O Cruzeiro vive uma situação bastante delicada na tabela e o Ronaldo, dono da SAF do clube mineiro, foi enfático sobre o papel da torcida na missão para que dias melhores cheguem logo.
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– Só sairemos dessa situação se estivermos unidos, acreditando no projeto que a gente planejou e com o apoio da torcida. Sem o apoio da nossa torcida, dificilmente a gente permanece na Série A. O Mineirão, que sempre foi fortaleza, tem sido um peso muito grande para os nossos atletas – afirmou o lendário ex-centroavante da Seleção Brasileira.
+ Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000
Nos últimos 14 jogos disputados pela Raposa, a equipe só conseguiu triunfar na disputa contra o Santos. Além disso, o clube realmente deixa a desejar dentro de casa, pois o time não vence nos seus domínios desde junho.
No meio desta turbulência, chega o jogo do Cruzeiro contra o Galo. O clássico, além de dar três pontos importantes para o vencedor, é levado com extrema importância pelo adepto da equipe celeste.
Um triunfo dá um bom respiro para a Raposa na tabela de classificação. Contudo, se perder o clube terá pela frente a possibilidade de entrar na zona de rebaixamento.
Chelsea are reportedly making some transfer plans ahead of the January window to reinforce some pretty weak areas of the squad, with BlueCo now offered a pretty golden opportunity to do so.
Chelsea fragile at the back after key injuries
Before the Blues’ 2-1 win over Premier League champions Liverpool just prior to the international break, Enzo Maresca was left desperately short of defensive options.
Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill were all unavailable for the clash, but Chelsea somehow still managed to seal a dramatic win despite their major lack of choices.
Youngster Josh Acheampong was given the nod at the heart of their defence for that game, and again away to Nottingham Forest, with Tosin, Fofana and Chalobah since becoming available once again.
However, the same cannot be said for Benoit Badiashile or Colwill, with the pair sidelined through long-term injuries, especially the latter, who won’t return until 2026.
Cole Palmer
Groin
December
Benoit Badiashile
Muscle
December
Dario Essugo
Thigh
Early 2026
Liam Delap
Hamstring
October 29
Levi Colwill
ACL
Spring 2026
Malo Gusto
Suspended
October 29
Maresca publicly stated that he wanted a new centre-back in the summer transfer window, only for BlueCo not to grant his wish, and this has threatened to have dire consequences.
However, it is believed by some media sources that Chelsea are now prioritising another defender in January as one of their key objectives, in a bid to rectify their summer mistake.
Some reports even suggest they’ve held talks with Marc Guehi’s camp ahead of a potential winter move (Simon Phillips), while others state that Chelsea have been offered Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.
If the club do decide to make a mid-season addition or two, all signs point towards it being a centre-back, or potentially a goalkeeper.
Amid ongoing concerns surrounding Robert Sanchez’s pedigree as a ‘title-winning’ shot-stopper, Chelsea have attempted to bring in a world-class option this year, most notably AC Milan’s Mike Maignan.
Chelsea tried and failed to sign Maignan last summer, but it is an opportunity that is expected to open up again soon with the France international’s contract expiring in 2026.
The 30-year-old would be a fantastic choice as Chelsea reportedly prepare to approach Maignan over a pre-contract in January, but according to journalist Graeme Bailey and TBR Football, they could have a much more immediate alternative.
Chelsea offered Marc-André ter Stegen on Barcelona loan deal
Bailey reports that Chelsea are one of the sides to be contacted by representatives about Marc-André ter Stegen and the Barcelona captain’s availability.
FC Barcelona's Marc-AndreterStegenlifts the trophy with teammates afterwinning LaLiga
The 33-year-old, who boasts a Champions League winners medal and six La Liga titles from his time at the Camp Nou, is currently out with a back injury but could make his long-awaited return in December — just before the window reopens.
Much has been made about Chelsea’s very young squad and the lack of experience in it, so a deal for ter Stegen would certainly help to balance this issue by bringing proven top-level know-how to the dressing room.
The German would also provide very good competition for Sanchez, or even replace the ex-Brighton man entirely, and Barça are willing to green-light an initial loan before negotiating a permanent exit in the summer.
The prospect of ter Stegen coming to London is a very intriguing one, but there are a few key hurdles to consider.
For one, he earns around £280,000-per-week, so Chelsea would need to agree a favourable split of his salary with Barca before green-lighting this move.
Ter Stegen’s injury history lately isn’t exactly encouraging either, with the keeper playing just nine times for Hansi Flick since the start of 2024/2025.
Argentina forward and AS Roma talisman Paulo Dybala appeared to suffer a thigh injury over the weekend, as the ace missed a penalty against AC Milan. Boss Gian Piero Gasperini has now shared a worrying update on the 31-year-old's thigh injury, labelling it as a major setback for the side.
Dybala misses a penalty
After league leaders Napoli played out a 0-0 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como, Roma, who had accumulated 21 points prior to the Milan game, had a huge chance to move top of Serie A. Strahinja Pavlovic scored the only goal of the game in the 39th minute, helping Max Allegri get the better of his Italian counterpart during the first half, despite Roma being the more dominant party among the two. Late on, Dybala had the opportunity to convert from the spot but his shot was saved by Milan custodian Mike Maignan and the Argentine sustained a thigh injury in the process.
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Gasperini sheds light on Dybala's injury
The scenario was enough to assume Dybala had indeed suffered a hefty blow, but the extent of his injury is yet to be revealed. Gasperini said: "The worst thing of all on the penalty is that Dybala got injured. Now we need to see how long he’ll be out, certainly until after the break for international duty. This is the biggest loss of the night."
Notably, this was Dybala's first penalty miss in Roma colours. The last time the Argentine missed from the spot in a competitive fixture dates back to his Juventus days, as he last missed against Salernitana on November 30, 2021, almost four years ago.
Gasperini rues finishing but praises team
The Italian head coach once again criticised his team's clinical abilities in front of goal. However, he felt the quality of football had improved.
He claimed: "We created lots of chances, this is the approach I want to take, and when you leave these games empty-handed there is a lot of regret, but also confidence we are on the right path. I think we made the step up in quality today in everything except the finishing. Our first half was excellent, with strong character to dominate a strong team on their own turf. We suffered a little after their goal and the start of the second half, but then got back to pushing again. I am struggling to find negatives from the performance. Naturally, we are angry and have regrets at the defeat, but unfortunately in football you can miss chances by centimetres, I remain happy with the overall performance.
"This team has spirit, it can play good football, we’ve certainly paid a price over these last few months for failing to convert four out of five penalties, which are a lot between Serie A and the Europa League. The other thing we need to improve is that I see many big clubs pouring forward and they still manage to get a goal somewhere even in chaotic fashion. I think that is what we are lacking, when you dominate a game to this degree, you need to take home the result."
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Roma's finishing and upcoming games
Roma sit fourth on the Serie A table and boast the same points tally as Inter and Milan, but they have the lowest goals scored among the top 10 teams in the table, with only 10. While they have the best defensive record in the league, with just five goals conceded, the lackluster finishing has cost them. Previously, Gasperini had been furious with his team's sluggish approach in the attacking third, and now with Dybala's injury, he has another puzzle to solve. The Argentine is a vital cog in his system and missing his services against Rangers (November 6) in the Europa League, where his team are desperate for a win after emerging victorious only once in three matches, and against Udinese (November 9) in the league, who have six points fewer than them, is a huge blow for the Giallorossi.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi picked a wicket as India had England five wickets down and trailing by 310 runs
ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2025Rocky Flintoff fell seven runs short of a century as England Under-19 fought back on day two of their Under-19 test with India at Beckenham.England were 230 for five at stumps in reply to India’s 540 all, out, trailing by 310.Flintoff was lbw to Deepesh Devendran for 93 just five minutes from the close of play and their captain Hamza Shaikh made 84. Henil Patel had India’s best bowling figures with 2 for 51.Earlier RS Ambrish hit 70 as India were dismissed for 540, with right-arm quick Alex Green claiming 3 for 74, and left-arm spinner Ralphie Albert three for 95.India were 450 for seven overnight and Ambrish reached 50 when he edged James Minto for four through the slips. He had added 20 more when he feathered Green behind.Green should have had a second wicket in the over, but Anmoljeet Singh was dropped by Archie Vaughan at second slip, the fifth drop of the innings. Anmoljeet then survived being hit on both feet and got another life when both batters ended up at the keeper’s end and England were too slow to react.Albert eventually had Henil caught on the boundary by Jaydn Denly, but only after he’d hit him for successive sixes on his way to 38 and Albert then wrapped up the innings by bowling Devendran with the final ball before lunch.Right-arm medium pacer Henil struck in the first over of England’s reply when he had Vaughan lbw for two. Denly was then dropped by Mohamed Enaan after square cutting Devendran when he was on 22, but Henil conjured a beauty that pitched on leg and hit the top of his off stump, bowling him for 27Flintoff was on 25 when he pulled Devendran straight to Kumar, who dropped a chest-high catch and he cashed in after tea when he thick-edged Enaan for four to pass 50.Shaikh then hit Anmoljeet for six over long off, but a partnership worth 154 was broken when 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi had Shaikh caught at mid-off.Ben Mayes was subsequently lbw to Vilhaan Malhotra for 11, but Thomas Rew got a life when India skipper Ayush Mhatre missed a difficult chance to catch him at slip off Anmoljeet when he was on three. The bowler had better luck in the penultimate over, when with a ton there for the taking, he trapped Flintoff lbw.
Second day of England-India Test would have been former England batter’s 56th birthday
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2025
Graham Thorpe’s headband, captured in a mural outside the Kia Oval, will be a theme of the “Day for Thorpey”•Matthew Chattle/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey batter, will be remembered and celebrated with a “Day for Thorpey” during the fifth Test between England and India at the Kia Oval next month, almost a year to the day since he tragically took his own life at the age of 55.The event will help to raise funds and awareness for the mental health charity Mind, including through the sale of specially designed headbands – co-designed with Graham’s wife Amanda and daughters Kitty and Emma – in a nod to the trademark look that he sported during his 100-Test career.The day will take place on August 1 – day two of the fifth Test – which would also have been Thorpe’s 56th birthday.Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Amanda said: “That day will be very powerful. We want to celebrate him and his memory. His light was so bright. He’ll go on.”Kitty added: “Death and grief in general isn’t talked about enough, considering it happens to everyone. It surrounds us. When you add the layer of death by suicide, that makes it even more taboo.”I understand it’s difficult to talk about – people don’t want to say the wrong thing. That doesn’t help tackle the stigma around it. We need to change the way we’re addressing the topic. That’s why we’re working with Mind to do something to help that.”Thorpe finished his career as one of England’s modern batting greats, making 6,744 runs at 44.66 in his 100 Tests. In 1993, he had become the first England batter for 20 years to make a century on debut, against Australia at Trent Bridge.After retirement, he turned to coaching, including as part of England’s back-room staff on the 2021-22 Ashes. However, he was released in the wake of the team’s 4-0 loss, which had taken place under Covid restrictions, and though he was subsequently named as head coach of Afghanistan, he never took up the role after a first suicide attempt in May 2022.”Working in the Covid bubbles, he found that tough,” Amanda said. “He wasn’t great at following rules at the best of times.”It was all very stressful and he wasn’t great on that trip. Then he came back, and, as happens, his job ended, then he got offered another job. It was hard for him, probably harder than we knew. He got a lot worse then, very quickly, actually.”The family are also supporting “Thorpey’s Bat and Chat”, an initiative from Mind designed to support mental health through cricket. First launched in Burton-on-Trent, the intention is to roll out such sessions across the country using funds raised from the day at The Oval”My dad was quite a private person, so for us to share his and our experience is important to help other people who have gone through similar things,” Emma Thorpe said. “To start a conversation, to reduce the shame and stigma there are around these conversations.”
Kira Chathli’s belligerent first half-century in the 2025 Vitality Blast led table-toppers Surrey to a 25-run win over The Bears to strike a psychological blow ahead of final’s day.In what may prove a dress-rehearsal for the final itself in nine days’ time, the Surrey keeper thrashed 65 in 31 balls, including five sixes. She shared a second-wicket stand of 93 with Grace Harris (37 from 25) as the hosts piled up 204 for 5.Laura Harris replied with a blistering 42 from 14 balls and Amu Surenkumar, who took 3 for 33 with ball weighed in with 36, but Priyanaz Chatterji’s 3 for 23 and 3 for 38 for Kalea Moore meant The Bears came up short on 179 for 9.Bryony Smith began with a spate of early boundaries before losing her off-stump with Harris was the one to initially pick up the baton, three fours from one Issy Wong over taking Surrey to 59 by the end of the powerplay.It was Chathli though who cut loose. Having survived an lbw shout from Hannah Baker’s first ball, the wicketkeeper/batter belted a full toss for six. It was the catalyst to a cascade of shots that cleared the ropes, the pick of which were two fabulous lofted drives which crashed into the sightscreen.Chathli’s 50 came in 24 balls and there would be one more maximum before she holed out, ending a gem of a knock.Harris, starved of strike lost patience and was caught trying to clear the long boundary at mid-wicket and despite cameos from Alice Monaghan (24) and Paige Scholfield (15) Surrey needed successive boundaries by Moore to get beyond 200.Davina Perrin was given a life on one when Moore just failed to cling on to a catch in the deep diving forward, but she quickly atoned, safely pouching Meg Austin next ball to give Chatterji an early scalp.Perrin didn’t make the most of her reprieve, lifting one from Moore to the safe hands of Harris at deep mid-off and Chatterji struck again to remove the dangerous Sterre Kalis, caught by Chathli standing up to the stumps.The Bears’ woes worsened when Wong clubbed Monaghan’s first ball straight to Harris and the former Hampshire academy graduate should have had two when Laura Harris lofted one into the off-side but Alexa Stonehouse failed to cling on.Harris, sister of Grace, celebrated by clearing the long boundary as she took 18 from one Tilly Corteen-Coleman over and Monaghan was similarly dismissed in the next as the Australian’s strike rate soared over 300. Monaghan though had the last laugh as Harris attempted to drive through the off-side and was bowled.Surenkumar cleared the ropes as the teenager and Natasha Wraith added 60 to keep the visitors hopes alive, but both fell in quick succession and despite a few dropped catches in the deep, Surrey closed the game out.
Batter rewarded for impressive form for Oval Invincibles, en route to their third Men’s Hundred title
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2025
Jordan Cox made his T20I debut against Australia in September 2024•Getty Images
Jordan Cox has been rewarded for his Player-of-the-Tournament display in the Men’s Hundred with a belated call-up to England’s T20I squad to face Ireland later this month.Cox, 24, topped the Hundred averages with 367 runs at 61.16, and a strike-rate of 173.93, as Oval Invincibles lifted the trophy for the third consecutive season with an emphatic 26-run victory over Trent Rockets in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.Cox himself made 40 from 28 balls in the final, after which he said he would continue to “bang the England door down”, after a series of luckless near-misses in recent months, including a broken thumb sustained on the eve of his designated Test debut in New Zealand, and a side strain sustained while making a century for Essex earlier this summer.He has previously played two T20Is, making scores of 17 and 0 against Australia in September 2024, as well as three ODIs on the subsequent tour of West Indies in October and November.His recall comes as part of a second-string England squad, captained by Jacob Bethell, that is due to play three T20Is in Dublin on September 17, 19 and 21. The original 14-man squad had been notably light on specialist batting, with the likelihood that a bowling allrounder – Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed or Jamie Overton – would be carded to come in at No.6.The news comes just 24 hours after England’s 50-over squad were bowled out for 131 in 24.3 overs at Headingley, to slump to a humiliating seven-wicket loss to South Africa in the first ODI.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shared a positive injury update ahead of his side’s Premier League clash at Burnley on Saturday.
The Gunners head to Turf Moor this weekend as England’s side to beat, aiming to extend their impressive unbeaten streak in all competitions since losing to Liverpool in the early stages of the season.
Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Arteta’s side have firmly established themselves as one of the most balanced and well-organized teams in Europe, boasting the best defensive record on the continent while continuing to pose a real threat going forward.
Defensively, Arsenal’s numbers are simply exceptional.
Across all competitions, they have conceded just three goals — a defensive record matched by no other top club in Europe’s major leagues — and they could be on to break an all-time Premier League record currently held by José Mourinho’s Chelsea of the 2004/2005 season.
Least goals conceded in a Premier League campaign
Team
Season
Conceded
PL finish
Chelsea
2004-05
15
1st
Arsenal
1998-99
17
2nd
Chelsea
2005-06
22
1st
Man United
2007-08
22
1st
Liverpool
2018-19
22
2nd
Man City
2018-19
23
1st
Chelsea
2006-07
24
2nd
via ESPN
This remarkable solidity stems from a well-drilled backline featuring William Saliba, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber, who have quickly restored the Emirates Stadium’s reputation as a fortress.
With David Raya between the sticks making crucial saves, reinforcing his standing as one of the best goalkeepers in world football, opponents simply cannot break them down right now.
They’ve also become a nightmare from set pieces. Under Arteta’s coaching, and following the arrival of Gabriel Heinze as part of his staff, the league leaders tower above everyone when it comes to set-piece goals — scoring 11 times from corners and free-kicks so far.
This style has attracted some criticism, with Arsenal quite near the bottom of the pile for Premier League goals from open play, but supporters won’t care one bit if they carry on this superb run of form.
Their standing has been made all the more impressive considering a bunch of big-name first teamers are currently sidelined through injury.
William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli joined the Arsenal treatment table recently, missing their 2-0 win over Brighton in the Carabao Cup midweek.
Saliba was out for a brief period at the very start of 25/26 too, with summer signing Cristhian Mosquera performing excellently in his absence.
The young Spaniard appears set for an extended run in the team once again after Arteta’s latest update on Saliba, but there’s some good news sprinkled in there too.
Mikel Arteta shares positive Arsenal injury update pre-Burnley
While Saliba and Martinelli are both still absent with no timeframe put on their return, Arteta shares a positive update on the conditions of club captain Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, when asked if the trio could all be available for Arsenal’s North London derby clash against Tottenham in November, the response was ecstatic with Arteta expecting them back “very soon”.
Reports this week suggested that Madueke is making a “faster-than-expected” recovery at Arsenal and is closing in on a return.
Insider HandOfArsenal also stated earlier this month that Havertz is blowing away Arsenal staff and is on track to return ahead of schedule.
Odegaard’s return can’t come soon enough, with the Norwegian suffering terribly bad luck with injuries this term as he looks to put his fitness woes behind him and provide Arsenal with that extra cutting edge in the final third.
The former Real Madrid star suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee against West Ham just before the last international break, and estimates claim his comeback is booked for November.
Arsenal in preliminary talks to sign £44m PSG star who Arteta "dreams" of getting
Cristiano Ronaldo has been sent home by Portugal following his red card against the Republic of Ireland on Thursday. Ronaldo received his marching orders on the hour mark, his first dismissal of his international career, having elbowed Ireland defender Dara O'Shea, as the Selecao crashed to a surprise 2-0 defeat at the Aviva Stadium. Portugal remain top of World Cup qualifying Group F despite the loss.
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Ireland claimed huge win over Portugal
However, the Selecao's progression to the 2026 World Cup isn't quite so cut and dry following Thursday's reverse. Troy Parrott bagged a first half brace for the Boys In Green as Ireland made it back-to-back wins to give their play-off hopes a much-needed shot in the arm.
Ireland now face Hungary, who sit one point above Heimir Hallgrimsson's side, on Sunday afternoon needing to win in order to leapfrog the Magyars into second place. Hungary may yet finish first if they win and Portugal lose to Armenia, though even without Ronaldo, that seems unlikely.
The 40-year-old won't be hanging around to watch Portugal's game at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto on Sunday afternoon after the experienced striker was 'released from the national team' according to Portuguese publication . Ronaldo had put in a sluggish performance up until his dismissal in what proved a frustrating evening for the Portugal captain.
Before the game, Ronaldo had promised to be a 'good boy' upon his return to Ireland, stating: "I really like the fans here. The support they give to their national team is lovely.
"For me, it's a pleasure to play here again, I hope they don't boo me too much tomorrow – I swear that I'm going to try to be a good boy."
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'There's no violence'
Ronaldo's red card was met with disbelief by the experienced striker, who turned to sarcastically applaud the home crowd before trudging towards the tunnel. And the Al-Nassr hitman had to be held back by former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho after the Portuguese hero appeared to mouth 'well done' in the direction of the Irish dugout.
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez came to the defence of Ronaldo after Thursday's defeat and argued that the captain's outburst was not 'violent'. "Of course, we spoke I think it's difficult for a player like Cristiano, who's in the box. And today he had two defenders constantly in physical contact," Martinez said.
"There's no violence. He tries to push the defender away and he was unlucky that the VAR… the angle of the images [makes it look] worse than what happened. It's Ronaldo's first red card for the national team, it's incredible."
A straight red card on the international stage tends to carry a two-match ban, which means Ronaldo may miss Portugal's World Cup opener if they to get the job done against Armenia and avoid needing to jet stateside next summer via the play-offs.
AFP
'He knows he made a mistake'
Manchester United captain and Ronaldo's Portugal team-mate Bruno Fernandes has admitted that the frontman made a mistake but that his dismissal made things more difficult in Ireland last week. Fernandes, who sat out the game against Ireland owing to a ban of his own, said: "That happens in football, a moment where Cris had a reaction that cost him dearly.
"Something he didn't want to do, but it ended up happening. He knows he made a mistake and unfortunately couldn't help us, but it doesn't change the fact that we were already behind in the game.
"It made things a little more difficult, because we were playing with 10 men and didn't have a player who could score a goal at any moment."
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Portugal expected to breeze past Armenia
Portugal are still expected to finish top of Group F on Sunday as they gear up to take on Armenia on home turf. Armenia have lost four of their five World Cup qualifiers, including a resounding 5-0 loss to Martinez's men at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium back in September.
Ronaldo scored twice in that resounding victory, while Joao Felix – twice – and Joao Cancelo also got on the scoresheet earlier in the year.
Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has defended Florian Wirtz following his underwhelming start to life at Liverpool after signing for the Reds in a deal worth £116 million. Wirtz came in for fresh criticism following Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, but Nagelsmann feels the team's strikers could help out by finishing some of the chances the German star creates.
Wirtz continues to struggle
Wirtz failed to shine again on Sunday as Liverpool slumped to a seventh defeat in their last 10 games in all competitions. Liverpool's big-money buy has failed to manage a single goal or assist in the Premier League side since arriving at Anfield in the summer and has only show a few glimmers of the talent that persuaded the Reds to invest so heavily in his services. His performances have already drawn plenty of criticism, with former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger even claiming his arrival has "destroyed" Liverpool's midfield.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportNagelsmann takes aim at Liverpool
Nagelsmann has been quick to defend Wirtz and feels he simply needs time to prove himself. He told reporters: "Liverpool could also help him out by scoring some of the chances he creates. They somehow don't like to shoot the ball in. To be honest, the overall situation doesn't make it easy for Flo either. 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.
"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. 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."
Wirtz branded a 'little boy' after City loss
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville didn't hold back in his criticism of Wirtz after watching Liverpool comfortably beaten by City. He told : "Wirtz is a problem. Let's just call it as it is. It's an issue. He's £100m+, and to be fair, I said a few weeks ago [Milos] Kerkez looked like a little boy out there. Today, I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy. That can't be the case.
"We've been tiptoeing around him for a few months, around the fact that he's young, he's coming to a new country, but he's £100m+, you're going to have to stand up soon. He's obviously got something, he's a really good player, he's technically fantastic, but he's been mauled out there today by Matheus Nunes and by others. He's been chucked around the pitch, and didn't deliver on the quality side of things as well, so his performance was a real worry."
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Getty Images SportCan Wirtz regain form with Germany?
Wirtz is now with the Germany squad for their final two World Cup qualifiers against against Luxembourg and Slovakia and will hope he can try and regain some kind of form before returning to Liverpool. Germany can secure top spot in Group A, and with it automatic qualification to next year's tournament, with two wins from their final fixtures. Wirtz will then head back to Liverpool with Nottingham Forest first up for Slot's side after the international break.