Arnie slot He said Florian Wirtz To take the heart from Premier League The greats who got off to a slow start to life in England.
the Liverpool The head coach admitted his £100m purchase would have been better off starting with a string of goals and assists, while after 21 games, Wirtz still has not opened his account with his new club.
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But a host of arrivals have taken time to adapt to the division, with players such as Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Eden Hazard, David Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo showing their best form after getting used to the demands of English football.
Wirtz has not yet scored with Liverpool (Liverpool FC/Getty)
“Of course, every player would like to have a strong start with goals and assists and everything, but it doesn’t always work that way,” Slott said. “He’s not the first player and he’s not the last to have to adapt to the Premier League. It’s taken a while, maybe longer, for many of the best players who have ever played here to become the star they are now.”
Slott believes Wirtz is improving and feels he is better equipped to handle the physicality of the Premier League now.
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He added: “Florian has improved a lot. I’m not talking about his ability to handle the ball because we saw from the beginning that he was at the top.”
“But I saw one moment against Brighton where he took the ball away from Dom [Dominik Szoboszlai]He dribbled and a player came to him and pushed him away and continued dribbling. He then provided a cut cross for Hugo [Ekitike] Who shot over the bar.
“Later he won the duel with [Jan Paul] Van Hickey led to a counterattack with a shot from Mo [Salah]. In those moments you see that it becomes easier for him. It takes a lot of effort for him to play with that intensity, but he’s getting used to it. This is my opinion.”
Slot on Wirtz: “It takes a lot of effort for him to play with this intensity, but he is getting used to it” (Reuters)
Four of Wirtz’s Premier League appearances have come as a substitute, with Slott leaving him out of matches against Everton, Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
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But the Dutchman said the playmaker had done work in the gym to make him stronger and give him more muscles.
“He completely understood the two or three games he was on the bench,” Slott said. “These players understand better than the outside world that they can’t start from time to time.”
“Mo is a player who is absolutely ready to play every three days, and so is Virgil. These guys know what they have to do and their bodies are used to it. They can play every three days at the highest level.”