Liverpool, October 19, 2025 – In the wake of Manchester United’s shock 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, a match that exposed the Reds’ crumbling title defense, Steven Gerrard, the club’s iconic former captain, unleashed a blistering attack on one player he holds responsible for the defeat. Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, the 45-year-old, now in advanced talks to return as Rangers manager, didn’t mince words: “Mr. interviewer, you don’t need to ask me who’s to blame for our loss tonight at Anfield against Manchester United. You have eyes, you saw it yourself. It’s clear who’s at fault — and it’s proof that he’s tired of staying at Liverpool.” With fury etched across his face, Gerrard zeroed in on Florian Wirtz, the £100 million German prodigy, branding his performance “a total flop” and imploring manager Arne Slot to take drastic action to halt Liverpool’s alarming slide.
The defeat, Liverpool’s fourth in six Premier League games, saw the Reds slip to fourth with 15 points from 10 matches, nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City and reeling from a third straight loss in all competitions. The Anfield clash, a 61,000-strong cauldron of northwest rivalry, began with promise: Mohamed Salah’s 12th-minute curler, assisted by Alexis Mac Allister’s pinpoint pass, lit up the Kop, evoking memories of last season’s 98-point championship romp. But Ruben Amorim’s United, clawing from ninth, struck back through Bryan Mbeumo’s 18th-minute poacher’s finish – capitalizing on a controversial non-call when Mac Allister lay prone with a head injury – before Bruno Fernandes’ 67th-minute VAR-awarded penalty and Kobbie Mainoo’s 82nd-minute counter sealed a historic upset. The loss, compounded by referee Michael Oliver’s litany of errors as blasted by Jamie Carragher, left Liverpool fans booing and Slot’s high-line 4-2-3-1 exposed.
Gerrard, who lifted the 2005 Champions League with a never-say-die ethos, trained his ire on Wirtz, the 22-year-old signed from Bayer Leverkusen as Slot’s marquee summer splash. “He’s a total flop tonight – invisible, no heart, no fight,” Gerrard seethed, his Merseyside accent thick with disdain. “I’ve seen players wear that badge with pride, but Florian? He’s drifting like he’s tired of being here. Slot needs to bench him now – not one game, but until he gets what Liverpool means.” Wirtz, deployed on the left wing to complement Salah, was a ghost: 29 touches, zero key passes, 11 possessions lost, and a halftime substitution after United’s Rashford and Garnacho tore through Conor Bradley’s right flank. Opta stats paint a grim picture: zero goals, one assist in 10 starts, with a dribble success rate of 22% – a far cry from his 18-goal, 19-assist Leverkusen zenith in 2024-25.
The “tired of staying” jab cuts deeper. Wirtz, hailed as Germany’s “next De Bruyne” upon arrival, has struggled with Slot’s intense pressing demands, mirroring his Feyenoord acclimatization woes where stars like Calvin Stengs were sidelined. Whispers of discontent swirl: German outlet Bild reported Wirtz’s frustration with Slot’s “rigid” rotations, while his agent, Hans-Joachim Wirtz (his father), hinted at Bundesliga interest post a September Bayern blank. Gerrard, whose 710 Liverpool appearances bled for the crest, drew parallels to his Al-Ettifaq sacking: “I’ve been there – when it’s not clicking, you act. Slot’s got Harvey Elliott, Stefan Bajcetic, even young Luca Stephenson ready to graft. Florian’s killing us – pull the plug.”
The Kop’s unrest amplifies the crisis. #WirtzOut trended with 350,000 posts, while #SlotOut hit 200,000, with fans burning scarves outside Anfield and attendance dipping to 58,500. Ryan Babel, another ex-Red, echoed Gerrard on his podcast, branding Wirtz “unacceptable” and demanding a three-game benching. Pundit Danny Murphy, on BBC’s Football Daily, concurred: “Stevie’s spot-on – Wirtz’s body language screams apathy. Slot’s system needs warriors, not wanderers.” Slot, ashen in his presser, deflected: “Florian’s adapting – we back him. This loss isn’t one man.” Yet, his substitutions – Elliott’s 62nd-minute spark yielding two chances – hint at a rethink. Liverpool’s £240 million summer outlay (Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres) now looks reckless, with Isak’s three goals and Gyökeres’ bench role fueling FSG scrutiny.
Gerrard’s call to action isn’t mere nostalgia. His Rangers reign (2018-21) saw him bench underperformers like Alfredo Morelos to spark a 2020-21 title, a blueprint he’s reportedly pitching in Glasgow talks. “Slot’s got the nous, but he’s too patient,” Gerrard added. “Liverpool’s badge demands sacrifice – Wirtz isn’t showing it.” As the Reds limp into a Champions League Milan rematch on October 22, Slot faces a crucible: bench Wirtz for Arsenal’s visit post-break, or risk further fracture. With Salah’s contract ticking to 2026 and Saudi whispers (£1.5m/week from Al-Nassr), the Anfield empire wobbles. Gerrard’s plea – raw, real, red – is a warning: act now, or the ghost of last season’s glory fades forever. “You saw it,” he reiterated. “Time’s up for flops.”
