No points scored in the league yet and not even in the starting lineup recently: Florian Wirtz is still struggling in Liverpool—but he knows exactly where he needs to start.
A measly assist in the lost Community Shield, zero points in the Premier League and Champions League – and now not even a regular player: when Florian Wirtz sat on the bench for the first time in the derby against Everton FC (2-1), it could easily have been interpreted as another blow. Had Liverpool coach Arne Slot already lost patience with his €125 million new signing? Not at all, it was more the opposite. In one of “the most intense games we have to play,” Slot preferred to rely on the championship trio in his midfield, choosing Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, “who is more used to the intensity of the Premier League and this program than Florian.” That’s exactly what Wirtz is still struggling with.
“I talked to the coach about it recently and he expressed a guess as to why I’m not yet getting into the situations I normally get into—that is, making the game fast with a dribble or a pass,” Wirtz reports in an interview that Sky Sport News will broadcast on Thursday evening. “He said it might be because we press a lot and I run a lot.”
He said he is “always at the top” in the running statistics, but: “That takes a lot of strength and energy. When I have the ball, I might be lacking a little something.” But step by step, “by playing more games and getting fitter,” he will get to the point where “when I have the ball, I’m also fit and rested enough to step on the gas.”
“I don’t want to hear ‘give him time, give him time’ all the time.”
On the one hand, Wirtz wants to finally show why Liverpool broke their transfer record for him (which Alexander Isak snatched shortly afterwards). “I don’t want to hear ‘give him time, give him time’ all the time,” he says, given the mild public reaction so far, which is certainly helped by Liverpool’s winning streak. And “of course, I would have liked to have scored a goal or collected a few points already.”
On the other hand, Wirtz, who “deliberately chose the more difficult path” with his transfer, continues to have full confidence in his abilities. “No matter what anyone says, I’m staying cool,” he assures us. “But it can take a while to really settle in somewhere, get used to everything, and I’m allowing myself that time. I just hope that at some point I’ll feel really comfortable, at home, and ready.”
“I haven’t had that very often in my career”
Sometimes there are just phases “when maybe not everything is going your way, which I haven’t really had that often in my career. Once I get through it—and that might sound harsh because I’m not playing badly, it’s just that the points aren’t there yet—it will come eventually and then everything will be fine.” In fact, only Cody Gakpo (10) has created more chances than Wirtz (9) in Liverpool’s league appearances so far. “We don’t have to teach him how to play soccer,” Slot emphasizes, “he just has to adapt to the intensity level of the Premier League.” He is likely to get his next chance to start on Saturday at Crystal Palace. In Tuesday’s 2-1 League Cup win over Southampton, Wirtz, like Mo Salah & Co., was not in the squad – as befits a key player.
