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How Liverpool favourite's wondergoal highlights the struggles of £116m Florian Wirtz

Arne Slot's £116million man is finding it tough to deal with the physicality of the Premier League while the departed Luis Diaz is earning rave reviews for his performances for Bayern Munich

Florian Wirtz of Liverpool reacts after his team conceded a second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Manchester, England.

Florian Wirtz has yet to score or assist in the Premier League

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The goal of the weekend was scored by a player who performed a key role in Liverpool’s most recent title-winning season. Alas, for Arne Slot, the player is no longer at his disposal, having been sold for just over £65million.

Luis Diaz scored 13 Premier League goals for Liverpool last season and had seven Premier League assists. Behind those good numbers was an infectious enthusiasm for the task, an insatiable appetite for hard work and the inclination to try something different.

These were qualities that were not in abundance during Liverpool’s display against Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday. A day earlier, in Berlin, Diaz had chased down a pass that looked overhit, slid and kept the ball in play and then finished from a seemingly impossible angle.

It was truly audacious but typical of his form for Bayern Munich since making the move to the Bundesliga champions. Diaz, who scored twice in a win at Paris St Germain before being sent off last week, now has 11 goals and five assists for Bayern. Not bad given how Harry Kane dominates the scoring in Bavaria.

Fans in Munich have been particularly impressed by his selflessness. Of course, after Liverpool had won their opening five Premier League games, no-one was talking about how much they miss Diaz - or anyone else, for that matter - but even in that good run, there were signs that the reinvented front line would take time to click.

And so - with these five defeats in the last six Premier League games - it is proving. That is why the spotlight will soon be on the much-vaunted Anfield back office.

Luis Diaz celebrates

Luis Diaz has scored eleven goals and recorded five assists for Bayern Munich this season

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Arne Slot looking thoughtful

Arne Slot has a lot to think about over the international break as his summer signings struggle to settle in

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In terms of players who were allowed to leave, they were powerless in the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation and a fee of around £50million for Darwin Nunez from Al-Hilal was more than acceptable. The £35million fee for Jarell Quansah, who could not make Bayer Leverkusen’s starting eleven at the weekend, was also good business.

But if you combine the fee for Nunez with the fee for Diaz, you pretty much come up with the fee paid for Florian Wirtz. In contrast to the Diaz numbers at Bayern, Wirtz has yet to score or assist in the Premier League

With Leverkusen, Wirtz looked to be a generational talent and Bayern Munich were annoyed that he chose Liverpool, whose sporting director Richard Hughes - along with Fenway Sports Group’s chief executive Michael Edwards - must have been convinced Wirtz could adapt to the physical rigours of the Premier League. Wirtz might yet adapt but the brutal truth is that he is showing few signs of doing it any time soon.

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 on November 4, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)

Liverpool fans have not questioned the work-rate of Florian Wirtz but the German has found the going tough

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It is no coincidence he looked good against a Real Madrid team who definitely lacked the sort of intensity shown by City. Wirtz worked hard against Pep Guardiola’s side but was too often outmuscled.

And now it is over to Slot who, in the international break, has got to come up with some sort of plan, some sort of system that will make the money it took to acquire Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak look like cash well spent.

Because right now, as Diaz tears it up with Bayern, Liverpool’s big-spending summer transfer business looks anything but clever.

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