The Reasons Why The Reds Haven't Yet Found the Best from Florian Wirtz So Far

Assessment of the German midfielder's first nine appearances for the Merseyside club has generally landed at the identical verdict - it has been an underwhelming beginning.

Some have been more critical. Former England striker Wayne Rooney stated the £116m signing "damages the equilibrium" of the team's structure.

"He's a top player and I'm confident he will get better - but he's experienced a gradual beginning and I think there's no denying that," said Rooney.

Wirtz is still without a goal or provide an assist for his current team, but does that paint the whole picture?

In this analysis we explore how effective he has performed, why he isn't performing as anticipated so far, and how Liverpool could extract the best out of him.

The squad's balance is off, but they are evidently experiencing a period of change.

Head coach Arne Slot has altered his approach this campaign - and possibly the loss of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold posed greater challenges than anticipated.

Following a comparable pattern to the manager's previous club team, Liverpool are looking to play with a greater number of rotations between teammates, advancing through the central areas of the field with quick, small-space interplay.

It therefore makes sense for the attacking midfielder to be the central creative hub to connect all elements together.

But, in reality, he has been tasked to perform a role that is slightly different from the position he is familiar with.

And that has reduced how frequently he positions himself in positions to find the net or assist.

It doesn't get the maximum potential out of the player as an singular talent, but he hasn't performed bad in this less-than-ideal role.

Wirtz is getting the ball further back more often.

Alexander-Arnold was impressive in his ability to distribute the ball when operating deep, and the team appear to be sorely missing that quality.

Captain the Dutch defender's diagonal passes to forward Mohamed Salah is a great method for them to get the play up the pitch reliably. Otherwise, Liverpool lack the distribution ability in defence to find teammates in advanced positions.

This duty has been placed on Wirtz at times. He has been dropping deep to receive the ball before turning and trying to drive it forward. He is capable to do this because of his technical quality, but it is limiting the time he operates close to the opposition net.

Should possession duties can be taken by a different teammate, it possibly allows the attacker to operate more advanced the pitch.

Curtis Jones has the ability to perform this function in a central midfield partnership or on the left flank, and may be an alternative Slot could turn to as he looks to enhance Wirtz's natural game.

One of the biggest contrasts the player is experiencing in the English top flight is the reduced space and heightened pressure applied to him.

Operating centrally between the lines against very organized defensive sides such as the London club, Wirtz has been positioned with less opportunity and space to operate.

During his time at Bayer Leverkusen, there were matches in which the midfielder would stand on the left flank while his colleagues advanced the play forward before finding him.

In other situations, he would position himself in central attacking midfield areas, particularly against opponents that offered more room between the defensive units in games that developed into more transitional in nature.

Ex- Bayer boss Xabi Alonso profiled the talent well because both of these scenarios would enable him to receive the ball with space - meaning he could receive and drive forward with distance between himself and a defender.

For extracting the best out of the player, getting the ball to him when there is not instant marking on him is optimal.

When he is capable to receive the play on the turn and carry it ahead - with distance between himself and the closest opponent - he is capable to use deceptive movements and a variation in speed to destabilize opposition defences.

In a similar manner to the Merseyside club forward Jack Grealish, his finest work both on the ball carrying and in his distribution originates from situations in which he is driving with the possession and running at defenders.

That is why several of Wirtz's most impressive moments this campaign have come in transitions.

Space can be created by deploying him on the wing initially or by finding him in the center quickly. When he is operating between the lines, especially when an rival team's defensive shape is stretched, colleagues must accordingly execute direct balls to find Wirtz.

The Premier League's physical demands has strategic consequences but also affects players individually - and Wirtz appears to have not yet completely adjusted to this transition.

Under Slot's faster and more position-switching approach of offensive play, Liverpool are susceptible to counter-attacks, with reduced players supporting the play. This requires forward players like the midfielder to counter-press with energy when the possession is turned over.

The young talent has completely dedicated himself to the defensive instructions and has harassed energetically. In attack, he is being instructed to retreat to help in building up while maintaining the licence to participate to offensive moves on each of the left and right.

All of this is demanding on fitness, and some of his poor on-the-ball actions may be attributed to tiredness. Of all players to feature significant game time in the top division this season, the midfielder has run the fifth-highest distance per 90 minutes and the most of any Liverpool teammate.

In a recent interview with German media, the player discussed the difference in his performances this campaign versus last.

He said Slot had voiced a opinion "it could be because we harass a lot and I cover ground a considerably".

Wirtz added: "For example, the distance covered statistics: I'm consistently at the top there because I attempt to push hard and execute what the coach demands. I require a significant strength and energy for that. Whenever I have the possession, I could be missing a little bit. The expectation it will gradually develop step by step, as I gain more experience, improve physically, become capable to perform actions more easily, and then, whenever I have the play, be {fit|conditioned