Liverpool’s summer signing is matching up to the best creators in the league after a slow start to life at Anfield
Liverpool’s summer signing Florian Wirtz has seen a significant upturn in form over the last 10 games after struggling at the start of the season.
The £116m signing from Bayer Leverkusen has now scored six goals and assisted eight after a dry spell for much of the first half of the season.
He did not score or assist until Liverpool’s Champions League game against Eintracht Frankfurt on 22 October, which Arne Slot’s side won 5-1, Wirtz registering two assists in that game.
The Germany international is now also consistently finding the net himself, having scored six goals in his last 10 appearances for Liverpool. His latest was the third goal as Slot’s side thrashed Newcastle 4-1 at Anfield last weekend.
“First and foremost, credit to the player because he has to do the work,” Slot said regarding the 22-year-old’s improvement. “Not only on the pitch but also in the gym.
“Then, as a manager, even if he is struggling a little bit at the start, you have to keep playing him because that is the only way he can improve. He is an example of that.
“I think he didn’t improve that much on the ball because, from the start, he was special.
“Maybe now he has a better connection with his teammates because they’ve played more and more together.
“Off the ball is where I see the biggest improvement with him, and some others, and that combination makes you ready for the Premier League.”
Another summer signing whose fortunes have also improved is Milos Kerkez. Easily the most eye-catching Liverpool player for his nervous performances in the first half of the season, Kerkez was fielded regularly by Slot, the manager starting him in 20 out of 23 Premier League matches so far this season, but the Hungarian was also substituted frequently after playing poorly, being hastily replaced with Andy Robertson eight times in the league so far.
Gary Neville famously described his performances on the pitch as making him look like “a little boy”.
“This is what you get if you keep playing those players who sometimes have moments that are not as good as other moments or games not as good as other games,” Slot said.
“I think that’s normal for younger players and the only thing as a manager is to keep trusting them and believing in them because we know who we signed.
“We saw that potential, and we knew, and he has already been shown, that that potential will be seen if you keep playing them.”
What Has Changed with Florian Wirtz at Liverpool?
Against Newcastle at Anfield, Florian Wirtz scored his sixth goal in 10 games as Liverpool beat the Magpies 4-1 to make their intentions clear about a top-five finish.
But Wirtz struggled in the first half of the season, the viral content machine will tell you. So have things changed for the better for the German, and if so what?
Well, six goals in his last 10 games gives a clear answer that the £116m signing from Bayer Leverkusen is on the up at Anfield. Wirtz doesn’t just have six goals, he also has eight assists, a total of 14 goal contributions in 32 appearances so far for the Reds.
