Nagelsmann defends Wirtz: “Someone could actually convert the chances he creates”

Julian Nagelsmann has defended Florian Wirtz against the criticism he has faced in England.

Since moving to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, Florian Wirtz has faced criticism in England for struggling to live up to his €132 million price tag.

At a press conference on Monday, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann was asked about the 22-year-old’s performances in England and responded:

“He still needs a bit of time. At the end of the day, I can’t influence his performances at Liverpool. In October, he took steps in the right direction in terms of his intensity on the pitch. It wasn’t quite as high in September.

“We all know what he’s capable of. We can’t expect him to perform at the same level for three years straight. We all need to help him together so he can clear his head.”

Nagelsmann came to the German international’s defence, pointing out that the chances he creates aren’t being converted and that the overall situation at Liverpool is not making things any easier for him.

“Someone could actually convert the chances he creates at Liverpool once in a while. That would be an idea. He doesn’t create very few chances, they just seem to enjoy not putting them away. That’s also part of the truth,” Nagelsmann stressed.

“They were super stable last year, playing very attractive football. Then a few players left, and they invested a lot of money,” he added.

“Each of the five attacking players expects to be the star. The overall situation doesn’t make it easy for Flo.”