Germany boss hints Liverpool’s Wirtz lacking fight after Slovakia loss | OneFootball

Liverpool’s record signing Florian Wirtz was in the headlines as Germany suffered a humiliating 2-0 defeat to Slovakia in World Cup qualifying.

Nagelsmann questions mentality after Germany loss

(Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

For the first time in history, the German national team lost a World Cup qualifier away from home, as goals from David Hancko and Lukas Strelec sealed the shock result.

Despite injury fears in the build up to the fixture, our former record signing played the full duration of the national embarrassment.

But the German coach Julian Nagelsmann was furious after the match, telling Bild: “I don’t want to hear the word ‘quality’ anymore; it’s about the emotions.

“We selected the best players from Germany, but perhaps we should rely on less quality, on players who give their all.”

The 38-year-old boss continued: “Everyone has to understand that we have to approach a game like this like a Champions League semi-final.

“It’s not enough to just play with the handbrake on, not even against them. If we can’t get this emotionality right, then we can close the book. Quality doesn’t matter.”

Although Wirtz wasn’t named directly, his turnover in midfield led to Slovakia’s second goal, and Nagelsmann’s frustration at his team’s lack of “fight” puts extra spotlight on our new No.7.

Why this matters for Liverpool and Wirtz

(Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Wirtz, who joined us from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m this summer, played the full 90 minutes and even recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.2 – the second-highest in the German side.

For us, Wirtz has already shown glimpses of his class and fits perfectly into Arne Slot’s system, though Nagelsmann questioned his form for the Reds.

The midfielder remains central to Germany’s plans, yet his mentality has been tested just as his Liverpool career begins.

This summer’s rebuild saw the Reds also bring in Alexander Isak from Newcastle and in these two players the club have shown huge faith, with large transfer fees.

The hope is that Wirtz will quickly put this German disappointment behind him, bounce back against Conor Bradley’s Northern Ireland this weekend and focus on helping us defend our Premier League crown.

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