Andy Robertson leaps to the defence of ‘really special’ Liverpool star after Sky pundit’s jibe | OneFootball

Andy Robertson has jumped to the defence of one ‘really special’ Liverpool player who’s been in the firing line for criticism lately.

In the aftermath of the Reds’ 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Sunday, Jamie Carragher called for Florian Wirtz to be dropped from the starting XI, believing that the German hasn’t done enough to warrant his place in the side.

The £100m playmaker scored just seven times in 49 outings during his debut campaign at Anfield and has one assist to show for six appearances in the first month of this season.

Robertson backs Wirtz to become a success at Liverpool

While Robertson acknowledged that the 23-year-old still needs to prove himself in English football, he also claimed that Wirtz hasn’t been helped by the profligacy of his teammates from the chances that he created for them.

On the latest episode of Stick to Football, the Scot said of Liverpool’s number 7: “I see a really special footballer, but I know he’s got to prove he can do it in the Premier League. At times last season he would put a ball on a plate for somebody and they wouldn’t score – he needs people to score.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“Mo [Salah] had his worst season in terms of goals, Cody [Gakpo] didn’t score as many as he could have on the left, [Alexander] Isak was injured a lot, and Hugo [Ekitike] did well, to be fair to him.

“He could easily have ended up with 10 or 12 assists last season [he actually had 10 in all competitions]. He’ll know he needs more. He’s really hungry as a player and he wants to be the best. He’s got the attitude and mentality to go and do it.”

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Wirtz wasn’t helped by his teammates at times last season

Robertson makes a valid point about some of the chances created by Wirtz not being converted by his teammates – one such example was the German’s delightful flick towards Salah in the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, only for the Egyptian to miss the target with his subsequent shot.

The playmaker wasn’t helped by Isak’s long-term injury or a loss of form from some of the other forwards at Anfield, although fans would still have felt justified in expecting a higher output from a £100m signing who’d been so prolific for a double-winning Bayer Leverkusen side.

Considering some of the fierce criticism which has come his way, the 23-year-old will need to show the requisite mental resilience to block that out and silence his doubters in the best way possible – by making a decisive impact in the final third of the pitch.

It’s worth remembering that Salah and Kevin De Bruyne weren’t instant successes in English football before going on to become legendary figures at Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, and it might yet be the same for Wirtz.

The German would be wise to heed Robertson’s words about maintaining the desire and self-belief to grow into a genuine superstar at Anfield. He could do with showing that sooner rather than later, but we’ve no doubt that he has the pure footballing ability to become a hugely influential player for the Reds.