Florian Wirtz is beginning to answer the plethora of questions surrounding his signing at Liverpool with some more encouraging performances.
In truth, the German has never been as bad as many rival fans would like to believe since his £116m arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.
But having gone until late December without a Premier League goal or assist, there was no doubt that Wirtz had not delivered to the standard expected.
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Virgil van Dijk lifts the Premier League trophy surrounded by Liverpool players on the final day of the 2024/25 season at Anfield.
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Thankfully, that has now started to change, with the 22-year-old claiming an assist at Tottenham on December 20th before scoring his first Liverpool goal seven days later.
Clearly, Wirtz has begun to settle into life at Anfield and the rough and tumble of English football. And while the player himself deserves credit for turning his early form around, there are seemingly some behind the scenes figures at Liverpool who should be receiving praise as well.
Liverpool physios key to Florian Wirtz turnaround
Although Wirtz’s surprise arrival was met with rightful celebration at Anfield last summer, there were still some questions over the signing.
Perhaps the biggest of these was whether the Germany international would be physically up to the challenge of Premier League football.
Florian Wirtz scores for Liverpool during their Premier League match against Wolves at Anfield.
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Height-wise, Wirtz is diminutive, and coupled with his slight and subtle style of play, there were worries that he could get eaten up by the intensity of the division.
15 or so matches in, and those concerns looked to be justified. This is something Liverpool appear to have recognised internally, too.
The Daily Mail report that Wirtz has been put on a ‘special programme’ by Reds’ physios, with ‘hard shifts’ in the gym designed to bulk him up. So far, the No. 7 has reportedly added two kilograms to his weight and is looking all the better for it on the pitch.
How would you rate Florian Wirtz’s signing so far?
Florian Wirtz celebrates in front of the Anfield crowd after scoring for Liverpool against Wolves in the Premier League.
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Wirtz is clearly the hero of his own story, and it is fantastic to see him starting to thrive. But the physios who have helped him get there deserve their share of praise as well.
How do Liverpool keep getting the best out of Wirtz?
Having finally hit some form for Liverpool, the challenge for Wirtz is to now carry that on into the rest of the season.
If they can get him firing consistently, the Reds have a much better chance of putting themselves back into the Premier League’s top three and winning some silverware this term.
Despite his good patch, there remains a feeling that Arne Slot does not quite know where to fit Wirtz into his starting XI when everyone is available.
For now, things are working, but when Cody Gakpo returns from injury, for example, will Slot continue to keep the former Bayer Leverkusen man on the left where he has thrived?
It feels as though Liverpool need to begin to build the team around Wirtz and getting the best out of him. He is now physically ready for whatever can be thrown at him, the next step is to nail down his position in the team.
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