‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ – How Florian Wirtz fared for Germany vs Slovakia: It’s not good
Florian Wirtz’s struggles continued away from Liverpool on Thursday evening.
Liverpool signed Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116million deal earlier this summer, but he has not had the required impact so far.
His underlying numbers have been good, but Dominik Szoboszlai has outshone him in the number 10 role at the moment, especially in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Arsenal last time out.
Liverpool fans are yet to see Wirtz’s best, and if they were tuning in to watch him on international duty, they would have been disappointed.
Florian Wirtz’s poor Liverpool form continues for Germany
Arne Slot may have hoped that being with the national team, playing with players that he his more familiar with, may have reignited the 22-year-old.
However, he failed to impress against Slovakia as Germany ended up on the wrong side of a 2-0 scoreline in their opening World Cup qualifier on 4 September.
The Reds ace, who is usually famed for his defensive contributions, lost eight of the 11 duels that he attempted, which was the most of any player in the contest, per Fotmob.
Wirtz was successful with just one of his five attempted dribbles for a 20 per cent success rate, and three of six crosses, for a 50 per cent success rate.
He did complete eight passes into the final third and created three chances, the most in the clash, but he was unable to make anything happen.
The worst moment of the match is not reflected in the statistics, though. Wirtz lost the ball, and it was in his team’s net within eight seconds.
| Stats | Wirtz |
| Duels won | 3/11 |
| Dribbles attempted | 1/5 (20%) |
| Crosses attempted | 3/6 (50%) |
| Passes into final third | 8 |
| Chances created | 3 |
Rival fans react to what Liverpool ace Florian Wirtz did for Germany
Wirtz’s performance and particularly that mistake have led to criticism on social media, particularly from rivals and neutral observers.
One account said: “What’s wrong with this guy this season?”
Even some Reds supporters were fed up with Wirtz’s showing in the contest.
Wirtz is having a difficult time at the moment, and the latest display will not help him rediscover his best form anytime soon.
There is no doubt that Wirtz will eventually find his feet at Anfield; he is far too much of a talented player not to, but right now, he is not showing it.
Slot and Co. need him to get back to his best sooner rather than later.
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