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FLORIAN WIRTZ UNLEASHED: THE TRUTH BEHIND THE £116M STAR’S FIRST LIVERPOOL GOAL AND CRAMP

Liverpool boss Arne Slot admits his team's set-piece defending is a major problem after conceding 12 goals from dead balls.

Florian Wirtz Unleashed: The Truth Behind the £116m Star’s First Liverpool Goal and Cramp
Wirtz Hits Milestone as Liverpool Grinds Out 2-1 Victory Over Wolves

Arne Slot is pretty open about a big issue, even though his Liverpool team has climbed to fourth in the league, racking up three wins in a row and staying unbeaten for six games. He's straight up saying that this one problem has let in 12 goals in the Prem.

We might be the only team that can't score from set pieces. Even worse, we keep letting them in, he said, with a bit of a smile.

Despite their recent comeback, Slot and Liverpool clearly worry. It's something that Virgil van Dijk, the team's leader and the defence boss, is also concerned about. Remember how Wolves scored a corner at Anfield, thanks to Santiago Bueno? That turned what should've been an easy win, after Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz scored in the first half, into a nail-biter.

"We've defended loads of set pieces well," says Van Dijk. Still, the truth is we've conceded too many goals like that, and it stings. We've got to sort it out.

It's all about practising, training, looking at the tapes... we just have to get better. I'd say most of the time, like 75% or more, it's not even about winning the first header; it's what happens next that kills us.

After Alisson made a save, Bueno was quickest to react, and Liverpool just couldn't get back into gear. Still, they hung on for the win, which was also where Florian Wirtz, the £116 million signing, scored his first goal for Liverpool.

Van Dijk was quick to celebrate with the 22-year-old German and seemed really happy for his teammate, who's been trying to live up to the hype and that huge price tag. The Liverpool captain did mention that Wirtz is still adjusting to the speed and physicality of the Prem.

He's getting used to playing for Liverpool, and how we want to play, Van Dijk explains. He's getting used to the intensity.

He got some cramps after about 70 minutes, I think. It happens. He just needs to keep at it. He's a smart player who's calm on the ball.

He finds space in the middle and can be a big player for us. He wants to score and assist, which is great, but his work rate and the chances he makes are even more important, in my opinion.

I'm really happy for him. You could see it in the celebrations. Everyone's buzzing for him. It was a big goal for us. I was really pleased for him. He had a great game. Hopefully, there's more to come from him.

This win puts Liverpool in fourth place in the league, sounding ready to go into the year strong. But Van Dijk isn't getting carried away, saying, We just need to try to be consistent and get the wins.

We'll see how it all goes this season. There are loads of games left. We've got the FA Cup coming up, and we want to do well in the Champions League too.

We should only be thinking about being in the best shape for our next game. There's an exciting challenge ahead with so many games coming up.

They're going to be tough games, starting with Leeds, Fulham, and then Arsenal. Let's get stuck in and enjoy it.

OFFICIAL ASSESSMENT: ARNE SLOT BREAKS DOWN LIVERPOOL’S POSITION IN THE 2025 TITLE RACE

Arne Slot insists Liverpool "deserves" its fifth-place spot but warns that the best is yet to come in their 2026 title charge.

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Arne Slot Confirms Squad Fitness Gains

Arne Slot is adamant that Liverpool can't make excuses for their rough start defending their Premier League title. The coach wants a great end to 2025 as the Reds get ready to play Wolves at Anfield on Saturday.

The champs are currently 10 points behind as we go into this weekend's games. Arsenal is in the lead, two points ahead of Manchester City. Slot's team has already lost six times, all during a tough stretch from late September to November.

Liverpool will play Rob Edwards's Wolves on Saturday, after going six games without a loss in all competitions. This streak has pushed the Reds to fifth place, but Slot knows they still need to get better in 2026.

"I think we're in the spot we deserve after the first half of the season," Slot said, according to the Liverpool Echo.

I think we should be higher, to be honest. I was expecting and hoping we'd be higher in the standings. But even in the last six games, the difference between the other team is always really small.

We've been a little lucky with the outcome a few times, and we need to get to a point where we're so far ahead of the other team that luck doesn't matter anymore. I think the games we lost were unlucky.

The refs and set pieces have really affected our start to the season, but we can't use that as an excuse.

That's just luck. There's always a call that can go either way. That shouldn't make us lose points. We need to make sure that, like last season, when a lot of calls went against us, too, it doesn't hurt us.

Slot added: I've said it before: the players are getting fitter, not just the new guys, but also the ones who missed pre-season and were injured a lot. They're getting used to playing together.

I still think the best is yet to come for this team, which is something we all agree on and are hoping for. That's normal when you look at what's happened in the first half-year, so I'm not that surprised at where we are.

FROM PARIS TO ANFIELD: WHY ARNE SLOT WANTS GONCALO RAMOS THIS JANUARY WINDOW

Liverpool reportedly eyes a six-month loan for PSG’s Goncalo Ramos to cover for Alexander Isak’s long-term ankle injury.

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Emerges as Liverpool’s Top January Loan Target

Liverpool might try to snag Goncalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain. The plan is to bring him over to Anfield on loan to cover for Alexander Isak, who's out with an injury.

Isak, who came to Liverpool from Newcastle United back in the summer of 2025, got hurt during the Reds' 2-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur on December 20th.

Liverpool's website says the Swedish star had ankle surgery, fixing a fibula fracture, and there's no set date for his return.

CaughtOffSide says Liverpool already wants to get a new striker in January and is looking at Goncalo Ramos.

The report says Liverpool has been talking about a few big names, and Ramos is one of them.

The current Premier League champs are supposedly thinking about a six-month loan for the 24-year-old Portuguese player.

The report says Liverpool sees Ramos as someone who could jump in quickly, press hard, and score goals while Isak is recovering.

Ramos, who cost PSG €80 million, has a contract with them until 2028.

So far, the 24-year-old has scored 42 goals and assisted nine in 109 games for PSG.

Does Liverpool even need Ramos from PSG?

He's not guaranteed a starting spot with PSG, which might be why Liverpool thinks a loan is possible.

This season, the Portuguese striker has started eight league games but hasn't started any Champions League matches.

Liverpool was interested in Ramos back in the summer of 2025 before they signed Isak, so it's not a new thing.

Still, the question is, does Liverpool need another striker mid-season?

Liverpool's coach, Arne Slot, has said Isak will be out for a few months.

Is it worth getting someone new when they already have Hugo Ekitike?

Don't forget, Liverpool signed Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt before landing Isak last summer.

Slot has played Ekitike and Isak at the same time, but Ekitike can play up front alone.

Ekitike, who used to play for PSG, has scored 11 goals and assisted one in 24 appearances for Liverpool this season.

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