Wirtz injury woes continue as Slot confirms further fitness setback
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Liverpool’s latest Florian Wirtz update has added fresh uncertainty to the next fortnight, with Arne Slot admitting Tuesday’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers is likely to come too soon for our No.7.The 22-year-old missed the wins over Nottingham Forest and West Ham United after reporting a back issue in the warm-up at the City Ground, and the concern now is that what first sounded like a short absence is stretching into a problem we cannot rush.Slot spoke at the AXA Training Centre on Monday morning and made it clear there has been no dramatic change in the situation since the weekend.“Not anything different than what I said after the game [on Saturday],” the 47-year-old said when asked about Wirtz ahead of Wolves.Slot then offered the clearest hint yet that Liverpool may also be without the playmaker for Friday’s Emirates FA Cup meeting with the same opponents, which would mean two straight weeks without one of our primary creative outlets.“The game tomorrow will probably come too soon and maybe the game at the weekend as well. Let’s see how that ends up.”There was at least a note of optimism inside the uncertainty, because Slot also put a rough timescale on when our No.7 might be available again.“But we hope to have him back somewhere next week.
Maybe a bit later. But that timescale.”Florian Wirtz injury latest as Liverpool plan Wolves double-headerThat line will matter for the way we manage the next run, because Liverpool are still juggling Premier League points and knockout football, and Slot has already hinted this back issue has been difficult to predict.After the West Ham win, Slot admitted he had expected Wirtz to be available, only for the reality to shift quickly.That is why this latest update reads as slightly worrying, even if it is not definitive, because the only consistent theme has been how the timeline keeps moving.Wirtz has played 25 Premier League matches this season, starting 21 of them, and averaging 74 minutes per appearance, which underlines just how regularly Slot has leaned on the German for control in the final third.Wirtz stats show why Arne Slot cannot rush Liverpool No.7 back(Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)SofaScore numbers also back up the idea that the 22-year-old has been influential even without huge goal output.The German has four league goals from an xG of 5.70, alongside two assists and an xA of 4.13, while creating big chances and supplying key passes.Here is a quick snapshot of Wirtz’s league season: Category Stat Premier League appearances (starts) 25 (21) Minutes played 1,861 Goals (xG) 4 (5.70) Assists (xA) 2 (4.13) Key passes per game 1.8 Successful dribbles per game 1.4 (57%) The concern is not just missing Wirtz for Wolves away on Tuesday, but what that does to the wider schedule, because the next European fixture is close enough that we may decide it is smarter to be cautious rather than gamble on a tight return.Slot has repeatedly stressed that players cannot operate at less than full fitness in this league, and this latest update suggests Liverpool will keep that same stance with Wirtz, even if it means waiting a little longer than first expected.
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