I’m not pretending Wirtz has been brilliant, but blaming him for Liverpool’s wider problems completely misses the point.

There is always a scapegoat at Liverpool. Every season somebody gets the blame when things are not going well, and right now that player is Florian Wirtz.

I don’t think that’s fair.

That doesn’t mean I’m sitting here pretending Wirtz has been brilliant. He hasn’t. There are things about his performances that have frustrated me, particularly his passing. Simple balls are being misplaced, his timing has looked off and he has been brushed off the ball too easily at times.

I expected more magic. I expected somebody who could unlock low blocks, play those clever little balls around the corner, connect attacks and maybe get shots away from the edge of the box.

You don’t pay £116 million for somebody because he works hard. The work rate is great, and his counter pressing is clearly part of what Liverpool wanted, but ultimately we signed Wirtz to make a difference with the ball. We haven’t seen enough of that yet.

But here’s where I have a problem with the conversation.

Liverpool didn’t fail to beat Fulham because of Florian Wirtz.

We failed to beat Fulham because too many players were poor.

Wirtz Has Become An Easy Target

When Liverpool play badly now, Wirtz gets it in the neck.

It was Cody Gakpo before him. There have been others before that. Every season somebody becomes the player people immediately look towards when something goes wrong.

Against Fulham, I was seeing criticism of Wirtz within minutes. That’s ridiculous.

I was angry after that game because of the way Liverpool performed. The intensity wasn’t there, we weren’t winning enough duels and too many players simply failed to reach the required standard.

Dominik Szoboszlai was being brushed off the ball far too easily. Ryan Gravenberch hasn’t been good enough this season. Milos Kerkez has plenty of room for improvement. There are conversations to be had about numerous players.

For what it’s worth, Alexis Mac Allister has been our best midfielder this season in my opinion.

So why does everything keep coming back to Wirtz?

I’m willing to criticise him when he deserves criticism, but I’m also willing to defend him when people are blaming him for problems that run much deeper.

Liverpool’s System Needs To Change

This is where I keep coming back to the same question.

Is Florian Wirtz the problem, or is playing with a number 10 the problem?

I still lean towards the system.

For me, the 4-2-3-1 isn’t working properly. The midfield balance doesn’t look right and I would like Andoni Iraola to try something different.

Go 4-3-3.

Put Wirtz on the left side of the midfield three. Put Szoboszlai on the right. Then use Mac Allister, Trey Nyoni or Gravenberch centrally and see what happens.

I don’t know whether Wirtz will definitely work there. Nobody does until we actually try it. But I want to see Liverpool experiment because what we have right now isn’t balanced enough.

Another option is to put Szoboszlai in the number 10 position. If Liverpool suddenly look smoother and more balanced with Dom there, we have learned something about Wirtz. If the exact same problems remain, we have learned something about the system.

Either way, we get information.

What I don’t want is Liverpool repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting the midfield suddenly to fix itself.

Lamine Camara Is My January Choice

Whatever system Iraola eventually settles upon, Liverpool need another midfielder.

For me, that needs addressing in January.

The two names being discussed most prominently are Manu Koné and Lamine Camara. I don’t need much time to make my choice.

Lamine Camara all day.

If you asked me to put numbers on it, I’m probably 80 per cent Camara and 20 per cent Koné.

That isn’t me saying Koné is a bad player. He isn’t. There is obviously something there if clubs of Liverpool and Chelsea’s stature are interested in him.

I simply think Camara is the better player and the better fit for Liverpool.

Interestingly, when I asked the Anfield Agenda audience the same question, 77 per cent went for Camara. So I’m certainly not alone.

Ultimately, though, I want Iraola to get the midfielder he wants. If that is Koné, get him Koné. If it is Camara, get him Camara. If it is somebody else entirely, fine.

Give the manager the players required to play his football.

Because if Liverpool persist with the 4-2-3-1, bringing in the right midfielder becomes even more important.

Recruitment Questions Cannot Be Ignored

That brings me back to recruitment.

I’ve been critical of Richard Hughes and I stand by it. My biggest problem wasn’t necessarily the business he did, it was the business Liverpool didn’t do.

Jeremie Frimpong would be one signing I absolutely would criticise.

I didn’t understand it at the time and I still don’t understand it now. He feels like another player who can operate in several positions without being the perfect fit for any of them in Liverpool’s system.

Would I sell Frimpong?

Yes.

I don’t say that because I dislike him. He seems like a lovely lad with great energy, but we’re here to win football matches. I don’t think he is the right fit at right back and I don’t want him as a right winger.

But ultimately my recruitment criticism goes higher than Hughes.

FSG make these appointments.

They allowed the sporting director situation to become what it has become. They make the final decisions and they are responsible for the overall direction of Liverpool Football Club.

If I could wish for one thing over the next 12 months, it would be for FSG to sell the majority of their shares or for 1892 Holdings to take control of the day to day operation. Right now, it feels to me like FSG are half in and half out. Liverpool need to be sharper and more decisive.

That decisiveness needs to start with the squad.

Get Iraola a midfielder in January. Look seriously at the full back positions. Find the right balance around Wirtz before deciding he is the problem.

There is plenty that needs fixing at Liverpool, but making one player the convenient explanation for every poor performance gets us nowhere.

Wirtz needs to improve. So do plenty of others.

More importantly, Liverpool need to give him a structure in which we can properly judge him.

Much Love.