Florian Wirtz would have been desperate for a confidence-boosting reprieve from his Liverpool nightmare, but instead, he was met with more disappointment.
Handed a start for Germany in their World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg, the playmaker drifted through another poor night at the office, failing to make an impact on the game in an eerie similarity to his fortunes so far at Anfield.
He made waves after heading to Merseyside from Bayer Leverkusen in a staggering £116million deal, but he is yet to live up to a fraction of that price. The sheer pace of the Premier League appears to be too much for him currently, with critics accusing him of resembling a man trying to cross a motorway at rush hour.
His national team boss Julian Nagelsmann jumped to his defence earlier in the week despite his failure to chalk up his first goal or assist in the top-flight, pinning his woes on Liverpool's goal-shy attackers, but Wirtz was just as ineffectual in his latest outing for his country.
How Wirtz Played Against Luxembourg
Germany's Nick Woltemade celebrates scoring their second goal with Leroy Sane and Florian Wirtz
The talented creative fulcrum of Xabi Alonso's swashbuckling Bundesliga champions looks long gone - at least for now. Wirtz is a shadow of his former self at the moment, unable to make a telling contribution in games despite the occasional eye-catching touch and turn.
Nagelsmann persisted with him until the end, but Wirtz did not put in a memorable performance. Instead, Nick Woltemade's two goals stole all the headlines.
The Liveprool star did pull off a clever dummy on the hour mark, which helped to set up a chance wasted by Ridle Baku, and smacked a superb crossfield ball across to the opposite flank, but they were effectively the total sum of his efforts, as were a number of hopeful efforts on goal.
Wirtz did keep himself in the game and constantly asked for the ball, but aside from keeping play ticking over, he did not do enough to pose a real threat. He had four shots in total, with two on target, and also put in five crosses but failed to find his man with any, while finishing the game with 82 per cent passing, having lost the ball 19 times.
A line must be drawn between his travails for Liverpool and Germany, however. At club level, while he has largely been poorer than expected, he has recorded promising statistics, ranking in the top 10 per cent of players for passes attempted, progressive passes and shot-creating actions.
Wirtz has also dragged the Anfield crowd to their feet several times with crafty balls through the lines and audacious flicks around the corner.
Worryingly, though, he has been bounced around during games, rightly bringing his physicality into question. Against Luxembourg, he looked like a light touch, and that will certainly worry Nagelsmann, especially in light of the rather spiky backing he had lent to the player in the build-up to the game.
Fans Have Their Say On Wirtz's Performance
Despite one good pass, which helped play a role in the second goal, the verdict from supporters during the match was hardly glowing. One was quick to question his eye-watering valuation, writing: "How is Florian Wirtz a £100m+ player?"
Another was shocked by his poor decision-making, adding: "What happened to Florian Wirtz, man... He’s so slow in making that final pass."
A third wrote: "Florian Wirtz became a 3rd division player as soon as he moved to Liverpool lol."
A fourth then highlighted the playmaker's failure to chalk up a meaningful contribution around the penalty area, saying: "Woltemade brace for Germany... Florian Wirtz still yet to produce an assist or goal..."
But perhaps the most damning assessment came from a fifth supporter, who brutally described Wirtz as "sleepy."
"There will always be the sleepy Wirtz, incredible how he can't shoulder the responsibility."
Stats via SofaScore