The appearance of Florian Wirtz at Liverpool this summer has received great attention. The 22-year-old German midfielder is expected to bring a new breeze to The Kop's attack. However, the 22-year-old star's Premier League debut did not go as expected.
In the face of a physically and quickly-paced English football environment, Wirtz clearly showed his confusion. The lack of understanding with teammates, cumbersome handling and especially the poor ability to withstand pressure have caused this midfielder to be almost missing for most of his time on the pitch.
When he arrived in the Premier League, Florian Wirtz was considered one of the brightest talents in Europe. His creative playing style, sharp strategic vision and ability to penetrate the penalty area from the second line have caused trouble for Bundesliga defenses. However, English football is a different environment, where every touch has to happen one more time.
In the opening match, Wirtz received the ball many times in the midfield area but could not manage to distribute the ball as desired. He was often marked by one or two Bournemouth players, leading to losing the ball or only passing safely, instead of the creative stakes that were already a trademark.
Florian Wirtz's statistics in his Premier League debut match were 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 shots on target, 30% successful spots and 21 losses. The German star's 82 minutes on the pitch did not leave much of an impression.
The bright spot is probably Wirtz's dynamism in terms of range, with a travel distance of up to 11.3 km, the most on the pitch. In addition, Liverpool's new signing also made 3 important passes but did not score.
Another obvious weakness is physical strength and pace. The Premier League is known for its harshness, with the pace of matches being rapid from start to finish. In the Bundesliga, Wirtz often has a lot of space to handle the ball, but on the opening day, he was constantly approached, forced to make decisions in such a short time.
Part of the reason for Wirtz's unimpressive performance came from the fact that he had not yet found a common voice with his teammates. At Bayer Leverkusen, the 22-year-old star is the center of creativity, all the ball is passed on his feet. However, in the new system, the distribution role is shared between many players, causing Wirtz to sometimes get lost.
In the first half, there were at least 3 situations where he moved into a good space but did not receive the ball from his teammates. The lack of understanding led to Wirtz rarely putting themselves in a favorable position to make a difference. For a creative player, not keeping up with the tactics and teammates makes the performance less blurred.
Another reason that cannot be ignored is psychological pressure. With a transfer fee of over £116 million, Wirtz is expected to immediately shine. British media and fans compare him with other high-class conductors. It was this pressure that seemed to make the young star enter the competition tense, not daring to take risks in the handling rounds.
Every time he had the ball, Wirtz was urged to create something special, but his haste led to wrong passes or unlucky ball losses. To relieve this psychology, he needs support from the coaching staff as well as patience from the fans.
It is not possible to blame Florian Wirtz personally, perhaps Arne Slot's tactical system has not created the best conditions for him to develop. In the opening match, Wirtz often had to drop very deep to receive the ball, instead of operating in the space between the midfield and the opponent's defense.
The opening match of the Premier League is a real lesson for Florian Wirtz, he needs more time to adapt. The German midfielder must learn to handle quickly, strongly and move more intelligently. The Premier League does not allow hesitation, and any mistake can be punished immediately.
The positive thing is that Liverpool are having a stable system. In addition, Wirtz is only 22 years old and has just entered a completely new environment, he will have enough time to adjust and develop.
Big stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah also went through a difficult period in England before becoming legends. The important thing is that Florian Wirtz needs to maintain confidence and be ready to change to adapt to the new environment.
