Bayern Munich’s Uli Hoeness takes dig at Liverpool: ‘I feel terribly sorry for Florian Wirtz’

Liverpool secured a valuable 2-0 win away to West Ham in Matchweek 13. In the game, record signing Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for the Reds, while Florian Wirtz also delivered a superb performance.

Wirtz was one of many star signings at Anfield this summer, as Liverpool reportedly spent around €500 million to strengthen their team. Despite the hefty investment, the reigning champions still endure such a poor start. They have suffered 9 defeats from their last 12 matches in all competions.

Speaking at a conference in Munich, former FC Bayern president Uli Hoeness shared his thoughts on Liverpool and Florian Wirtz. The 73-year-old defended Wirtz, suggesting that the German forward is being held back by Liverpool’s many individualistic players.

“They spent €500 million and are having a disastrous season. In my opinion, that’s because they only have superstars. They only have ‘chiefs’ and no ‘workers’,” Hoeneß said. 

“I always say that Liverpool will soon have to play with five balls because the stars won’t let go of the ball. Poor Florian Wirtz, he doesn’t even get a ball because [Mohamed] Salah and [Dominik] Szoboszlai and all the others want to play on their own.”

“Apparently, Slot promised him something that he’s now clearly not keeping. He promised him he’d get the number 10 shirt and that he’d build a new team around him. That was rubbish”, Hoeness added. “He got the number 7 shirt, and the new team is clearly not playing around Florian Wirtz. I feel terribly sorry for him. Everything went through him in Leverkusen. In Liverpool, he gets five passes in a half, and if he loses the ball twice, he gets a bad rating”

During the summer, Bayern Munich expressed strong interest in Wirtz and were determined to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen. However, the German star chose to come to Liverpool for a reported fee of €125 million.

Since joining the Reds, Wirtz struggled to gain his best form. The 22-year-old has yet to register a goal or assist in the Premier League for the defending champions.