Wirtz sends blunt message after Fulham as Liverpool are left wanting more | OneFootball

Liverpool’s latest Premier League outing offered encouragement and frustration in equal measure, but the post-match words from one of our newest signings may matter most.

Florian Wirtz was left unimpressed after the 2-2 draw with Fulham, despite rescuing a point and extending our unbeaten run to nine matches in all competitions.

Speaking via Liverpoolfc.com after full-time, the German playmaker made it clear that draws are not what we are aiming for right now.

“Not satisfied at all,” the former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder admitted. “We need points, we wanted three points.”

That tone tells its own story.

Wirtz reaction highlights Liverpool frustration after Fulham

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

The 22-year-old, wearing our No.7, thought he had been ruled out for offside after he finished a flowing move, only for VAR to intervene.

Wirtz later explained he did not even celebrate initially, saying: “I was sure it was offside, so I didn’t even celebrate.”

The decision stood, with semi-automated offside technology giving the benefit of the doubt, a situation explained in detail by BBC Sport’s Dale Johnson when analysing why goals like this are now allowed to stand.

Though the frustration came later.

A 97th-minute strike from Harrison Reed denied us what would have been a vital away win, cancelling out Cody Gakpo’s late finish.

Wirtz was honest about the wider implications. “We are in a bit of a difficult situation now because we drew two times,” he said. “That’s not what we want – we want more.”

That sense of wanting more also connects naturally to Arne Slot’s explanation of how carefully minutes are being managed for both Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, given the physical demands of a relentless schedule.

Liverpool second-half response shows where Wirtz fits

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

If there was encouragement, it came after the break.

The former Bundesliga Player of the Year was central to our improvement, scoring and driving us higher up the pitch as intensity increased.

“I think the intensity we brought on the pitch in the second half was much better,” he explained. “In the first half, we didn’t press them well.”

“We have to get better,” he said. “It’s still a process.”

For us, that process now moves quickly, with Arsenal next, and little margin for letting control slip again.

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