Jamie Carragher has said Florian Wirtz should be dropped from the Liverpool lineup after another disappointing performance in Sunday's defeat to Manchester City.
With Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexander Isak out with injury, the onus for attacking threat fell on Wirtz. But, he was ineffective and created little of note in front of a raucous Anfield crowd. Ryan Gravenberch's sending off led to him being replaced by Trey Nyoni soon after the hour mark.
The showing on Sunday was the latest in a string of lacklustre performances for Wirtz this season. After a disappointing first season at Liverpool following his £100 million ($132.3m) move from Bayer Leverkusen, he was expected to have pushed on and found a grip in the Premier League.
He has started each of Reds' six games this season, and managed just one assist.
"I think he needs to come out of the team, I said that last time out and I'm going to say it again," Carragher said on Sky Sports post-match.
"I said Liverpool played well today for a lot of the game before the [Ryan] Gravenberch red card but they didn't create a chance, so Liverpool have a real problem this season with scoring goals and creating chances and that's what you bought Wirtz for. He's not giving you anything defensively and he's not giving you anything going the other way.
"I don't want anyone to pile in on the lad or have a go but I just think we're justified in saying we need more and we can't wait.
"I went back and looked at players who were deemed not good enough for Liverpool in terms of going to win a league title or a European Cup but had real impact in those positions. Players like Nicky Barmby, Vladimir Smicer, Yossi Benayoun, Maxi Rodriguez, Yari Litmanen, Philippe Coutinho, Steven Gerrard, Steve McManaman.
"They've brought more to the table than this lad right now and I just think we're at a stage where we can't wait any longer. I think there's got to be a rebalance of the midfield to get goals and assists in there and to get legs, height and power in there. Gravenberch has to play in that team."
Liverpool were competitive against City until Gravenberch's red card, before two goals in three minutes from Erling Haaland and Jérémy Doku put the game beyond the Reds. Rayan Cherki scored a late third to further Liverpool's gloom.
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It was Andoni Iraola's first loss as Liverpool and Carragher spoke of how he hasn't got the attack to click as yet.
"The big problem for Iraola so far is probably the opposite of what Liverpool supporters and I were expecting. I was expecting what we saw at Newcastle a little bit more, end-to-end, goals either end," Carragher said.
"Liverpool have looked a little more solid in the last four or five games under the new manager, but they very rarely look like creating a lot or scoring a lot of goals and I thought it would be the flip side of the coin with that."