The 22-year-old joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a then British record fee of £116 million, a record Arne Slot’s side would break a few weeks later, with the reputation as one of the best young attacking talents on the planet.
It’s still incredibly early days for Wirtz and Anfield, but despite providing an assist in their Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace a game that IS classified as a friendly, he’s yet to register a goal or an assist in a competitive game.
Wirtz was surprisingly dropped for the Merseyside derby on Saturday (September 20) although he did make it off the bench for the final 29 minutes of the game. We’ve only seen glimpses of his immense talent so far, but why?
How is Arne Slot using Florian Wirtz?
Wirtz was brought in to be Liverpool’s chief creator, and he is creating. The German playmaker has produced nine chances, second only to Cody Gakpo, and sits just behind the Dutchman in expected assists per 90 (0.18 to 0.20).
During his time at Leverkusen, Wirtz played as their left-sided number ten in Xabi Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 formation. While he had license to influence the game from almost anywhere in the final third, he was at his best when drifting in from the left.
So far under Slot, playing in a 4-2-3-1, Wirtz is now flanked by two wingers, usually Gakpo and star man Mohammed Salah, so he doesn’t quite have the same kind of freedom he enjoyed at Leverkusen.
He’s also playing most of his game on the right rather than the left, filling in the hole left by Salah, who’s defensive output is limited. Since he’s no longer operating in the same half spaces he did for most of his career, that seriously prohibits Wirtz’s natural style of play,
So, while he’s learning how to operate in an entirely new system in arguably a completely different position. There was bound to be a bit of a drop off in output, at least for a little while.
Positive signs in the Champions League
His performance in the 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid was by far his best in a Liverpool shirt to date. Playing just 74 minutes, he created the highest number of chances of anyone on the pitch with five, while also having eight touches in the opposition box.
There were several occasions throughout the game that Wirtz took the initiative to drop a little deeper, receive the ball from one of Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate, and make a penetrating run into Atletico’s final third.
He came close to finally bagging a goal contribution when, after a rapid counterattack, he found Salah who then had his shit bounce off the inside of the post. Wirtz also selflessly passed it off to Hugo Ekiteke, who skied it.
Speaking after the game, Slot urged for patience, correctly pointing out that this is all a big change for Wirtz.
“Florian was indeed a few times close to scoring a goal and he was also a few times close to assisting a goal,” Slot said.
“I can see with him also that he is getting fitter and fitter and adjusting more and more to us, which is normal. You need a bit of time to adjust. We all know how much quality he has but sometimes people forget that he is a 22-year-old who goes abroad for the first time.
“I am 47 because it is my birthday today but last year I came when I was 46 and it was my first time working abroad. In the first two or three months, your whole life is changing. All the things that are normal to you are not normal anymore. Everything is different and that sometimes costs energy as well.
“Combine that with going to a new club, a new playing style — because Leverkusen played 3-4-3 and we play 4-3-3 — so we ask a bit more from him off the ball and defensively as well. But I can see him growing more and more. He and the team will get better and better, but I liked his performance a lot.”
Verdict
Players moving from the Bundesliga to the Premier League have historically found it tough to adapt. The English top flight is a lot more physical and fast paced, while its German counterpart is arguably the more transitional league in the world, yielding higher scoring games.
Wirtz will likely be a huge success at Liverpool, he may just need a season to get to grips with it all.