he’s yet to contribute a single goal or assist, the German’s starting spot has come under the most scrutiny so far and Carragher even went so far as to argue that the \u00a3100m man should be benched this weekend.<\/p>\n
“He’s just not at the races at all,” the former defender said on CBS<\/em>. “He’s a young boy, coming to a new league, and has plenty of time to go as a Liverpool player.<\/p>\n “But, right now, I think he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool go back to what they were last season, and then go from there and try to build some confidence and some defensive stability because, right now, it looks like a mess.”<\/p>\n Some of the criticism being levelled at Wirtz has been over the top. Indeed, it’s worth noting that the only Premier League player to have created as many chances in all competitions this season (21) is Jack Grealish, who is being lauded right now for his return to form at Everton.<\/p>\n However, there is no denying that Wirtz has struggled with the intensity of English football – Slot has admitted as much himself – and looks like a pale imitation of the thrilling attacking talent that illuminated Bundesliga and Champions League games for Bayer Leverkusen.<\/p>\n Even Carragher has acknowledged that Wirtz cannot be held solely accountable for Liverpool’s defensive frailties this term, though, and the fact that the hugely influential Alexis Mac Allister has been in and out of the starting line-up because of his fitness problems hasn’t aided the 22-year-old’s integration at all.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Slot has a big call to make on Saturday because playing a proper No.10 like Wirtz instead of a more industrious attacking midfielder like Dominik Szoboszlai has undeniably affected Liverpool’s general solidity due to the issues elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n