Dimitar Berbatov has thrown his weight behind Liverpool's struggling star Florian Wirtz and insisted that the German will emerge as an "unbelievable" player for the Reds. The 22-year-old, who was hailed as one of Europe’s brightest playmakers at Bayer Leverkusen, endured another difficult weekend in the Premier League as he was subbed off late during Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat at Brentford, extending a run of sub-par performances.
Wirtz struggling to adapt at Anfield
Liverpool’s £116 million ($154.4m) summer signing from the Bundesliga is struggling for consistency and form at Merseyside. Wirtz dazzled with two assists in a 5-1 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League last week, but under the Premier League’s unrelenting spotlight, the midfielder has yet to find his feet.
After being crowned English champions in May, expectations were sky-high at Anfield. Their record summer spending spree, which was aimed at securing back-to-back titles, has, however, been followed by an erratic start. Defensive lapses, particularly from set-pieces, have left Arne Slot exasperated. Meanwhile, long-ball counters continue to expose Liverpool’s backline. The usual fluidity has been missing in attack, while injuries to key men like Alisson Becker, Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong, and Ryan Gravenberch have further shredded Slot’s options, forcing him to constantly reshuffle. To make matters worse, even the talismanic Mohamed Salah has looked short of his lethal edge.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBerbatov urges for patience with Wirtz
Amid the misery and disappointment, Wirtz has become an easy target, especially due to his hefty price tag. However, former Manchester United striker Berbatov, who knows a thing or two about adapting to the Premier League after his own move from Leverkusen to Tottenham in 2006, has firmly voiced his support in favour of the German.
Speaking on the podcast, Berbatov said: "I love him. He’s a fantastic player. He will be unbelievable, trust me. Hopefully, he will be patient. Hopefully, he’ll have good people around him, agent, family, whatever. Hopefully, the coach sees his quality like everybody sees him. I’m sure that everybody sees his quality, and they’ll give him that time that he needs to fit into the team. And I guarantee you, he’s going to be a success."
'Overcome the fear'
Berbatov described Wirtz as a rare talent and praised his vision and match-reading capabilities. He even compared the youngster’s stature and style to one of football’s finest maestros Luka Modric, while defending his lean body structure.
"The way he sees football, how he looks for the space, how he knows how to position himself, the touches on the ball, the improvisation, the eye for the pass and for the goals," he said. "Of course, someone can argue that his physique is not that great for the Premier League. But then you can easily see the great players of his position, like Modric, also the same build. Modric. F***ing monster. It’s unbelievable. So give him time. I think he’s going to be unbelievable for Liverpool."
Few players embody football patience like Berbatov, as the Bulgarian reflected on his own struggles, drawing parallels with Wirtz’s current situation.
"The same process was happening when I went to Leverkusen," he said. "In the beginning, it didn’t work out quite well. I needed to be patient. In Spurs, again, new environment, again, new people, new language, new everything. Again, the things were taking slowly to happen for me. I was thinking, maybe I need to go back.
"But when I was thinking like this, then my other, not personality, but my other me, was telling me 'No, no, no, no. You see what happened in Leverkusen. Just be patient. Keep working. You have the quality. You deserve to be here. You wanted something to change. Now you’re here. Now be stubborn. Be patient. Keep working. Not sitting. It’s not going to fall like this on your lap. Work smart or hard. Try to know when, which when, and work. And it will happen'. You basically want to go to your safe place, your safe environment. But you need to have that motivation and that ambition in you as well to overcome the fear. So my ambition was bigger than my fear."
AFPSlot searching for a spark
Slot knows he must reignite belief within a squad that looks a shadow of last season’s champions. They looked sharp early in the campaign, with seven straight wins to open the season. But inconsistency has since crept in, exposing defensive gaps and creative fatigue. With crucial fixtures looming, including Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, Aston Villa in the league, and Real Madrid in the Champions League, Slot will be hoping that Wirtz can rediscover his Bundesliga brilliance. All the fixtures are at home, and this should act as a springboard for the Reds to revive their spiralling season.