A jab at the Reds coach?Wirtz Nagelsmann’s statement concerns England
National coaches do what national coaches have to do. Julian Nagelsmann covers for the struggling Florian Wirtz. But this is strictly monitored on the island.
National coach Julian Nagelsmann is once again making headlines in England. Nagelsmann defended his national football player Florian Wirtz and explained that his crisis was also related to the general situation at Liverpool FC. The English-language press picked up on this statement a day later.
“Overall the club is less stable this year than last year. In other words, it is much more difficult to slip into it. Then, it is also difficult for Flo,” said Nagelsmann. It would help if “someone just took pictures of the things he presented,” Nagelsmann said, “because he didn’t prepare a few things. They just didn’t take pictures. That’s also part of the truth.”
This statement caused an uproar on the island. Tabloid “The Sun” wrote that Nagelsmann criticized the Liverpool star for making £116 million Wirtz look bad. The DFB star is still waiting for a goal or assist in the Premier League. The “Sun” went on to write that these two statistics do not tell the whole story, as Wirtz created the third most chances for Liverpool and himself had the fifth most shots on goal. So it’s definitely a bit unfortunate.
This is not the first time Nagelsmann has made headlines in the UK
The Daily Mail also interpreted Nagelsmann’s statement as a satire on the British media world and Liverpool coach Arne Slot. The national team coach asked Wirtz’s criticism to be a little more attentive. However, the situation facing the DFB star at Liverpool is not easy – a hat tip to Reds boss Slot, who is also responsible for that. The “Guardian” wrote that Nagelsmann shifted some of the blame for the Wirtz crisis onto his Liverpool colleagues – and above all, their poor performance and poor finishing.
The world of English football is currently concerned about the champions’ rapidly declining popularity. After a heavy 0-3 defeat against Manchester City at the weekend, Liverpool slipped to eighth place in the standings. At the heart of the crisis is also Wirtz, brought in from Leverkusen for around 150 million euros in the summer, along with record signing Alexander Isak, although the latter is increasingly falling short of his normal form. But even experienced top players like Mohamed Salah are currently catching up on their skills.
Nagelsmann himself only made headlines in England in October. Before the World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland, he praised the national team’s long ball style of play. Poisonous compliments were received on the island. National coach Michael O’Neill recalled that Northern Ireland football had come a long way from the “kick and rush” stereotype.
