German media react to Florian Wirtz as Liverpool star suffers shock defeat

German media react to Florian Wirtz as Liverpool star suffers shock defeat - 'superstar crisis'

How the German media reacted to Liverpool £116m signing Florian Wirtz's performance in Germany's 2-0 defeat to Slovakia in FIFA World Cup qualifying

Liverpool's £116m signing Florian Wirtz suffered a shock defeat with Germany as they opened their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on Thursday night. The four-time world champions were beaten 2-0 by Slovakia in Bratislava.

Wirtz had arrived into September's international break without a goal or assist in any of his first three Premier League appearances, as he continues to settle following his mega-money move from Bayer Leverkusen. Unfortunately for the new Liverpool star, he was unable to turn his fortunes around in a more familiar environment.

Germany were forced into World Cup qualifying because they failed to win the UEFA Nations League in home soil this summer, now defeat to Slovakia is the country's first ever in an away qualifier. Below is a look at how members of the German press reported on the midfielder's performance.

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In a report healined 'superstar crisis', Yannick Huber and Paul Grotenburg of Sport BILD wrote: "After the DFB debacle, Florian Wirtz crept silently to the stadium exit. Like almost all stars, he left the catacombs through the side entrance, his eyes lowered. His frustration was clearly visible as he walked to the DFB team bus.

"A scene from the match shows just how hard Wirtz is struggling: 41st minute in Bratislava: Losing the ball in the opponent's half. Instead of pursuing, Wirtz goes head-to-head with Ondrej Duda! Left-back David Hancko grabs the ball, combines with David Strelec, and scores himself to make it 0-1. Jubilation from the Slovakians, bewilderment from the German national team.

"Since his mega-transfer to Liverpool, things haven't been going well. Wirtz hasn't impressed at either club or national team. He was supposed to lead the attack in the absence of Jamal Musiala (broken leg), but against Slovakia, he was almost invisible.

"Only in the 13th and 32nd minutes did he appear dangerous, otherwise the 140 million (Euro) man remained pale.

"Things are also faltering at Liverpool. In the Premier League, Wirtz often appears pale, not yet integrated. Against Arsenal, he limped off after 88 minutes with a 'stiff leg'. At least: Against Arsenal, Wirtz played his best competitive game so far in a Liverpool shirt. He was particularly impressive in the second half: 46 touches, 100 percent successful dribbles, 71 percent won tackles. There's still room for improvement – but the direction is right.

"Now the fans hope that Wirtz will make an impact in Liverpool and at the DFB – ideally on Sunday in the World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland in Cologne."

Peter Ahrens for Der Spiegel reported: "If he hadn't been there, it's unthinkable. Wirtz also performed below his potential, yet he was the source of inspiration.

"He dribbled, played his way into the Slovakian penalty area, and was involved in almost every dangerous situation. There just weren't that many of them. And: His loss of possession led to the 0-1 goal."

And Claudio Catuogno said for SZ: "Appeared completely unexpectedly in the 32nd minute under a cloak of invisibility: Wow, Wirtz is playing too!

"He then swirled around several opponents like Felix Neureuther once did around the slalom corners, shot (saved...) and immediately continued swirling until the referee blew his whistle for something. Spectacular! But not much else will be remembered from this game about what made Wirtz one of the hottest football stocks on the planet.

"He failed to get into the spaces his teammates expected him to be in. He even missed the 0-1, which had been preceded by his loss of the ball, because he was shoving and trash-talking two Slovaks like a teenager in front of a disco. What... conceded?

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