Liverpool were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Leeds United, which surely has Arne Slot pondering dropping one of his underperforming stars. It was yet more misery against the Peacocks after their Elland Road meeting ended in a 3-3 draw last month.
The Reds looked to have turned a corner recently after winning three in a row to close out the year. But they were frustrated by a resilient Leeds side who defended well at Anfield and left Slot scratching his head.
Virgil van Dijk came closest to scoring when he rose highest in the 69th minute to head the ball just wide of Lucas Perri’s goal. It was just the second time the Merseysiders have failed to score in a league game this season, and one of their attackers looked off the pace.
Liverpool 0-0 Leeds: Woeful Wirtz Gives Slot a Headache
The Kop were confident that Florian Wirtz had put his difficult start to his Liverpool career behind him when he finally scored his first goal for the club. He netted in a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend and looked the part for Slot’s side.
The German attacker has come under immense scrutiny since arriving at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116 million deal. He has failed to reach expectations and tonight’s display suggests he’s still not fully adapted to Premier League football.
Wirtz had an opportunity to put his side in front in the first half but fired way wide before wasting another chance when he lost possession as the Reds broke forward. That was one of 15 times he spurned possession and he was also ineffective trying to get the ball off of Leeds, winning one of three tackles.
The 22-year-old is still young and has plenty of potential, but consistency is lacking after shining against Wolves. His poor showing lasted 66th minute before Slot opted to bring Cody Gakpo on in his place.
‘Shocking’ – Liverpool Fans Slam Wirtz
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Wirtz’s price tag means he’s constantly under the microscope and he was in the firing line after Slot’s men dropped points against Leeds. His performance was viewed as ‘shocking’ by pundits and fans alike.
The United Stand’s Mark Goldbridge ripped into the German:
“Wirtz has been shocking so far.”
A Liverpool fan echoed this:
“Wirtz has been embarrassing today.”
One supporter joked:
“Wirtz is definitely drunk.”
Another asked:
“Is Wirtz hungover?”
Wirtz’s wasted chance in the first half riled up another fan:
“That’s so poor from Wirtz.”
