'They have to look': Micah Richards explains why he's been surprised by Florian Wirtz at Liverpool
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Liverpool edged past Burnley by the skin of their teeth with yet another last-gasp winner.
The reigning Premier League champions have had one of the most hectic starts to a title defence in recent history, although results seem to be going their way.
Liverpool’s performances have been far from convincing to say the least, but winners always find a way, and that is exactly what they did for the fourth game in a row.
Mohamed Salah’s 95th minute penalty rescued them at the death, with the Reds top of the league table on a maximum of 12 points.
There were a few worrying signs, however, with Florian Wirtz’s performance one that many may point out, and Micah Richards has admitted there has been something that has surprised him about the German so far.
Photo by MB Media/Getty Images
The biggest talking point this summer has been the amount of money Liverpool have spent, with the Reds smashing the British transfer record twice in one window.
The first was for Wirtz, with the German one of Europe’s most exciting stars and a player that Liverpool looked like they needed.
But, the German is taking a little while to get up to speed, although his performances have not been as bad as the media have perhaps painted them out to be.
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With that said, Richards admitted that it is not quite happening for the attacking midfielder just yet, but he thinks it is only a matter of time before it does.
“I think in midfield with Wirtz, at this moment in time, it’s not clicking,” Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast.
“It will come good because he is that good a player, but when you spend £100m plus on someone, you would expect them to play well straight away.
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“He’s obviously very tidy, but he’s finding it harder than I thought he would, I thought he would slot in straight away, but that is something that they have to look at.
“If you look at Liverpool in previous years when they’ve been successful, they’ve had a high energy midfield, but he slows it down a little bit.
“He can, of course, find a pass, play a ball, but he’s not the Wirtz I expected at this moment in time, so once he starts firing, they’ll be even better.”
It is clear to see just how good Wirtz can be, he just does not have the goals or assists to show for it just yet.
However, similarly to the Arsenal game just before the international break, Wirtz improved significantly in the second half and showed glimpses of excellence.
One thing he is clearly learning is that he will not be given as much time on the ball as he got in the Bundesliga, with the 22-year-old starting to take fewer touches now before releasing it.
He also produced some good touches and silky turns, with his overall performance perhaps going a little under the radar due to another ‘blank’.