Time for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz to prove they are Liverpool’s future
Following Liverpool’s Champions League elimination by Paris St-Germain, Slot insisted the future was bright. Eyebrows were certainly raised after that comment, but if Liverpool can produce a string of performances in their remaining games, perhaps the Dutchman has a point. Complementing this will be Isak and Wirtz.
Last Saturday saw both summer signings costing a combined £241 million against Crystal Palace, but Isak is yet to complete the full 90 minutes as a Liverpool player after an injury-plagued season; Wirtz, on the other hand, was impressive at moments but still expects an impressive performance for the side.
Germany’s Wirtz is yet to score or assist against any Premier League team currently based in Europe, but insisted it was a “coincidence” when he was put on the Slot on Friday and said he was “100% sure” Wirtz would start scoring goals in bigger matches.
Isak, meanwhile, had just 18 touches against Palace, but that was on top of his nine goals against Everton and five against PSG in the other games he started since returning from injury. The Swedish player’s first goal for Liverpool in the Premier League at Anfield will greatly increase the self-confidence of the 26-year-old football player.
Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk said: “From what I see, everyone knows, sees and experiences as teammates how extraordinary he is. The important thing is to win games, to be confident, but of course to score goals as a striker. That’s the main trigger for him.”
Slot added on Friday: “The more he touches the ball, the more chances we have to score.”
“Having Alex available more will help us turn the opportunities created into goals, something we haven’t done very well this season.”
For Wirtz, the emphasis on linking up more with Isak is clear, especially with Hugo Ekitike sidelined.
“It’s important that we feed him balls because if he stays alone at the top it will be difficult for him to score goals,” Wirtz said.
His own tally of seven goals and 10 assists this season is certainly cause for concern, but Wirtz, who turns 23 on Sunday, will be the first to admit he needs to do better.
The result against Palace was a timely reminder of his class. On the cutting edge, he initially struggled with the intensity and physicality of Premier League football but strengthened significantly after making the move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Those at Liverpool, including Slot, believe there is much more to come from a player they have been fighting for for Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
“The progress Florian has made in his Liverpool career is clear and obvious,” Slot said. “Dueling on the sideline in the 93rd minute against Crystal Palace, putting the ball in and then sprinting from 40 yards and hitting the ball into the top corner… this is not something I fully believed he could do eight months ago.
“His development (he was already an elite player) will continue as he is only 22, which makes sense. Almost every player in the world is at their best when they are 25, 26, but he is already an elite player and can only get better and that is the beauty of the signings we made last summer, they are all of a certain age and we can only expect them to get better.”
