Florian Wirtz knows what it's like to face Liverpool
Florian Wirtz knows what it's like to face Liverpool
Florian Wirtz has already experienced the ruthlessness of Arne Slot's Liverpool side – and he knows first-hand just how dangerous they can be When Bayer Leverkusen visited Anfield in November for a Champions League clash, the headlines were all about Xabi Alonso’s emotional return to the ground he once called home.
Little did we know that six months later, the real story would shift. Now, Reds fans look back on that game as the first glimpse of Wirtz at Anfield - albeit in the wrong colours. Today, he’s Liverpool’s record signing after sealing a £100m switch to Merseyside.
The 22-year-old remembers that night too. It was a humbling 4-0 defeat for Leverkusen, with a Luis Diaz hat-trick and a Cody Gakpo strike doing the damage. But it gave Wirtz a front-row seat to the kind of football Slot demands - and a taste of the system he’s now expected to thrive in.
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That evening, Leverkusen simply couldn’t live with Liverpool’s press. Now, Wirtz will be at the heart of it. Most comfortable as a No.10, the German will be central to Slot’s attacking structure – receiving under pressure, turning quickly, and sparking moves, ideally releasing players like Mohamed Salah down the lines. Although the No.10 shirt is off-limits for now, with Alexis Mac Allister holding it.
Against Liverpool, Wirtz struggled to find rhythm. His usual movement between the lines was tracked tightly, his dribbles shut down, and he ended the night with little to show for his effort. But from the other side of the pitch, he saw something else – the spaces that Slot’s wide men exploited and the cohesion that allowed them to do it.
Wirtz is stepping into a structure built to support creative players. With technically gifted teammates and a coach who values sharp passing and constant pressure, he has all the tools around him to shine – and he knows it.
"It was really tough to play here," he told the club website. "I was still thinking about the game when I spoke to the coach or the other guys.
"It was an example [of] how it can be here. As I said, it was really hard, we lost 4-0 and we had to run so much and lost almost every duel. I just wanted to be part of this team."
Now he is. And with the new season fast approaching, Wirtz will be hoping to help deliver more dominant performances like that night – this time, with him on the winning side.