Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has leapt to the defence of Liverpool's Florian Wirtz following criticism of the midfielder's start to life at Anfield. 

Wirtz joined the Premier League champions in a deal reportedly worth up to £116m from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, but is yet to justify his big-money price tag. 

The 22-year-old has made 16 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, registering just three assists, two of which came in the Champions League. 

But it has been Wirtz's performances in the Premier League that have come under fire, with the German international yet to register a goal contribution in the competition. 

His 28 shot involvements are the most in the top-flight without scoring or assisting a goal this season, with Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon the next highest on 21. 

Wirtz has also created 16 chances in the Premier League, a total only bettered by Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo (both 21) among Arne Slot's squad in 2025-26. 

And ahead of Germany's World Cup qualifiers with Luxembourg and Slovakia, Nagelsmann believes Wirtz's struggles would not have been as much of a talking point if Liverpool's forwards had finished the chances he created. 

"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."

Wirtz was singled out for his performance during Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, with Gary Neville saying he looked like a "little boy" at Etihad Stadium. 

Only Hugo Ekitike (11), who was substituted in the 56th minute, had fewer touches than Wirtz's 39 among Liverpool's starting outfield players against Pep Guardiola's side.

That result saw Liverpool dealt their fifth defeat of the season in the Premier League (W6) in what was just the 11th match they have played.

It is the most defeats by a reigning champion at this stage of a campaign since Leicester City in 2016-17 (five). Only Chelsea in 2015-16 (six) have ever lost more after 11 games of a Premier League season as reigning champions.

Nagelsmann highlighted that Liverpool's struggles can not be pinpointed by Wirtz's slow start, suggesting there are wider issues within Slot's ranks. 

"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, however, looked more at home in a Liverpool shirt during matches in the Champions League. 

He delivered arguably his best performance for the club in their latest win in the competition over Real Madrid. 

The playmaker created five chances from open play for the second time for Liverpool, becoming the only Premier League player to do so in more than one game across all competitions this season.

Wirtz has also created the joint-most chances in the competition (16, level with Kylian Mbappe), and Nagelsmann believes it is only a matter of time before the player he has managed with Germany finds his groove. 

"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," Nagelsmann added.

"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."