Jamie Carragher claims £35m Liverpool player is making Florian Wirtz worse right now

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Some of Liverpool’s stars have struggled at the start of the new season.Reds fans will be feeling very mixed emotions so far this season, with their team sitting top of the Premier League table, but performances being a little concerning.Last-gasp winners had been enough to spare their blushes in previous weeks, but Crystal Palace played them at their own game on Saturday to hand them their first defeat of the campaign.Arne Slot even tried to experiment during this game in the hope that the performance would improve, with the Dutchman deciding to start Florian Wirtz on the left rather than as the number 10.However, this did not work again and the German’s lacklustre start continues, although Jamie Carragher believes that it is not solely his fault.Photo by Julian Finney/Getty ImagesAlexis Mac Allister has been just as poor as Florian WirtzNot many Liverpool players have started the season in red hot form, meaning that singling a few out might be rather harsh.But when costing £116m, Wirtz was always likely to get the blame when things were not going perfectly, with rival fans quick to judge and increase the spotlight on him.With that said, many other players have been sub-par so far and this could play a big role, and Carragher believes that Alexis Mac Allister’s slow start has impacted Wirtz massively. “I think another problem for Liverpool and for Wirtz is that Mac Allister hasn’t been at his best,” he said on Sky Sports during Monday Night Football.

“I think he’s the guy who could feed him and get him the ball between the lines.”READ MORE: Florian Wirtz names ‘amazing’ former Liverpool player as his favourite to watch growing up📊 Alexis Mac Allister has won just 9 of his 21 attempted ground duels in the Premier League this season. He was world-class last season but feel like he’s struggling with injuries at the moment.

A bit of time on the bench might do him good to rehabilitate properly. pic.twitter.com/DXJQz7iKpI— Bence Bocsák (@BenBocsak) September 28, 2025 View Tweet The Argentine struggled with injuries throughout pre-season and little niggles have persisted at the start of the league campaign too, with his minutes still needing to be managed.Mac Allister has also been far less involved than Reds fans are perhaps used to, with the midfielder unable to get hold of the ball and dictate the play. As Carragher says, this only makes Wirtz’s job harder as he has to come deeper to receive the ball, hence why he is not capable of creating as much as he did in the Bundesliga.Florian Wirtz needs to be given the ball moreWhen playing for Bayer Leverkusen, everything went through Wirtz and he was the driving force behind their success.However, he has not had as much success in a Liverpool shirt so far, although Carragher’s analysis on Monday Night Football helped explain why.Overall, the 22-year-old is not getting on the ball anywhere near the same amount as he did in Germany, suggesting his teammates need to bring him into the game a lot more if possible.Due to the pace and physicality of the league too, he gets a lot less time on the ball when he receives it, something he will have to learn and adapt to.He has shown glimpses of promise and the talent is definitely there, so when it clicks into gear, it would be no surprise to see him explode and tear up the Premier League.