Pundit says Liverpool have a ‘struggling’ player who shouldn’t be starting from now on

Add as preferred source on Google

Arne Slot has some big decisions to make regarding his team selection going forward.

By no means should Reds fans start to panic, but there is definitely cause for concern after their last two performances.

This is just the second time Liverpool have lost back-to-back matches under Slot, with these coming back in March against PSG and then Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.

Performances back then, though, were a lot more convincing than they are now, hence why so many people are starting to ask questions.

There has been a lot of change over the summer and that could be a factor, but despite a lot of this change being positive, Tony Cascarino believes that one new player needs to be dropped from now on.

Liverpool need to drop Florian Wirtz

One of the biggest talking points regarding Liverpool so far this season solely focuses on one man, this being Florian Wirtz.

After his £116m move, which was a British transfer record at the time, many expected him to hit the ground running and set the league alight, but this has not been the case.

He is still yet to register a goal or an assist and he has not been able to impact a game at all yet, with many questioning if he is as good as the German media made him out to be.

Of course, it is still early and he has plenty of time to adapt, but Cascarino believes that he has had enough time so the Reds should drop him to try a different approach.

“Wirtz played out on the left wing on Saturday because they’re trying to put Wirtz into another position because he struggled,” he said on The Game Podcast.

“Do I think he’s not a great player? No, of course he’s got fabulous talent, I watched him at Bayer Leverkusen.

“He’s a fantastic footballer, but he’s struggling at Liverpool at the moment. He’s finding it hard to make an impact. I saw him many a time in Germany.

“He’d make the run 30 yards beyond the midfield and get into forward attacking positions. He’s getting caught on the ball here. He’s getting caught with his little intricate passing.

READ MORE: Luis Garcia believes Liverpool have one of the ‘most complete’ players in the Premier League

“So I’m watching a guy that actually at the moment shouldn’t be in the 11 at Liverpool. I think Liverpool were way better before.

“The stability of the Liverpool team was one of the reasons they won the league last year with Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, how they perform.

“They’ve tried to fit a number 10 in that hasn’t had the impact. That’s without the other transfers. But I do feel like there was a lot wrong.”

Florian Wirtz needs help from his teammates

There is no denying that Wirtz has not been as good as many thought he would be, but he has equally not been as bad as the media have painted him out.

The 22-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance and if he can improve his consistency, then that elusive goal or assist will come.

However, he is also having to drop a little deeper to pick up the ball due to his teammates around him also struggling, making it much harder for him to have an impact in the final third.

If he is given the freedom to play as an out-and-out number 10, then he can be judged a little more vigorously, although he would likely prove the doubters wrong.