Wirtz Faces Heavy Criticism
Jamie Carragher and Troy Deeney Criticize Florian Wirtz Following Liverpool Victory
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Key Points
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Jamie Carragher highlighted Wirtz’s 63% pass-completion rate and said the midfielder “would not be in my Liverpool team,” adding that he could have “no complaints” about being substituted.
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Troy Deeney said Wirtz appeared not to believe he would score or influence matches, though he acknowledged the German was “clearly talented” and had strong technical ability.
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Deeney also claimed that Wirtz’s hesitation was undermining Liverpool’s attacking rhythm, saying that whenever the ball reached him “the tempo slows down” and that manager Andoni Iraola was visibly “blowing his top” on the touchline.
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Liverpool’s 2025 summer window was described as the second most expensive in football history, with major fees including about €145 million for Alexander Isak, €125 million for Wirtz and €95 million for Hugo Ekitike.
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Carragher’s criticism contrasts Liverpool’s current transfer approach with the club’s previous model under Jurgen Klopp, which emphasized emerging talent and a sell-to-buy structure designed to maintain net-spend discipline.
Liverpool scraped past Bournemouth 1-0 in a tight match that exposed serious cracks in the club's expensive new squad. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher tore into Florian Wirtz after the game, calling his display "the poorest I've ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt" and saying the German midfielder "would not be in my Liverpool team" going forward.
Wirtz, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for €125 million, struggled badly and was pulled off at the 71st minute after completing just 70.3% of his passes. Troy Deeney on talkSPORT was equally damning, saying Wirtz "doesn't look like he belongs in this league" and that his hesitation is "slowing down" Liverpool's entire attacking rhythm.
Carragher Slams Wirtz as a Failed Galacticos Signing
Carragher didn't stop at Wirtz. The Telegraph published his broader indictment of Liverpool's recruitment strategy across 2025 and 2026. The club spent more than £600 million on three established stars: Wirtz, Alexander Isak (€145 million), and Bradley Barcola (€120 million). Carragher called this shift a "failed Galacticos era" that abandons Liverpool's proven model of developing emerging talent into world-beaters.
"For Liverpool to become the first club in the world to field three £100m footballers is bewildering," Carragher wrote. He blamed the club's hierarchy—not manager Andoni Iraola alone—for the structural mess. This pivot away from Jurgen Klopp's disciplined "sell-to-buy" strategy has left Liverpool with an unbalanced, overstuffed squad full of expensive players who don't fit together.
Wirtz's Numbers Show Growing Alarm at Liverpool
The stats back up the criticism. Wirtz has scored just 7 goals and recorded 11 assists across 55 appearances since joining Liverpool. Against Bournemouth, he completed 26 of 37 passes (70.3%)—lowest among Liverpool's starters—and lost possession 16 times. Sky Sports caught manager Iraola on the touchline visibly frustrated with the midfielder's repeated delays in possession.
Troy Deeney observed that the problem ripples through the entire team. "Every time it goes to him, the tempo slows down," Deeney said on talkSPORT. "The rest of the team are starting to disbelieve." Wirtz is now facing intense pressure to be dropped for Manchester City's visit, with Carragher calling for him to be benched immediately.
A Stark Shift From Klopp's Proven Blueprint
Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool built a machine by developing young talent (Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Sadio Mané) and maintaining strict net-spend discipline. The new approach—spending €660+ million in two windows on established superstars—breaks that foundation entirely. Carragher argues this created a bloated, tactically confused midfield that leaves Liverpool vulnerable to counterattacks.
Iraola has defended Wirtz's role in the winning build-up, noting the midfielder remained involved before Alexander Isak's decisive goal. But the manager can't hide the uncomfortable truth: Liverpool's 2025 summer window was the second most expensive in football history, and the early results suggest the club may have lost its way.
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