Slot's success at this time still rests solely on Salah's shoulders - Photo: REUTERS
Instead, the Reds now face a problem they haven't faced in a decade: how to adapt to expensive superstars.
Florian Wirtz is under heavy pressure
8 games, 0 goals, 0 assists. That's a simple summary of Florian Wirtz's form for Liverpool. When the Kop were winning, fans could make excuses for that dismal run of results. But when they started losing, Wirtz was under pressure.
Expected to become a new icon, a new conductor at Anfield - to replace 33-year-old Mohamed Salah, but what Wirtz has done after nearly 2 months of debut in the "red brigade" shirt is too limited.
Don't blame the pundits, commentators, and fans for demanding too much from Wirtz. The same thing happened to Darwin Nunez, Van Dijk, Alisson, Naby Keita, Szoboszlai... Those were the most expensive contracts in the era of coach Jurgen Klopp. And all of them were under pressure when they first arrived at Anfield.
Not all of them shined. Keita left the team as a failed contract. Nunez also made Liverpool accept a small loss when selling after 3 years wearing the "Red Brigade" shirt.
However, the failure rate is still very low, with Van Dijk, Alisson, Szoboszlai, Diaz and Fabinho - players with transfer fees of more than 50 million USD, all shining brightly under coach Klopp. Even Nunez and Keita had quite impressive debuts with the team.
Can Salah be replaced?
The transfer market today has been greatly inflated compared to the period when coach Klopp built Liverpool 6-10 years ago. Contracts worth around 50 million USD are now considered "fair" in the Premier League. And to be called "blockbusters", they must be transfers worth more than 100 million USD.
And in just one summer, Liverpool has made 3 "blockbuster" deals including Ekitike, Wirtz and Isak. Among them, the deal named Wirtz is expected the most, while the deal named Isak is considered the "most certain"
Why? Because compared to the other two players, Isak has shone in the Premier League over the past few seasons. Despite being exiled for a month at Newcastle, the Swedish striker is still very familiar with English football and can significantly shorten the time to integrate with the new team.
As for Wirtz, he is an intelligent, technically gifted player, almost comprehensive in attacking skills, considered the "soul" in the playing style of both Leverkusen and the German national team. That is the type of player that most strong teams need to have on the attack line. Salah is that model, but he is 33 years old. Wirtz comes with the hope of replacing Salah in the future for many years to come.
Liverpool is facing difficulties after a series of brilliant matches - Photo: REUTERS
Surprise from Ekitike
But it turns out that Ekitike - who was ridiculed as a bad signing for Liverpool - is integrating well with the team with a record of 5 goals, 1 assist after 9 matches. Actually, that is only a temporary number for a contract worth more than 100 million USD. Ekitike is praised because he is not expected too much.
Wirtz and Isak, on the other hand, have felt the pressure of criticism. Fans can sympathize with Isak, who only joined the team on transfer deadline day and lacked fitness and time to adapt. But Wirtz has had the best preparation.
Of course, 8 games is still too early to judge a star who is expected for the long term future. But since Wirtz is worth over 100 million USD, he must of course face the pressure of expectation. And for coach Slot, he has been approved by the board to spend an amount equal to half of the 9-year era of coach Klopp. The pressure is even greater.
Remember, the stars who carried Liverpool to the Premier League title last season were Salah, Van Dijk and Alisson - purely players who were nurtured by Jurgen Klopp. Now it is time for Slot to show his own style.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/den-luc-ong-slot-the-hien-chat-rieng-20251002100840847.htm
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