Patience With New Faces Is Still The Point

One of the quickest ways to lose your head as a Liverpool fan is to decide a player is either “the one” or “a waste” after a handful of appearances. The Semenyo versus Wirtz chat fits that pattern for me. If you’re asking who I’d rather have, it’s Wirtz all day. Not because he’s instantly perfect, but because the ceiling looks obvious and, truth is, the Premier League nearly always asks for a settling-in period.

You can see it with players who arrive with big reputations and then spend a month or two learning the speed of the game, the physicality, the rhythm of second balls, even the timing of when to go and when to hold. With hindsight, most of us should expect that rather than acting surprised by it. If Wirtz is starting to look more at home now, that’s not a plot twist. That’s just the league doing what it does.

Wirtz takes time, but you can see the shape of it

What I like is the idea of a player “building up” rather than being written off. Getting to grips with England isn’t only about touch and passing, it’s about learning when the press is coming, how quickly space disappears, and how often you’ll be asked to do things without the ball. Once that clicks, the good ones tend to look like themselves again.

And it’s worth saying: comparing him to a different profile entirely doesn’t really help. Semenyo, Wirtz, whoever you prefer, they’ll bring different strengths. For me, Wirtz is the one you back because the overall package feels like it can become central, not just useful.

Ekitike has set the standard

Not everyone needs the warm-up period, though. Ekitike has been outstanding, and that matters because it changes the mood around the whole group. When one new lad hits the ground running, it makes you feel like the recruitment has a clue, and it buys time for the others to catch up.

There’s also a simple knock-on effect: if someone is performing, the pressure isn’t spread evenly across every new arrival. You’re not demanding everybody carry the attack on day one, because someone already is.

Isak and the full-backs: risk, reality, and patience

With Isak, you’re talking about a different kind of timeline. He’s a fine player, but the injury risk was always part of the deal. If he’s been behind the fitness curve and in and out, then of course the season can look rough. It doesn’t automatically mean he can’t be a proper player for us, it means the first job is actually getting him on the pitch consistently.

Same goes for Kerkez and Frimpong. I wouldn’t have picked them myself, but they’re here now and trying to improve. Full-back is a brutal position at Liverpool, especially with the expectations around energy, recovery runs, and decision-making under pressure. If you’re making a call on them after a short period, you’re probably making it too early.

Give it time. Back the lads while they’re wearing red. Then, when we’ve got a proper sample, we can judge properly.

Written by Davey Sulls: 27 December 2025