Micah Richards has claimed that Florian Wirtz's size, strength and arriving from the Bundesliga are to blame for his Liverpool struggles. The Germany international notched his first assist since the Community Shield during their 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
However, the 22-year-old has come under the microscope for his start to life in the Premier League as his difficulties have coincided with a mediocre start for the Reds. Arne Slot's side have since endured a turgid downturn of form, losing their last four league games and finding themselves seven points off the pace.
Wirtz has shown flashes of what he can bring to the English top-flight but Liverpool have struggled to integrate their new signings seamlessly as Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez have yet to hit the ground running. Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Brentford compounded the miserable run for the Premier League champions.
Dutchman Slot is now facing further scrutiny over his team selection but Richards believes the midfield has been part of the problem, not helped by the change in the engine room.
"If you look at the tactical view, it's the midfield area," he said, speaking on the Rest is Football Podcast. "MacAllister was protection for them [the defence], Gravenberch was the protection and Szoboszlai had legs, now it's completely different.
"They're trying to go with a Curtis Jones, very good player but he's not got the defensive qualities of the other midfielders, Wirtz as well, we know he's going to become a good player but he needs to find somewhere where he can excel.
"If you're a midfielder now playing against Wirtz, you're worried about what he can do on the ball.
"But off the ball, he's small, petite, he's not very strong, he's come from a different league, you're going to expose that and that's what teams are doing now. It's energy in midfield which is why Liverpool were so consistent."
For the latest news and breaking news, visit liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/liverpool-fc. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow us on X @LivEchoLFC - the official Liverpool ECHO LFC X account - for all the latest LFC news as it happens in real time.
We're also on Facebook/LiverpoolEchoLFC - your must-see LFC news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.