Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former d Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has given his thoughts on whether Wirtz can become a key figure at the club, the pressure to win trophies and earmarks a surprise name who could replace Salah at the club this summer.
Johnson has also spoken on whether Szoboszlai c ould be suited for the #10 role, reflects on his comparisons with former teammate Steven Gerrard and if Mamardashvili will replace Alisson in net this summer.
Florian Wirtz
Will Wirtz Lead Liverpool To A Premier League?
There were definitely more positive signs coming out of Florian Wirtz . Even when he was under a lot of pressure at the beginning, I was still seeing things in games where you'd think, ‘No, this boy can play.’ It just wasn't happening for him for whatever reason. So, yeah, it's great to see him living up to that potential if you like. Hopefully, this momentum will see him through to a great pre-season, and then, hopefully, he'll start the full season where he's finishing off now.
Because, like I say, you've seen some games where you can see his class. But then obviously, as we all saw, there were games where he was missing. So the fewer of those games we have, the better. And obviously, flair players like that have that, they can go missing for two or three games, and then they look like a world-beater for the next three or four because the way they see certain things has to kind of fall into place for them to be able to do that. So that's why they can look like they're playing terribly, but they're actually not. It's just the game squeezing them out or whatever it is.
Pressure To Win Trophies
Florian Wirtz can't win the league on his own, but you definitely pay that much money for him to be a big piece towards winning things. Obviously, he can't win it on his own, so you need the team and the other players of a similar standard to do that. But yeah, absolutely. You don't pay that sort of money for players when you think you need another eight players.
You pay that sort of money for someone when you think it's the final piece of the puzzle, and then you know you're going to go and compete. So, I think it'd be harsh to say he's a failure because there could be many other reasons why they wouldn't win the league or why they lose the Champions League or whatever it possibly is. But for him to sort of live up to it and for everyone to say how good he was in a Liverpool shirt, they probably need to win some big trophies under his name.”
Mohamed Salah
Should Salah Step-up?
Is Florian Wirtz’s injury an opportunity for other players to step up? That's what you have these squads for. You get injuries, the timing of injuries can be important, but the players that are on the fringes need to be ready to step in. Even more so at a club like Liverpool because it's almost like it doesn't matter who starts, they're expected to win. And obviously, if you've got a player like Mohamed Salah that you can call upon, then you're doing something right.
Kulusevski To Replace Salah?
Dejan Kulusevski , a replacement for Mohamed Salah ? Potentially. You know, you've seen him sort of glide past them like they're not moving. So he definitely has that ability that can create something out of nothing.
That skill, you can't teach that. So he's definitely got ability. If they were to go down, and he was available on the cheap, then yeah, you could understand why someone would take a risk and why not Liverpool ?
Dominik Szoboszlai
Szoboszlai For #10 Role?
Dominik Szoboszlai is a proper footballer in the sense that he can play anywhere. He's got a fantastic football brain, and he's good at adapting to different roles. He has his own style, but he's very good at focusing on the role he's being asked to do. He's a very good technical player.
So, for someone like him, playing around a number 10, floating around, working in spaces, and doing what he feels is right at the time, then yeah, I definitely think that role could suit him.
Is Szoboszlai The "New" Gerrard?
I can see slight similarities between Szoboszlai and Gerrard . With Stevie , we all knew his role, but he could play anywhere. And when Szoboszlai signed, I thought that during the period when they signed him and a few others, he's the most exciting one for me.
Now he's kicking on even more. But with Stevie , it's hard for anyone to be compared to Stevie . He's been there, done it, been one of the all-time greats in the Premier League across a 15-year spell.
That's not a criticism of Szoboszlai . I think he's doing great. I think Stevie was Stevie , and that's hard to compare. But yeah, the way he's playing, he's a fantastic player. He's winning games and controlling games, heavily involved in games. So, yeah, he's without a doubt one of the first names on the team sheet for me.
Next Liverpool Keeper
Has Giorgi Mamardashvili shown enough to suggest he can replace Alisson if he leaves? It's a tough one because you can't really write somebody off until they're given a chance. And obviously, for Mamardashvili to come in, stop, start, because obviously keepers do, it's one of those where you almost have to give him half a season and see.
Obviously, Alisson would be a loss, for obvious reasons, but good things do come to an end, and players get older and want to move on. Obviously, age isn't as important for a keeper, but if his time is looking to come to an end, then obviously Mamardashvili will come in, and we'll have to see what he can do.
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