One ‘ultimate’ example shows why hyperbolic criticism of Florian Wirtz is wildly premature | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz has already had to endure some stinging criticism in the early weeks of his Liverpool career.

The Reds smashed their transfer record to sign the 22-year-old from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116m deal in June (that fee has since been exceeded with the arrival of Alexander Isak), although the German is without a goal or assist in his last eight matches for his new club.

Jamie Carragher took aim at our number 7 after the midweek to Galatasaray, claiming that he’s ‘not at the races at all‘, although former Germany manager Rudi Voller expressed his firm confidence that the summer signing will soon silence his critics in this country.

Wirtz ‘007’ criticism derided as ‘deeply flawed’

Wirtz has also been the recipient of ‘007’ jibes on social media, a childish insult for deriding players who fail to register a goal contribution in their first seven games at a new club, and an article by Conor O’Neill for The Athletic explored why such hyperbolic criticism is ridiculously premature.

No fewer than 75 previous forwards in the Premier League era were without a goal or assist after seven matches in the division (minimum four starts), including a certain Thierry Henry, who went on to score 175 times in the English top flight and set up a further 74 goals.

In a post on X sharing that article, The Athletic stated: ‘The ‘007’ insult is being used to discredit Florian Wirtz and other players who start slowly in the Premier League, but Thierry Henry is the ultimate proof that judging players’ goals and assists return after seven matches is deeply flawed.’

Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill /Allsport

Wirtz can take heart from Henry’s record-breaking exploits

Considering what Arsenal’s legendary former no.14 went on to achieve at the club, it’s easy to forget that he didn’t hit the ground running under Arsene Wenger upon his arrival from Juventus in 1999.

Unlike Wirtz, Henry had the benefit of avoiding ‘trial by social media’ given that such platforms didn’t exist at the time. Imagine if they had, though, and imagine how daft some online trolls would now look if they’d written him off as a bad debt so early into his time in north London.

Yes, the German hasn’t yet had the impact at Liverpool that we’d have liked. Yes, the fee for which he was signed brings with it a pressure to perform instantly rather than being afforded the scope to settle in at a new club in a foreign country at a young age.

However, some of the criticism of the Reds’ number 7 has been way over the top – and not just from vacuous social media users whose only purpose is to provoke.

Wirtz need only look at Henry as the most famous example of a newcomer to the Premier League who wasn’t an overnight success but had the confidence and ability to become one of the greatest players the division has ever seen.

In time, hopefully the wider world will look back upon his time at Liverpool with the same reverence that’s afforded to Arsenal’s record goalscorer.