Liverpool’s season so far has been a frustrating watch at times.
The Reds started off this year quite well in all competitions, acquiring a winning streak which was recently broken by Crystal Palace, a game which then signalled the beginning of a run of three straight defeats.
What has been difficult for Arne Slot and his team this season is their performances on the pitch not stacking up to the talent they have or have brought in during the summer’s big transfer window spend.
With over £400 million spent by Liverpool, with the arrivals of stars like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, it was expected that, to some extent, there would be a big change in how they played.
Instead, Wirtz himself has not proved just yet to be the £116 million man expected to light up Anfield, but there is still time.
These changes have made some supporters look back on decisions in the transfer window, such as Luis Diaz leaving to play for Bayern Munich.
Steve Nicol is more annoyed by Florian Wirtz’s start than by Luis Diaz’s exit
The Colombian wanted a move to Munich, which gave the Reds £65.5 million to spend in the window; however, the left-winger was a brilliant talent on that side and gave Liverpool added pace and creativity.
While the 22-year-old German international has not put in some of his best performances yet, the departure of Diaz cannot be seen as a huge detriment.
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Steve Nicol was asked about both Wirtz coming in and Diaz leaving during an ESPN broadcast as he was questioned on which was more ‘annoying’.
The former Red explained why he feels that the winger’s exit to Munich is not as big a deal as the displays of the German.
Nicol said: “I think it’s more annoying when you spend a lot of money on somebody and it’s not working because then you have to figure it out at the end of the day. Your attitude has to be, ‘He was great for us (Luis Diaz)’.
“He’s now gone. He’s playing somewhere else. Good luck to you, and forget about it. So the Diaz one shouldn’t annoy you. You’ve got to look at what you’re dealing with and forget everybody else or anybody else. So, it would have to be the first one.”
Florian Wirtz needs freedom in the midfield
The one issue it seems with Wirtz in this team is the number of times Slot has switched his position to experiment where he works best.
However, the issue with that is the fact that the player in this team suits the free midfield role so much better than anyone else.
In the Chelsea game, his movement and ingenuity were fully on display, and he showed that having him in those spaces is a strength for him.
If he plays against Manchester United, it will be very interesting to see if he can exploit the spaces that this Ruben Amorim side constantly create.
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