I’ve been saying for a while now that something doesn’t quite look right with Florian Wirtz at Liverpool.
There have been flashes of the player we all know is in there, but we haven’t seen enough of them.
And now, thanks to some fascinating reporting from Paul Joyce, there is another reason for Liverpool supporters to be looking closely at what happens with Wirtz and Jürgen Klopp.
Because Klopp apparently has a very clear idea of where Wirtz is at his most dangerous.
And it isn’t necessarily where Liverpool are currently getting the best out of him.
Klopp sees Wirtz differently
Wirtz is currently with the second Germany squad and will join up later in the international break for matches against Serbia and Greece. Klopp’s unusual decision to split his 44-man squad means the Liverpool midfielder missed Germany’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands.
But according to Paul Joyce, the debate surrounding Wirtz’s form at Liverpool has now reached the Germany set-up.
And this is the really interesting part.
It is understood that Klopp sees Wirtz as most dangerous when he operates in the left half-space and receives the ball facing the opposition goal.
Think about that for a second.
That’s the Wirtz we saw so often at Bayer Leverkusen.
The player who could receive the ball between the lines, turn, drive towards the defence and suddenly make something happen.
The player who looked like he was playing one step ahead of everybody else.
That is the Wirtz Liverpool supporters are waiting to see.
Look at what he did at Leverkusen
There was a reason Wirtz became one of the most exciting young attacking midfielders in Europe at Bayer Leverkusen.
Under Xabi Alonso, he developed an outstanding relationship with players such as Granit Xhaka and Alex Grimaldo.
Wirtz could receive the ball in that left-sided half-space, turn towards goal and immediately attack.
He wasn’t constantly receiving the ball with his back to goal.
He wasn’t being asked to spend huge periods doing defensive work.
He was being put in positions where his biggest strengths could decide matches.
And that is where I think Liverpool have a huge question to answer.
Are we actually getting Wirtz into those positions often enough?
This is exactly what I’ve been questioning
I’ve been critical of Wirtz this season, but I’ve never questioned his talent.
That’s important.
I don’t suddenly think Liverpool made a mistake signing him.
Far from it.
I think we’ve got a brilliant footballer who is still trying to find his place in a new team, under a new manager, in a new league.
But there have been too many games where Wirtz has been difficult to find.
At Bournemouth, for example, he struggled in the first half before improving after the break. Andoni Iraola himself acknowledged that Wirtz started slowly but said he found better positions and turned more effectively in the second half.
That’s the bit that interests me.
Finding better positions.
Because that is precisely what Klopp apparently believes Wirtz needs.
Maybe Liverpool need to give him more freedom
This is where I keep coming back to the role Wirtz is being asked to play.
Iraola has clearly got his own ideas.
And I’m absolutely prepared to give him time.
But if Wirtz is at his best receiving the ball in the left half-space and facing goal, then Liverpool need to find a way of making that happen more regularly.
Because I don’t want to see Wirtz become a midfielder whose biggest contribution is how much ground he covers.
I want to see him hurting teams.
I want to see him picking the ball up between the lines.
Turning.
Driving forward.
Playing the killer pass.
Combining with Gakpo.
Linking with Isak.
And getting into positions where he can score himself.
The statistics actually show that Wirtz is working extremely hard this season. Liverpool have seen him apply plenty of pressure and win possession high up the pitch, while he has also produced 19 progressive passes in the Premier League.
But that’s not really what we’re waiting for.
We’re waiting for the match-winning Wirtz.
And Klopp has already defended him
There is another interesting layer to all of this.
Klopp has already spoken publicly about the pressure surrounding Wirtz.
When discussing his new Germany player, Klopp said people need to move away from expecting special moments from Wirtz in every game and instead recognise the work he does for the team.
He also pointed out that Wirtz has covered enormous ground for Liverpool this season and stressed that he wants the player to feel comfortable rather than constantly feeling that he has to produce a goal or assist.
That tells me Klopp understands the player.
He knows what Wirtz is capable of.
And he also seems to understand that putting more pressure on him isn’t necessarily going to unlock him.
Liverpool have to get this right
For me, this is one of the biggest jobs Iraola has at Liverpool.
Not turning Wirtz into a different player.
Getting the Wirtz we already know is in there.
The one who tore teams apart at Leverkusen.
The one who played with freedom.
The one who received the ball facing goal and immediately looked dangerous.
Because Liverpool didn’t spend an enormous amount of money on Wirtz to have him become another hard-working midfielder.
We bought him because he can change games.
And if Klopp’s assessment of where Wirtz is most dangerous is correct, then perhaps Liverpool need to start asking a very simple question:
Are we putting him in the right places?
I don’t think Wirtz needs more criticism.
I think he needs the right conditions.
And with Klopp now watching him closely from the Germany set-up, it will be fascinating to see whether the former Liverpool boss can get something out of him that we’ve only seen in flashes at Anfield.
Because if Iraola can find that version of Florian Wirtz…
Liverpool could suddenly have one hell of a player on their hands.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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