Arne Slot has fired back at Arsene Wenger after the former Arsenal boss accused him of “destroying” Liverpool’s midfield to make room for new £116 million signing Florian Wirtz.
Wenger, now a pundit for BeIN Sports, ruffled feathers on Merseyside when he suggested that Wirtz had been promised a central role as a No 10, claiming that assurance was what tempted the German star to join Liverpool ahead of Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
But Slot was in no mood to entertain Wenger’s criticism. The Liverpool manager, normally calm and thoughtful when handling pundit chatter, let his irritation show as he defended both his tactics and his player.
“Everyone has the right to their opinion,” Slot said sharply after Friday’s training session, which saw striker Alexander Isak return to full fitness. “That is the nice thing about football, everyone has one. But if I need open heart surgery, I would not tell the surgeon what to do. In football, everyone feels they know best. That is also what makes the game beautiful.”
Wirtz was the standout performer in Liverpool’s gritty 1-0 win over Real Madrid in midweek, a display that showed flashes of why the Reds broke the bank for him this summer. The 21-year-old dazzled in training and is slowly finding his rhythm in English football after a shaky start.
Early in the season, Wirtz often looked like a man trying to cross a motorway at rush hour, caught between the pace and intensity of Premier League football. But those at Kirkby insist his progress has been electric, and Slot is confident the best is yet to come.
“I think we have five or six very good midfielders who can all play together,” Slot continued. “They just need time to understand each other. Florian needs time to adapt to his teammates, and they need time to adapt to him.”
Wirtz was deployed from the left against Madrid, and Slot hinted that might be his role again when Liverpool face City on Sunday. The change has brought stability to the side, with the midfield once again looking cohesive after a few early wobbles.
“He played off the left, yes,” Slot added. “But whether it is this season or the next, he will deliver great performances as a midfielder for Liverpool. There has been a lot of focus on him as an individual, but I am more focused on the team.”
For now, Slot’s message is clear. The critics can talk all they like, but he is backing Wirtz to prove every word wrong.
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