Arne Slot has been urged not to rush two Liverpool summer signings back into the starting lineup after the Reds snapped their losing streak at the weekend.
After losing four Premier League games in a row, Liverpool got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
And while still not at their fluent best, the result provided a welcome boost to Slot, who had seen his side lose six of their previous seven games in all competitions in a run of form which even saw his future called into question.
The Dutchman was backed to the tune of around £450million over the summer transfer window, but has experienced plenty of teething issues as he looks to integrate his new players into his lineup.
Florian Wirtz, who joined for a mammoth £116m fee from Bayer Leverkusen, started Liverpool’s first five games of the season but has been relegated to the bench for three of their last four league encounters.
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In the German’s place, Slot has reverted to the midfield three of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominic Szoboszlai, who were the heartbeat of Liverpool’s title-winning side last year.
And former Reds winger Jermaine Pennant believes Slot should be in no rush to bring Wirtz back into the lineup, but is confident the midfielder will prove his worth before too long.
‘I think because Liverpool were in a rut and a horrible losing streak, they clearly needed to go back to basics and then bleed him in slowly,’ Pennant told Metro via casino.org who showcase the best gambling sites in the UK.
‘It’s a new country, it’s a new league, it’s quicker, more physical, it’s more demanding on the body, you get less time. It’s a totally different experience.
‘There are a lot of players who come to this league and find it very difficult, and maybe sometimes even need a season. But I think Liverpool need to get this foundation back again, and Wirtz will come into that frame slowly but surely.
‘They just need to get in a winning way, and then when he’s on the pitch, and then they keep a clean sheet, and then they start winning again, I’m sure he will also find a place in the team without a shadow of a doubt because it’s too good not to.’
Sunday’s win against Villa also saw Andy Robertson return to the lineup for his first league start of the season.
Milos Kerkez had replaced the Scot after signing from Bournemouth for £40m in the summer, but has looked a noticeable weak point in Liverpool’s defence throughout the opening portion of the season.
The Hungarian international was described as a ‘nervous wreck’ by former Reds midfielder Jamie Redknapp when Liverpool lost to United last month,and Pennant believes Slot is right to fall back on the experience of Robertson for the time being.
‘With him in that defence, the cohesion is there,’ he added. ‘They’ve played together for multiple years. They’ve won the league together.
‘So, for me right now, that’s like a stopgap. It’s like, stop the bleeding, and let’s go back to what we know, and we know can work.
‘It’s not the end goal. I think once the team’s confident again, once the team’s getting back-to-back results and maybe back to my clean sheets, we will start seeing a little bit of tweak, integrating the other players like Kerkez back slowly.
‘But right now, when you’re in, I won’t say a crisis, but in a difficult period, it’s always good to go back to what you know.’
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