Slot must stick to his guns with 'struggling' Liverpool player and resist growing temptation for change - opinion
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Liverpool’s new signings have not exactly hit the ground running but Arne Slot will not be too worried.
After spending close to £300m this summer, there is a lot of pressure on the Reds to retain their Premier League title.
There is no denying that they have strengthened in the areas that they needed to the most, but the impact is yet to be fully felt.
Florian Wirtz is one of those who is yet to have a moment of excellence in the league, with the German struggling to get into the games thus far.
And, despite calls for him to be moved out to the left rather than playing in the number 10 position, Slot needs to resist that urge for a very good reason.
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After costing £116m, the pressure Wirtz must be feeling is immense, and as seen many times in the past, this can really affect a player’s ability to perform.
Time is all a lot of them need but getting this at the Premier League champions might be hard, especially when rival fans are quick to point out every negative possible.
Wirtz is a natural number 10 but he can also play out on the left, but Slot cannot do this under any circumstance as Cody Gakpo has proven that is his position.
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The Dutchman has scored one and assisted two so far this season, while also looking a threat almost every time he goes forward.
So, moving Wirtz there instead would feel very unfair and Gakpo will have been hard done by, with this now his season to kick on as Luis Diaz has departed.
With that said, Slot needs to resist the growing temptation to make this switch and stick by his new signing, especially as he has all the talent he needs to turn it around.
Wirtz is at his most dangerous when he is on the ball, something he has simply not been able to do yet in the opening two games.
He touched the ball just 41 times against Newcastle, six fewer than goalkeeper Alisson did, showing just how little impact he could have.
He is usually the orchestrator and everything goes through him, with the German having the ability to split the defence with one pass.
This will come in handy for the Reds but they need to give him the ball more often, then his presence will truly be felt.