Liverpool’s season took another hit on Sunday after they suffered a defeat to Manchester United at Anfield. The Red Devils celebrated their first victory away to the Reds since 2016, courtesy of a late header from Harry Maguire.
The 2-1 loss follows Chelsea’s win over the Reds prior to the international break. This disappointment was preceded by a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace a week earlier, while Slot’s squad also experienced a loss away to Galatasaray in the Champions League during their dismal run.
Liverpool entered the new season following an unprecedented spending spree that has seldom been witnessed at Anfield in recent times. The Reds invested a whopping £446m on players such as Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike.
Arne Slot has had to tackle several challenges this season already, ranging from unlocking Wirtz’s potential to managing injuries to Alisson Becker and Italian defender Leoni.
The ECHO takes a look at the latest news coming out of Anfield, with Wirtz told what he must do as tensions rise on the training pitch. The Reds are also rumoured to be circling Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.
Rumours suggest that Liverpool will target Bournemouth’s Semenyo in January. The Ghanaian international has caught the eye of potential suitors this season with nine goal contributions in seven Premier League appearances, including two goals against Liverpool.
While Semenyo remains tied to the Vitality Stadium until summer 2030, he’s believed to have a release clause in his deal. Nevertheless, the fee required to secure Semenyo’s services remains unclear, though speculation suggests it could reach around £75m.
According to talkSPORT, Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes is also a ‘big admirer’ of the player. Tottenham Hotspur have been strongly linked with the 25-year-old, but according to the i, it’s the Reds who are strongly considering a move to ‘push the button’ on a sensational move.
The apparent move for the forward comes over concerns for Mohamed Salah’s form. Two poor displays against Chelsea and United, have seen calls raised for the Egyptian to be dropped, and although the Reds icon does have three goals and three assists so far this season, he has been far from his best.
Robertson’s heated outburst during a sprint exercise featuring Cody Gakpo and Wirtz has been captured on film. The Scotsman’s exasperation perhaps summed up the prevailing atmosphere around Anfield as he unleashed an expletive-filled tirade, yelling: “f*** off” towards the coach supervising the drill before hurling a ball into the turf.
The drill in question was designed to assess reaction speeds, with players sprinting to a finishing line after retrieving a ball. Robertson was convinced he had won the exercise until told differently, causing him to slam his training ball into the ground.
While Robertson’s heated moment is undoubtedly just another demonstration of the fierce competitive spirit that elite footballers exhibit during daily training sessions, some supporters will inevitably interpret the brief footage as potentially signalling deeper problems at the Reds.
Nevertheless, the experienced left-back has been displaced by summer acquisition Milos Kerkez for most matches this campaign, suggesting his angry reaction might carry additional significance.
Dietmar Hamann has instructed Wirtz on what he must accomplish to revitalise his campaign. The £116m German talent has found it difficult to integrate into Arne Slot’s tactical approach so far.
Wirtz has managed only one assist across his 11 outings for the Reds to date, and he hasn’t registered a goal contribution since the Community Shield back in August. Wirtz now appears out of favour, finding himself relegated to the substitutes’ bench for both the Chelsea and United fixtures.
Although displaying glimpses of his ability, former Liverpool player Hamann has offered guidance to Wirtz regarding getting his career back on course.
“Confidence is low for Florian Wirtz,” ex-Liverpool midfielder Hamann told ESports News UK. “He’s performed adequately for the national team without excelling.
“You hope that one goal or one assist can change everything, but it hasn’t happened yet. He works hard when he starts, that’s not why he was brought in.
“He needs to impact the game in the final third, which he hasn’t done enough despite showing glimpses when coming on, but he needs that one unexpected moment – an assist or a goal – to get that monkey off his back. The longer it goes, the more people will talk and write about it, and his confidence will decline even further.”
