Liverpool pin hopes on Ekitiké and Wirtz duo to turn season around | OneFootball

The growing synergy between Hugo Ekitiké and Florian Wirtz, two of the main signings of the season, has reignited hope among Liverpool fans, who are counting on them to reverse the disastrous start to the 'Reds' season.

The French forward (23 years old) and the German midfielder (22 years old) arrived at Anfield as two of the key reinforcements to rejuvenate Liverpool, which had no worthy rivals in the English Championship last season.

But the enormous amount invested by the club, more than 500 million dollars (R$ 2.64 billion at the current exchange rate) in the summer, did not translate into good results in the first few months and certainly did not match the level of play presented by the 'Reds' last season.

Ekitiké was the quickest to adapt among the new signings and, so far, has already scored 12 goals (in all competitions) in 29 matches.

The former Bayer Leverkusen player faced much more difficulties, to the point of losing his starting position and generating doubts among fans about whether Wirtz was really worth the more than 150 million dollars (R$ 793.5 million) paid for the German national team player.

He did not score in his first 22 matches for the 'Reds', but has already found the net four times in the last seven games.

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Compared to Gerrard-Torres

More importantly, the midfielder has shown in recent weeks a perfect harmony with Ekitiké, who took on the striker position due to Alexander Isak's injury.

“We could even make a comparison with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, who developed an almost telepathic connection during their time at Liverpool in the late 2000s,” enthused This Is Anfield, a site dedicated to fans of the English club.

The Franco-German duo particularly impressed against Barnsley, a modest third-division club whom Liverpool defeated 4-1 last week in the FA Cup.

The German scored a stunning goal (his team's third) after a one-two with Ekitiké, who returned the ball with a backheel, and the number 9 sealed the rout after receiving a cross from the midfielder.

Wirtz “breathes football”

In an interview with Sky Sports, the French player (with 6 national team call-ups) praised his teammate: “I love the way he plays,” he declared, describing him as an artist with the ball and “someone who lives and breathes football.”

“I think we speak the same language in football, that's why the partnership works so well. We just needed time to play together, to become even stronger, to create even stronger bonds, and to play good football,” added Ekitiké, who will have another opportunity to showcase his synergy with his teammate against Bournemouth this Saturday.

“The connection with my teammates is very good now. We understand each other better and I can feel it. It gives me more confidence and makes the game more enjoyable,” said the Frenchman after scoring again against Burnley (1-1) last weekend.

Unstoppable Arsenal

Precisely this draw, the fourth in a row, seems to have definitively distanced the 'Reds' from the title race, especially considering that the leader Arsenal has proven to be practically unbeatable so far.

The 'Gunners', who have 50 points, 14 more than Liverpool, will host Manchester United on Sunday, who are just one point behind Liverpool and come from a victory in the derby against Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Manchester City and Aston Villa (second and third place, both with 43 points) will face Wolverhampton and Newcastle, respectively, in search of the consistency needed to challenge Arsenal in the title race.

*By AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.