Liverpool manager Arne Slot discussed potential positions for Florian Wirtz during his pre-Manchester City press conference.
The Reds secured a huge win over Real Madrid in the Champions League earlier this week, with the German putting in arguably one of his best shifts since his summer transfer.
Wirtz was fantastic for Liverpool, playing on the left in a 4-3-3, a position we haven’t really seen him in at Anfield previously.
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Now, ahead of taking on Manchester City, Arne Slot has commented on how he wants to use the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man moving forward.
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Arne Slot on Florian Wirtz’s Liverpool position
Speaking to the media on Friday, Slot mentioned how Xabi Alonso used Wirtz as a left-winger when he was in charge of Leverkusen.
However, the Dutchman is not set on the 22-year-old having just one role at Liverpool, saying he could use him all across the frontline.
He said: “Florian can play on more than only one position. So he can play off the left, which he did almost all the time in Leverkusen when Xabi Alonso came and introduced this 3-4-3 system, or the way you want to call that system, and before that, he mainly played as a ten in the 4-3-3.
“So I think it’s more about getting in the positions where he’s good at than we should be so focused on is he a 10, is he an 11 or is he an 8.”
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“I think we would like to have him in and around the 18-yard box centrally, or a bit more off the left or a bit more off the right for him to create the amount of chances he’s already created for us.”
Alonso left Leverkusen in May 2025 to join his former club, Real Madrid.
In the 2024/25 campaign, Wirtz scored 16 and assisted 15 across all competitions under the Spaniard while primarily playing from the left-hand side.
Following the Real Madrid win, former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said Wirtz can play out wide.
He suggested the Reds’ midfield was hampered when they put their second-most expensive signing in the 10 role, but he’s sure he can do a job on the flanks.
He said: “Liverpool to get him [Wirtz], they say ok. So they start him [at number 10] they destroy their midfield because their midfield was Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai.
“To play Wirtz, they took Szoboszlai out and what have they done against Aston Villa, they come back to their normal midfield of last year and tonight they play Wirtz.
“But I’m sure that Wirtz will play on the side because the manager has said ‘If you want to play a game you have to play wide because I do not want to disturb the midfield’ so that will be interesting.”
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot arrives ahead of kick-off in the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at Anfield.
Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Wirtz is never going to start regularly on the right as long as Mohamed Salah is fit.
So, it is likely that he would displace Cody Gakpo in the eleven moving forward.
Gakpo has had a mixed season so far and was struggling to combine effectively with Milos Kerkez prior to the Hungarian being dropped. It will be interesting to see who Slot chooses to start on the left against City this Sunday.