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Gary Neville Savages Florian Wirtz After Man City 3-0 Liverpool

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Arne Slot’s title-defending Liverpool, following their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City on the weekend, have now lost more Premier League matches (five) this season than they did across the entire 2024/25 league campaign (four). Gary Neville, in the aftermath of their defeat, pulled no punches when discussing the performance of Florian Wirtz.

Opening the scoring at the Eithad Stadium, City talisman Erling Haaland rose highest in the Liverpool box just before the half-hour mark before Nico Gonzalez extended their lead to two goals on the stroke of the half-time interval. Sandiwched between the host’s two goals was Virgil van Dijk’s header, which was controversially ruled out.

Liverpool, despite spending well in the summer of 2025 on a raft of high-profile names, have started their prospective title defence poorly – and Man of the Match Jeremy Doku dazzling down the left, cutting in and curling his effort past Giorgi Mamardashvili was the final nail in the coffin as they suffered their worst defeat of the 2025/26 campaign in all competitions.

Neville Claimed Wirtz ‘Played Like a Boy’ in Liverpool’s 3-0 Loss to Man City

liverpool florian wirtz

By virtue of the manner of Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to City, there were very few Liverpool players who impressed; 22-year-old Conor Bradley was named – by Pep Guardiola – as one of the best right-backs in the Premier League. The likes of centre-back Ibrahima Konate, however, were on the other end of the spectrum with substandard displays.

Wirtz, a £116 million acquisition from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025, also struggled to perform in the east of Manchester – and Neville, formerly of Manchester United and England before turning his hand to punditry, spoke about the Germany international. “I thought Wirtz, in particular, it was a bad day for him,” he said, per Liverpool World, before adding: “We’ve been tiptoeing around him, haven’t we, for a few months around the fact that he’s young, he’s come to a new country.

“You’re going to have to stand up soon. He’s obviously got something. He’s a really good player, technically fantastic, but he’s been mauled out there by [Matheus] Nunes and by others.”

“He’s been chucked around the pitch and didn’t deliver in the quality side of things. His performance was a real worry. Physically, I’d be really worried if I was Arne Slot looking at that team. There were a few of them who look like they can’t run. I always think when you go on a losing streak, you start to doubt everything. That is wrong, because there are some great players out there with great attitudes to it’s not time to throw the baby out of the bathwater.”

Neville is correct. The 22-year-old – for large parts of his side’s 3-0 loss to City – was anonymous; he enjoyed just 39 touches of the ball, completed zero of his two crosses and both of his shots were blocked. As such, it may be time for Liverpool boss Slot to experiment by using his £100+ million summer addition as an option from the bench.

wirtz_city

Nobody could foresee the fact that Wirtz, given that he broke the British record transfer fee prior to Alexander Isak‘s move doing the same, would struggle so much under the guidance of Slot. Many assumed Liverpool would walk the league – but the transition from German to English football has not been seamless and Wirtz’s bedding-in period continues to extend.

“Wirtz is a problem, let’s be clear. Let’s call it as it is. It’s an issue. To be fair, I said a few weeks ago about [Milos] Kerkez that he looks like a little boy out there. Wirtz looked like a little boy and that can’t be the case. He’s a Germany international of great standing, and he looks short in respect of what you’d expect in a top physical match.”

Florian Wirtz 2025/26 Premier League Stats vs Liverpool Squad

Metric

Output

Squad Rank

Minutes

693

8th

Average Passes per Match

29.8

11th

Pass Success Rate (%)

80.2

14th

Shots per Match

1.1

7th

Key Passes per Match

1.5

2nd=

Dribbles per Match

0.7

5th

Overall Rating

6.38

16th

“They have got to get him up to speed and got to get that sort of tenacity into him, that little bit of something that means he will get into form,” Neville continued. “It means that he will have to stick with him and persist, but they’ve got to find a way to get the best out of him.”

Yet to register a goal contribution in the 11 Premier League matches he’s featured in, the patience of the Anfield faithful is running thin after Slot – widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – and his entourage spent so much money on his signature. Since joining, he was initially utilised from a central hub, but Slot has resorted him to his favoured left-wing position in recent weeks. Whether that can spark him into life, however, remains to be seen.

All statistics per WhoScored – correct as of 10/11/2025

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Liverpool Could Lose ‘Complete’ Curtis Jones to Galatasaray

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One Liverpool star is attracting fresh interest this summer ahead of a possible exit. Changes are afoot for the Reds following the summer appointment of Andoni Iraola, with the Spanish boss inevitably wanting to put his own stamp on his squad.

Liverpool spent huge money last summer, but they are expected to follow that up with more big investment this summer. But we could also see exits at Anfield, and Curtis Jones is one of the leading candidates, given his contract is currently on course to expire next summer.

That means the Reds either need to agree a new deal with the midfielder or sell him to make sure they don’t lose Jones for free next summer.

Jones now attracting fresh attention

Curtis Jones playing for England Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Jones is not short of options this summer as he considers what to do next. The midfielder is said to be a target for Galatasaray, who have expressed interest in a deal this summer. That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who say the Turkish club are the latest club to join the race after talk of interest from Inter Milan and Nottingham Forest.

Reports have suggested Liverpool will ask for as much as £35million to sell Jones this summer, despite the fact he is out of contract at the end of the coming season.

Jones could yet pen a new deal, according to the report, but a decision does not seem to be on the verge of being made. Jones looks likely to join up with the Reds for pre-season, and a decision will likely be made later in the summer, after he has discussed the situation with Liverpool, who may want to present new terms.

Jones a ‘complete’ player

Curtis Jones

Now former Liverpool boss Arne Slot lavished Jones with praise back in 2024, describing him as a ‘complete’ player. “He has a lot of qualities on the ball,” said Slot. “He is never afraid to do something special with it, but sometimes he touches the ball a bit too much in my opinion because he is so confident.

“But confidence is an important tool. He has an incredibly hard work rate and we trust him in defence. He is complete. For him now, it is all about consistency. The best players turn up every three days and that is what he has got to show.”

Jones made 34 league appearances for Liverpool last season, missing only four games, so he remains a key part of the Reds squad, even if we don’t yet know what Iraola will make of the midfielder.


Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola watching on from the touchline


Sporting Director of UCL Club Confirms he Wants to Sign Liverpool Star

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VAR Expert Claims Egypt Should Have Had Penalty vs Argentina

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A VAR expert has delivered a strong verdict on whether Egypt should have been awarded a penalty late in their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina on Tuesday night. The decision to wave play on ultimately proved costly for Mohamed Salah and co., with the holders going straight up the other end and scoring the goal that completed a remarkable 14-minute turnaround and secured their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The Pharaohs were two goals ahead with just 11 minutes of normal time remaining, but Lionel Scaloni’s side once again showcased their trademark resilience. Lionel Messi scored and provided an assist as Argentina kept their hopes of retaining the title alive, all after becoming the first player to miss two penalties in a single World Cup tournament earlier in the contest.

However, questions remain over the validity of the winning goal. Enzo Fernandez powered a 93rd-minute header beyond the Egypt goalkeeper before wheeling away in celebration in front of an emotional Argentina support. The dramatic finale also sparked scuffles between the two benches, with a member of the Egypt coaching staff shown a red card for protesting the decision.

VAR Casts Verdict on Mohamed Salah’s Penalty Shout vs Argentina

Egypt's Mohamed Salah pointing

As the ball was crossed in towards Salah, he appeared to have his shirt tugged and then his feet tripped over in the box just moments later, which helped Argentina on their way to a counterattack. After reviewing the footage, Dale Johnson – who works as a VAR expert for the BBC, believes the referee should have pointed to the spot. He explained on X (see the full post below):

“Egypt’s disallowed goal was completely against how this tournament has been refereed. You can’t have a light touch where you don’t give fouls for minimal contact and then rule out a goal through VAR for a very minimal hold of the shirt.”

In a separate comment, he followed up by adding: “There is a slight step on the foot too, but so many of these have been allowed to go by referees,” appearing to agree that the African side deserved one penalty, but calls for a second – which would have almost certainly sent Argentina packing – are on the speculative side.

Argentina Keep Finding a Way

Messi celebrating Action images via Reuters

Down, but never quite out. The outpouring of emotion at full-time on Tuesday night was not only a show of just how close Argentina were to crashing out of the tournament – Messi no doubt fearful of the possibility of bowing out early – it was a symbol of their resilience, togetherness, and air of inevitability.

Next, they face the winner of Switzerland vs Colombia, before a potential semi-final with England or Norway. A deep run is again on the cards, and football’s greatest-ever is nearing a second shot at sporting immortality.

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Man Utd Must Sign Alex Scott Over Chelsea’s Andrey Santos

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Manchester United are pushing to sign new midfielders in the summer transfer window, and they already have a lengthy list of targets.

Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes were two players who made United’s shortlist for the summer transfer window, but they have joined Manchester City and Tottenham, respectively.

The Red Devils do have a number of alternatives, and they will be desperate not to miss out on any more key targets.

It’s imperative that United bring in at least two midfielders this summer, with Manuel Ugarte suffering a serious injury and Casemiro leaving the club.

New names are being linked with the move to Old Trafford every single week, and it remains to be seen who is going to be their priority transfer.


Michael Carrick


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Man Utd hold midfielder talks

andrey santos

According to David Ornstein earlier this week, Manchester United have opened talks to sign Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea won’t stand in Santos’ way if he does want to make the move to Old Trafford and a deal suits all parties involved.

United have also held talks to sign Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.

The Cherries are hoping to tie him down to a new contract, but United have asked the question at least as they aim to bring in midfield reinforcements.

Scott, who has been described as ‘unbelievable’, is entering the final two years of his contract at Bournemouth, but he’s a key name on United’s list.

Scott has gone to a new level since joining Bournemouth and has racked up plenty of Premier League experience already. There’s no doubt he would be a better option for the club than Santos.

England World Cup Quiz

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Scott could explode under Carrick

England's Alex Scott smiles in a press conference
World Cup – UEFA Qualifiers – England Press Conference – Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre, London, Britain – November 11, 2025 England’s Alex Scott during the press conference Pool via REUTERS/Bradley Collyer
via Reuters

Scott is the type of midfielder who could explode under Michael Carrick at Manchester United.

Carrick has already shown he can get the best out of midfielders, with Kobbie Mainoo going to the next level under him in the second half of the season.

Whether Scott and Mainoo would blend well together remains to be seen, but United do need multiple midfielders this summer.

Scott flourishes in a high-paced environment, as we saw under Andoni Iraola, so there’s little reason why he wouldn’t flourish at United.

United need to be going all out for Scott, especially over a player like Santos.

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