Nagelsmann Defends Wirtz's Liverpool Form Dip

Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann defended Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz on Monday, attributing the 22-year-old's slow start in the Premier League to the club's instability and his teammates' failure to convert chances he creates. Nagelsmann spoke ahead of Germany's World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Slovakia, where Wirtz has been called up despite his lack of goals or assists in 11 league appearances for the defending champions.

Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in a club-record transfer worth around 116 million pounds during the summer window. The move was part of a busy offseason for the Reds, who also signed Alexander Isak for 130 million pounds from Newcastle United, along with Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike. Expectations were high for Liverpool to dominate the Premier League, but the team has faltered, suffering five losses in their first 11 matches and sitting eighth in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal entering the international break.

The German international's struggles came into sharp focus after Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, where Wirtz managed just 39 touches and failed to create a...