Florian Wirtz has gone through a very difficult start to the season at Liverpool. Coming to Anfield for £116 million, the second most expensive in the club's history, the German midfielder has yet to score or assist.
After going through 7 consecutive matches without participating in goals, he was criticized on social networks as "Member 007", meaning 0 goals, 0 assists after 7 matches. Now, that number is 008, 009...
This satirical story does not naturally appear on social networks. It originated from the German version of Sky Sports in August 2021. At that time, this TV channel posted a photo of striker Jadon Sancho in an elegant suit, next to the number 007. This is a satirical image of the English star's form at that time, when he just joined Man United from Dortmund for £73 million.
We are living in an era where every negative incident of an individual is easily taken up on social media to become a topic of satire. If social networks and the internet had developed more in the late 20th century, many people who would later become Premier League legends would not have been much better off than Jadon Sancho and Florian Wirtz.
In 1999, Thierry Henry was only 21 years old, less than Florian Wirtz at the moment, moving to Arsenal from Juventus and also having poor form, and would be accused of being "attacker 007". Henry has since left as a great Arsenal legend, scoring 175 Premier League goals, providing 74 assists and still holding the Gunners' scoring record.
Close to Florian Wirtz is probably Matheus Cunha. When moving from Atletico Madrid to Wolverhampton, the Brazilian striker also experienced a similar streak of matches. After overcoming the initial difficulties, he played very outstandingly for the "Wolves". That form then led Cunha to Man United for £62.5 million.
Adaptation in the Premier League has never been easy. According to statistics from SkillCorner, each Premier League match has many more intense runs than the other 4 top European leagues. This is also the reason why a small midfielder like Florian Wirtz finds it difficult to get into the rhythm. In Germany, whenever he has the ball, Wirtz often has space to accelerate or create. Now in England, every time he receives the ball, he has to endure a very strong hit, so he cannot compete in his skill set.
Building a playing style for a Premier League rookie is not simply about developing those players specifically. Every strategist must attach this new star to the common system for mutual development. For example, in the case of Matheus Cunha, he needed to be put in the right position in a good Wolves system at that time. As for Wirtz, Arne Slot had already looked at Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike to catch him, but unfortunately these two strikers still did not meet expectations. Ekitike is positive but not yet classy, while Isak is even under more pressure than Wirtz with a price of 130 million pounds on his shoulders.
Not every attacking star has adapted well like Erling Haaland, Sergio Aguero (Man City) or Diego Costa (Ch Chelsea). The three have scored an average of 1 goal per game in their first 7 Premier League games, after which they have continued to shine. However, there are also many players who shine in the early stages and then sink such as Papiss Cisse (New Newcastle United), Amr Zaki (Wigan Athletic) and Michu (Swansea City).
When James Rodriguez moved to the Premier League to play for Everton, he had 3 goals and 3 assists after the first 7 matches. However, he has since only been involved in a total of 12 goals in his first season and is also the only one in the Premier League.
Therefore, it is normal for Florian Wirtz not to have a good start in the top flight of English football. However, that normalcy will become unusual if the number of failed failed balls is extended. The problem lies in the midfielder's ability to adapt and the way he builds the game of Arne Slot. The two weeks off for FIFA Days will be the time for Wirtz to regain inspiration in the German national team, while Slot will have more time to reflect on the pitch to find the optimal formula.
