Alan Shearer names Liverpool player who just isn’t ‘comfortable’ under Arne Slot, it’s not Wirtz
Alan Shearer believes one Liverpool player is struggling to find his feet under Arne Slot.
The Reds were toothless as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday night, leaving Slot with more questions than answers.
Florian Wirtz, a £116million signing from Bayer Leverkusen, again struggled to make an impact in Istanbul, but one of his team-mates is also ringing the alarm bells after a difficult start.
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Piling on the misery, the big name in question found himself hooked after a poor performance.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Alan Shearer says Jeremie Frimpong is not ‘comfortable’
Jeremie Frimpong started on the right wing against Galatasaray, leaving Dominik Szoboszlai, a natural central midfielder, on the right side of the Reds’ backline.
But Slot’s tactical gamble backfired after Szoboszlai gave away the penalty that led to the only goal of the game, while Frimpong didn’t have the desired impact at the other end of the pitch.
Alan Shearer believes Liverpool should be worried about the £30million defender’s sluggish form so far.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
“They spent heavily on Frimpong,” he said on Amazon Prime. “It would be a little concern that he seems to not rely on him as yet. He’s playing him in a different position.
“He’s playing a midfielder in the right-back position, and they’ve probably been the best right-back up until now. He certainly was in the performance against Newcastle anyway; he was the man of the match, Szoboszlai.
“They paid a lot of money for a right-back in Frimpong. You’ve got a good prospect in [Conor] Bradley, yet you’re playing a midfielder at right-back. That tells me he’s not comfortable.”
Arne Slot made a mistake with Jeremie Frimpong
Frimpong is no stranger to an advanced role down the right, having excelled there in Xabi Alonso’s all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen side.
However, he was poor against Galatasaray. He made the wrong decisions despite occupying some promising positions, and he left Szoboszlai exposed when the hosts countered.
Jeremie Frimpong’s statistics vs GalatasarayTotalMinutes played62Touches36Accurate passes14/19 (74%)Successful dribbles0/1 (0%)Accurate crosses1/6 (17%)Dispossessed2Stats from Fotmob
The 24-year-old is yet to get up to speed since his move to the Premier League, and it will concern Slot that he looks so far off the pace.
On his day, he is electric, capable of standing his ground defensively and creating chances for his team-mates, but the £35million man hasn’t shown anywhere near enough.
