Arne Slot must do one thing at Liverpool as Florian Wirtz issue becomes clear
Florian Wirtz has not hit the heights that were expected of him since he joined Liverpool.
Liverpool forked out £116million to bring Wirtz in, but he has only notched one assist in nine matches so far, in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace.
Liverpool have been urged to be patient with Wirtz, as he adapts to the English game, but they cannot afford to carry passengers at the moment.
His poor start to life at Anfield could be transformed if Arne Slot makes one change to what his side are doing right now.
What is going wrong for Florian Wirtz at Liverpool?
Slot tried something new with Wirtz in Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace, playing the German on the left side in a 4-2-2-2 system, rather than in his typical number 10 role.
However, he was often found drifting into central midfield and the right flank, which meant that the Reds were too overloaded on one side or had too many bodies in the middle, in fact, Wayne Rooney has questioned where he fits in the Liverpool team.
The latter continued against Galatasaray in the Champions League defeat, leading Jamie Carragher to call for Wirtz to be dropped.
Speaking on CBS Sports on 30 September, he said: “Right now, [Wirtz], needs to come out of the team, Liverpool need to go back to what they were last season and then go from there, and try to build some confidence and build some defensive stability.
“Right now it looks like a mess.”
The ex-Reds star is not wrong, it is a mess right now, but there is a simple solution for Slot and Co, that should get the best out of the former Bayer Leverkusen man.
Wirtz needs to operate further forward for Liverpool
The Reds need to get Wirtz operating in between the channels, where he is most dangerous, and can create for his teammates or score himself.
At the moment, he is dropping deeper to receive the ball, rather than playing in the areas where he has proven that he can thrive.
Slot needs to adjust that, and then Wirtz should begin to flourish in English football, the way that he was expected to when he was signed for such a high fee.
The Reds need to be less passive when they progress the ball, and allow the 22-year-old to influence games more than he is right now.
Last season at Leverkusen, he made 25.2 final third passes, with 50.2 per cent of successful dribbles, and 2.51 shots per game, as per Sofascore.
However, with the Reds, he is making just 18.6 final third passes per game, completing just 40.9 per cent, and recording just 1.44 shots per match, which suggests that he is operating in a more condensed area.
If the Reds could get him into more advanced areas, as the heatmap for his last season in the Bundesliga shows on the above graphic, then they may have more success than they are having right now.
Wirtz’s off-the-ball work has been impressive
Part of the reason that Wirtz was brought in was his work off the ball, which has gone under the radar in the early parts of the campaign.
- Wirtz has recovered 3.2 balls per game in the Premier League so far
- He ranks top for possession won in the final third in the Liverpool squad with 1.2 per 90 in the league
- Makes an average of one tackle per game, ranking eighth in the Reds squad
The focus has been on his lack of goals and assists, which is obviously a huge part of his job, but he also excels in terms of his work rate and willingness to win the ball back.
That will be a vital asset for Slot’s side going forward, but they also need to give him the license to get into the dangerous positions where he can hurt the opposition.
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