Florian Wirtz has discovered that life at Liverpool comes with a particularly unforgiving spotlight. The German arrived at Anfield carrying a £100m price tag and the expectation that he would immediately become one of the Premier League’s most influential attacking players.
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That has not happened yet, and after Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Sunday, Jamie Carragher argued that Andoni Iraola should consider dropping Wirtz from his starting XI. It was a predictable debate given the numbers, although Andy Robertson has offered a rather different perspective on the 23-year-old.
Robertson sees something special in Wirtz
Robertson, who left Liverpool for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer after his contract expired, believes there is considerably more to Wirtz’s contribution than his goals and assists.
Speaking on Stick to Football, the former Liverpool left-back said:
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“I see a really special footballer, but I know he’s got to prove he can do it in the Premier League. At times last season he would put a ball on a plate for somebody and they wouldn’t score – he needs people to score.
“Mo [Salah] had his worst season in terms of goals, Cody [Gakpo] didn’t score as many as he could have on the left, [Alexander] Isak was injured a lot, and Hugo [Ekitike] did well, to be fair to him.
“He could easily have ended up with 10 or 12 assists last season [he actually had 10 in all competitions]. He’ll know he needs more. He’s really hungry as a player and he wants to be the best. He’s got the attitude and mentality to go and do it.”
Photo: IMAGO
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That is an important distinction. Wirtz’s first Liverpool season produced seven goals in 49 appearances, while he has registered one assist in his six outings so far this campaign. Those figures do not scream £100m superstar, but they also do not tell the entire story.
Liverpool need Wirtz to turn promise into production
Robertson’s argument has some statistical support. Wirtz did create opportunities that were not converted, while injuries and inconsistent finishing around him complicated his attempts to establish himself as Liverpool’s creative focal point.
One example came in the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, when Wirtz produced a clever flick into the path of Mohamed Salah, only for the Egyptian to miss the target.
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There is also a broader issue here. Wirtz was arriving from Bayer Leverkusen after playing a central role in a side that had won both the Bundesliga and German Cup. At Liverpool, he was expected to adapt immediately to a different league, a different tactical environment and significantly greater scrutiny.
That does not mean criticism is unreasonable. A player costing £100m has to produce eventually, and Wirtz will know that better than anyone.
Wirtz has time to change the conversation
The encouraging part for Liverpool is that Wirtz remains only 23. His technical ability has never really been the question. The challenge is converting that ability into decisive moments, particularly goals and assists, consistently enough to justify his importance to Iraola’s team.
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Robertson’s own career provides a useful reminder that adaptation can take time. So too does the history of players such as Salah and Kevin De Bruyne, neither of whom immediately became the Premier League stars they would eventually develop into.
For Wirtz, the answer is unlikely to come from debating pundits or responding to every criticism. It will come on the pitch, where Liverpool need the German to turn those flashes of quality into numbers that are impossible to ignore.
Robertson clearly believes that process can happen. Wirtz now has the opportunity to prove him right.
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