Florian Wirtz defended by Julian Nagelsmann after slow start at Anfield

Florian Wirtz has been let down by Liverpool's wasteful finishing and poor form, says Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann.

The national team head coach launched a spikey defence of Wirtz, following criticism of the Germany star's slow start at Liverpool since his £100m summer move from Bayer Leverkusen.

"Liverpool could also help him out by scoring some of the chances he creates," Nagelsmann said, when asked about Wirtz's performances this season. "They somehow don't like to shoot the ball in."

The attacking midfielder was labelled "a problem" for Liverpool by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville after his ineffective display in their 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday. "Wirtz looked like a little boy. His performance was a real worry," added Neville.

Wirtz was supposed to supercharge the Premier League champions' attack but instead he is yet to register a single goal or assist in 11 top-flight games.

However, Nagelsmann leapt to his compatriot's defence, saying the 22-year-old needs time to adapt to English football but also pointed the finger of criticism at Liverpool's wider issues under Arne Slot this term.

"To be honest, the overall situation doesn't make it easy for Flo either," said Nagelsmann, in relation to Liverpool's run of seven defeats in their last 10 games in all competitions.

"The whole club isn't as stable this year as it was last year. It's much harder to slip into the team now.

"If you look at the game against [Manchester] City, they were actually the worse team over the 90 minutes.

"So it's also difficult for Flo to make a big impact. Ultimately, the overall situation is such that he just needs a little more time, which is normal; you see that with other players who move to the Premier League too."

Wirtz has created 16 chances in the Premier League, the 16th most by a player in the division. His Expected Assists figure is 1.19.

Nagelsmann believes Wirtz's output remains at a high level, even if he is in "a dip in form" right now.

"We all know what he's capable of, and it's perfectly normal for a player of his age to go through a bit of a dip in form," said Nagelsmann.

"We can't expect him to perform at the same level for three years straight.

"Instead, we all need to support him a little bit so that he can clear his head here, and then maybe Liverpool could also help him out by scoring some of the chances he creates.

"That would be one idea, because he does not create few chances, it's just that... they somehow don't like to shoot the ball in, that's also part of the truth."