Wirtz withdrawn with back issue as Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest 1-0
Florian wirtz was named in Liverpool’s starting line-up for the trip to the City Ground but was replaced by Curtis Jones before kick-off after reporting a back issue in the warm-up; head coach Arne Slot said the problem doesn’t appear to be serious.
Wirtz pulled out just before kick-off
The No. 7 had been set to start at Nottingham Forest but told staff he felt his back too much during the warm-up and was withdrawn, with Curtis Jones brought on as his direct replacement. Slot said after the dramatic 1-0 win that the decision came because Wirtz “wasn't able to be 100 per cent or even close to 100 per cent. ”
Slot: hope he returns next week, but nothing guaranteed
Slot told his post-match press conference: “We don't think it is very serious, but he felt his back too much during the warm-up to start. So, we decided not to play him. We hope and expect he will be able to be with us again next week but you never know how things work out. ”
How Liverpool lined up without him
Slot set his side up in a 4-2-3-1. The starting XI was Alisson; Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo; Hugo Ekitiké. Substitutes named included Freddie Woodman (GK), Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Andy Robertson, Calvin Ramsay, Joe Gomez, Trey Nyoni, Federico Chiesa, Kieran Morrison and Rio Ngumoha.
Jones, who moved into the role that Wirtz would have occupied, gave up possession within seconds of kickoff after dallying on the ball. With Jeremie Frimpong still unavailable, Slot faced a right-back dilemma and once again asked Dominik Szoboszlai to operate in an unfavoured right-back position on the day.
Wirtz’s form, contribution and recent history
The 22-year-old has had a clear swing in output this season. Early on, after his £116million move from Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz had failed to score or provide a Premier League assist across his first 15 appearances; more recently he had directly contributed six goals in his last 10 top-flight outings. In the stretch that followed Liverpool’s earlier slump, Wirtz recorded six goals and five assists, compared with no goals and three assists in the 16 games before that run.
Those figures have coincided with improved all-round play and stronger on-field understanding with team-mates. The partnership with Hugo Ekitike has yielded seven combined goals, and Wirtz has developed an improved relationship with Mohamed Salah. His durability also increased: he has started every Premier League game since the Forest defeat and lasted the duration in five of the last six matches.
How his absence fit into a pivotal week for Slot
Wirtz missed two matches during a particularly fraught week for Slot—games that were easily overlooked at the time but were the only fixtures this season, apart from a League Cup rest, in which the midfielder had not been involved. That period included a sole Premier League home defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier in the season, a 3-0 reverse to the Tricky Trees and a 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, a sequence that prompted calls for Slot to be sacked after nine defeats in 12 games. The week has since been viewed as a turning point: Liverpool have suffered just two losses in 19 games in all competitions and reached the last 16 of the Champions League and the FA Cup, a run that has prominently featured Wirtz.
Forest’s situation and what was next for Wirtz
Nottingham Forest had returned to the fixture list after a managerial change, with Vitor Pereira replacing the sacked Sean Dyche; Pereira’s first game was a Thursday Europa League play-off round first leg at Fenerbahce. The City Ground visit on Sunday had looked an ideal chance for the 22-year-old to showcase his improvement before the late withdrawal.
Slot’s post-match comment remains the clearest immediate timeline: the coach said they hope and expect Wirtz will be able to be with the squad again next week, while adding that “you never know how things work out. ”
