Jonathan Tah defends Florian Wirtz as pressure grows over Liverpool form

Florian Wirtz has received support from former Bayer Leverkusen teammate Jonathan Tah as scrutiny continues to build around the Liverpool midfielder.

Wirtz arrived at Anfield last summer for €125m following an outstanding spell in Germany, but the 23-year-old has struggled to reproduce those performances in England.

With seven goals and 11 assists from 55 appearances for Liverpool, the expectations created by his enormous transfer fee have inevitably become part of the conversation.

The international break now gives Wirtz an opportunity to temporarily step away from Liverpool and link up with Germany, where his situation has quickly become a major talking point.

Wirtz's difficulties were discussed during Germany's latest press conference, with former Leverkusen teammate Tah offering a strong defence of the midfielder.

The defender believes the reaction to Wirtz's performances has become excessive.

“I find the amount of criticism directed at him extreme,” Tah said.

“But eventually, everyone will understand. He is currently going through a phase that shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. He needs to keep going and keep believing in himself.”

Tah knows Wirtz particularly well from their time together at Leverkusen and witnessed first-hand the performances which turned the midfielder into one of Europe's most expensive players.

The problem for Wirtz is that his Liverpool numbers remain some distance from the standards he established in Germany.

He produced 57 goals and 65 assists across 197 appearances for Leverkusen, form which attracted interest from Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Liverpool ultimately won the race and committed €125m to the transfer, inevitably creating huge expectations.

Seven goals and 11 assists across his first 55 appearances is therefore unlikely to silence the debate surrounding him.

Tah believes this is simply a difficult phase that Wirtz must work through. The midfielder now needs to prove that assessment correct when club football resumes.

Wirtz will spend the international break with Germany before returning to Liverpool with the spotlight still firmly on him.

Support from figures such as Tah may help take some pressure away, but ultimately Wirtz's response will have to come on the pitch.

Liverpool invested €125m because of the decisive attacking midfielder they watched at Leverkusen. The challenge now is for Wirtz to start showing that player consistently at Anfield.