Arne Slot Gives Florian Wirtz Verdict Following Shock Defeat to Galatasaray

Arne Slot has responded to the criticism of star signing Florian Wirtz following Liverpool's 1-0 loss to Galatasaray.

On Tuesday evening, several of the biggest clubs in Europe competed in their second fixture in the 2025/26 Champions League group stage.

Following Real Madrid's dominant 5-0 away win over Kazak side FC Kairat in the first kick-off, Liverpool travelled to the Rams Park in Istanbul to face Turkish giants Galatasaray.

Off the back of a late 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace at the weekend, Liverpool would have hoped they could get a second win in the Champions League, but an early penalty scored by Victor Osimhen led to a final score of 1-0 to the hosts.

Following the match, many fans have called out several of the Reds' new signings, leading to manager Arne Slot giving his own verdict on the performances of his new players.

Florian Wirtz failed to impress during Liverpool's Champions League loss to Galatasaray. (Image: Gerrit van Keulen/Soccrates/Getty Images)

After a busy summer that saw the Premier League champions spend a record-breaking £446.5m across the window, the pressure for them to win every match is higher than ever.

Four of Liverpool's new signings were named in the starting lineup for the match against Galatasaray, but it is star midfielder Florian Wirtz that has attracted the most criticism online following the match.

And when asked how he felt about Wirtz's performance in the match and other games recently, Slot explained: "The focus is always on the new signings. Which is normal if you see the money we spent.

"I think Florian, especially in the first half, was involved in the chances we created. He was many times involved in dangerous situations tonight.

"From the starting XI, there were 3/4 positions different and we had to manage minutes tonight. That’s why we do need to rotate a bit - not everyone is as adjusted to each other.”

Wirtz made his ninth appearance for Liverpool during the Champions League clash with Galatasaray. (Image: Gerrit van Keulen/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Since his arrival in June for a transfer fee of £100million plus a further £16m in add-ons, Wirtz has made nine appearances for Liverpool across three competitions.

In these appearances, his only goal contribution came as he assisted fellow new signing Hugo Ekitike's opening goal in the FA Community Shield match against Crystal Palace.