ARSENE WENGER slammed Liverpool’s decision to agree to Florian Wirtz’s demands to be played in a central role after it has “destroyed their midfield”.
The Germany playmaker headed to Anfield in a deal worth up to £116million in June, which shattered the British transfer record before teammate Alexander Isak’s last-minute arrival.
Florian Wirtz has been struggling for Liverpool since his big-money moveCredit: Getty
Alexis Mac Allister’s header was enough to beat Real MadridCredit: Getty
But he has struggled to rediscover the form that spearheaded Bayer Leverkusen to Bundesliga glory in the 2023/24 season.
is still searching for his first goal or assist in the Premier League and has been forced to spend spells on the bench as boss Arne Slot continues attempting to bring the best out of him.
But the 22-year-old was given a starting role for on Tuesday, which came courtesy of Alexis Mac Allister grabbing the winner, before being replaced by Federico Chiesa in the closing stages.
Former Arsenal chief Wenger, who is Fifa’s chief of global football development, has claimed that Wirtz only chose to join instead of German giants Bayern Munich because he was given assurances that he would be deployed in his preferred position behind the striker.
But the three-time Premier League title-winning manager says allowing Wirtz to get his way has unsettled the Reds’ midfield, leading to them playing catch-up in their bid to defend their top flight crown.
, speaking on beIN Sports , said: “Liverpool is an interesting example. When Wirtz had the choice between going to Bayern Munich or to Liverpool, he said to Liverpool, ‘I’ll come to you if I play No10. I do not want to play wide’.
“Liverpool, to get him, said okay. So they destroyed their midfield because their midfield was [Ryan] Gravenberch, Mac Allister and [Dominik] Szoboszlai. To play Wirtz, they took Szoboszlai out.
“What have they done against Aston Villa? They come back to their normal midfield of last year. Tonight, they play Wirtz, but I’m sure that Wirtz will play on the side because the manager has said, ‘if you want to play again, you have to play wide because I do not want to disturb the midfield’.
“That will be interesting to see tonight. Wirtz is back in the team but certainly will have to play on the left, where he played when he was at Leverkusen.”
Wenger was proved right as Wirtz went on to play on the left-hand side of Liverpool’s attack.
Szoboszlai has featured at right-back at various stages this term, as Liverpool continue adapting to life without Trent Alexander-Arnold, but he formed a formidable trio with Gravenberch and Mac Allister as they lifted the Premier League title in Slot’s first season at the helm.
have come after he made a promising start by grabbing an assist in the Community Shield clash with Crystal Palace a matter of weeks after his move.
He also notched two goal contributions during Liverpool’s 5-1 thumping of Eintracht Frankfurt last month, but he has only been named in the starting line-up six times in the Premier League after being unable to make an instant impact.
The Reds’ win over Real Madrid allowed them to climb into the top six during the league phase of the Champions League, with games against PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan, Marseille and Qarabag still to come.
Liverpool have now registered back-to-back wins for the first time since September and will be looking to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal when they face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Arsene Wenger had his say on the German playmakerCredit: Splash 
