David Bentley has offered his backing to Florian Wirtz, calling on Liverpool to do a better job accommodating the £116m summer signing comparing him to former Real Madrid legend Luka Modric.
Florian Wirtz is one of Liverpool’s most talked about players, but usually for all the wrong reasons. The 22-year-old has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and popular opinion is that he has so far failed to live up to his expensive transfer fee.
European football expert Andy Brassell recently ranked him seventh out of 10 Bundesliga arrivals in England on talkSPORT, one position below Jeremie Frimpong.
However, Sky Sports pundit David Bentley believes Wirtz is a top player who is not directly responsible for Liverpool’s struggles this season.
When asked if Wirtz was being given unfair criticism, Bentley said: “I think he is. He’s a very technically gifted player, unbelievable to watch when he receives the ball. All the kids out there, if you’re watching, you’re watching a player that scans a pitch, scans before he receives the ball. He’s so naturally gifted on the ball.”
Bentley has refused to blame Wirtz for his lacklustre performances, but has instead taken aim at Liverpool’s attacking setup.
He believes Liverpool are still learning how to play without players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, which is impacting how much of a threat Wirtz can be.
“But Liverpool are going through a bit of a sort of transitional period in the way they’re playing,” Bentley continued. “A lot of their attacks were built from the full backs.Trent’s gone, he used to start attacks and [Mohamed] Salah as well.
“They need to sort of redefine the way they sort of play as a team, and how they play for him when he’s in the hole, you’re going to have to as a team. Everyone’s got to be geared up to give him the ball in good areas and then feed off him and make the runs.
“I think he’s slightly unlucky of where Liverpool we’re at now, within this transitional period that you’re not really seeing the best of him, but he’s an unbelievable player. He’s so talented. Fans and pundits and that, we have to stick by him.”
Bentley was then asked about whether there are similarities between Wirtz and his former Tottenham teammate Luka Modric.
The Croatioan was sometimes played out wide, away from his natural position, but he came good for Spurs before establishing himself as one of the best in the world at Real Madrid.
“Yeah exactly, the same when Modric came through the door, unbelievable,” Bentley said.
“Exactly the same way he receives the ball, he scans. He knows what he’s doing before he gets a ball unbelievably technically. A gifted player. He can set the tempo and the tone of a football match.”
Bentley also drew comparisons between Wirtz and Xavi Simons, who Tottenham signed from RB Leipzig in the summer. Like Wirtz, he naturally plays as an attacking midfielder, but was initially played on the wing where he struggled to have an impact.
Simons has been starting in a central role more recently and his performances have noticeably improved in recent weeks, so the same could be true of Wirtz if his role is adapted.
Bentley said: “And you have to stick with Xavi Simons that at Tottenham, very similar. They’re pushing him out wide. He’s gonna have to adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League.
“When you play in the Premier League, that’s one thing when you’re up against sort of physically capable players. Everyone’s physically capable, and it takes you time to adapt and to find your feet.”
It can take time for players to get used to the style of the English game and this is also true for adapting to a new country and city.
Bentley has admitted he did not recognise how hard it was for foreign players coming to the Premier League when he was a player. However, his viewpoint has changed, as he now ackonwledges the challenges which come with such a move.
He added: Well, you’ve got to think about as well, they’ve got their families. They’ve got to come in, they’ve got to adapt to a new culture, a new way of living. I’ve got full respect for the guys.
“When I was playing, I probably didn’t respect it as much, but they’ve got to adapt to that, not only the football, but the lifestyle.
“And certainly players that are that technically gifted, they have to be in a good place. The team have to feed them the ball. They have to be there receiving it in good areas. They’re just not players that are going to run around and fly into tackles and so on. You have to give them the ball. You have to give them room to play.”
Germany manager Julian Naglesmann has made similar remarks and has taken aim at Wirtz’s Liverpool teammates, rather than the player himself. Wirtz is in his national’s team squad, as they face Luxembourg and Slovakia in World Cup qualifying during the international break.
Liverpool return to action on November 22, with Nottingham Forest making the visit to Anfield as Wirtz looks for his first Premier League goal contribution.
