I was at Anfield for Atletico madness and Florian Wirtz cannot start the Merseyside derby

Liverpool’s 3-2 win against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League was another drama-fuelled affair for Arne Slot.

Marcos Llorente replicated his showing against the Reds in 2020 and scored another brace at Anfield as the hosts surrendered another two-goal advantage.

Virgil van Dijk’s 92nd-minute header snatched the three points in the Champions League opener, marking the third occasion in which the Reds have relied on late goals to rescue results.

Considering that Liverpool secured a two-goal lead inside the first ten minutes at Anfield, it is becoming a serious cause for concern that the Premier League champions cannot seem to move up the gears.

Sat in the lower tier of the Anfield Road stand, not far from the travelling Atletico support, I got my first glimpse of Florian Wirtz in the flesh – and what I saw was damning.

Florian Wirtz looked lost for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid

Indeed, Arne Slot defended Wirtz from criticism in his post-match press conference following the chaotic scenes that unfolded at Anfield, but his displays have now reached a point where it is impossible to deny he has underwhelmed.

On far too many occasions, I saw Wirtz look weak in the duel, make the wrong decision in attacks, and play underhit passes that were swept up by the opposition.

I had the perfect view of when Wirtz raced into the Atletico Madrid box, rounded Jan Oblak, and as Anfield, myself included, held their breath believing this was the moment he would open his Liverpool account, he took a heavy touch and Jeremie Frimpong missed the chance.

That moment summed up what was another disappointing showing from the German and underlined the bigger issue facing him on Merseyside – Wirtz looks devoid of all confidence.

While Liverpool are the favourites heading into the Merseyside derby, Everton look transformed under David Moyes and have started the season in impressive form.

Undoubtedly, Moyes will be telling his players to get stuck in at Anfield. Having grown up watching the derby from a young age and remembering the fierce encounters with Moyes’ old Everton side, I cannot envision a scenario in which Wirtz is not overrun on Saturday.

Arne Slot must drop Florian Wirtz against Everton

However, the dilemma runs much deeper than just dropping Wirtz to give him a respite after an unimpressive start in English football.

Alexis Mac Allister, who replaced Cody Gakpo just before the hour mark, resembled Ryan Gravenberch’s cameo against Paris Saint-Germain – he was not ready to return to the pitch after his injury setback.

And with Curtis Jones also sidelined for the Reds, it may be that Slot has no other choice but to field Wirtz and hope for the best, but this would certainly give Everton an advantage in a hotly contested clash.

There is an alternative solution. Slot could name a midfield duo of Dominik Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, go all guns blazing, and select both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike to start alongside each other.

Fans from both sides of the Merseyside divide will agree that the Blues do not have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Liverpool, and should the new centre forwards deliver at Anfield, Wirtz could enter the pitch in Isak’s place and hopefully rediscover his best form.

Although I have the utmost confidence that Wirtz will soon prove the critics, including myself, wrong and become the player we all know he can be, I believe it is in his best interests to sit this one out and look to make an impact off the bench.

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