LEGEND SPEAKS: THIERRY HENRY BREAKS DOWN WIRTZ'S £116M FAILURE AT THE LIVERPOOL CLUB
Thierry Henry explains why Liverpool's £116m man Florian Wirtz is struggling. The Arsenal legend blames the tactical differences between the Bundesliga and the more physically demanding Premier League.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has a theory about why Florian Wirtz is struggling at Liverpool. He thinks Wirtz's past in Germany didn't get him ready for the Premier League, despite Liverpool paying £116 million for him this summer.
Wirtz came to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen with a great reputation, but he hasn't made a big splash yet, with only three assists in 16 games. He played great for Leverkusen for two seasons in the Bundesliga, but he hasn't been able to keep up that level of play at Liverpool.
Gary Neville criticised Wirtz, saying he looked like a little boy in Liverpool's 3-0 loss to Manchester City. Liverpool's coach, Arne Slot, is having trouble finding the right spot for Wirtz in his 4-3-3 setup, and a small injury kept Wirtz out of the 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest last Saturday.
Henry was talking about Arsenal's 4-1 win over Tottenham on Sky Sports when he shared his ideas about the differences between the Premier League and the Bundesliga and how that might explain why Wirtz is having a hard time.
It's not easy to come into a team and play well right away, like we're seeing with Florian Wirtz at Liverpool. But I always wonder about players who do well in Germany. "That's just me," he said, according to the Mirror.
I'm not saying they can't do well in another league, just that the way the league is there, really spread out, if you're a good runner, you'll get lots of chances, goals, and assists. People here can keep up with you, so it's really tough.
Henry also thinks that current tactics in top-level soccer don't help players like Wirtz, who do best when they have room to move and set up attacks.
If we're talking about creating chances... do you think coaches today let their players dribble? Or do they want to control everything to avoid getting caught on the counter? He said.
Playing with a low block all the time means it's not always easy to create chances. Look at Arsenal: we don't always create a lot of chances. We score a lot from set pieces...
You're going to create fewer chances than we used to, because teams play deep and don't try to press high, so the spaces are tight.
And if you don't let players dribble and make mistakes—like I always say, the reward is in the risk—then where are you going? You won't have the stats for creating chances, and if you don't take your chances when you get them, you're in trouble.
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”
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