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Liverpool swooped to land the player last summer for big money and he has since split opinion
Liverpool snapped up Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. He was signed for a hefty £116million and penned a long-term deal at Anfield. However, he has since found it hard to adapt to life in England and many feel the best is still yet to come from him.
Wirtz, 22, has made 30 appearances in all competitions, 22 of which have come in the league, and he has chipped in with four goals and seven assists. The Reds were beaten 3-2 away at AFC Bournemouth in their last outing. They have slipped down to 6th place in the Premier League table after 23 fixtures.
Danny Murphy has say on Liverpool man Florian Wirtz
Former Danny Murphy has delivered his verdict on Wirtz’s start at Liverpool for Liverpool World: “I love watching intelligent footballers and he is a super bright footballer. He sees the pictures really quickly, he plays round corners, he's got good feet and he's starting to get a bit of confidence. He looks a bit stronger physically which has taken him time which I've seen many times before.
“I think because of how good he was at Leverkusen playing in a decent league in Germany, I think we all expected more, more quickly. It doesn't happen that way for everybody. I think also he came into a team that was in transition where a lot of players weren't at the races which didn't help him.
“If you're walking into a team that's full of confidence and players comfortable in their positions, there was a lot of new players beginning of the season trying to adapt also which didn't help.
“But the main thing is physically. He looks fitter, he looks stronger, quicker and sharper on the ball. The quality is there. I mean anybody who enjoys watching football, irrelevant of your team colours, you can see he's got super talent. He's just got really clever passes, he sees things early, he's got what he needs to succeed.”
Wirtz, who is a Germany international with 37 caps to his name, still has plenty of time left on his side at Liverpool. He will be eager to show what he can do over the coming weeks and months. The attacking midfielder is still settling in and trying to find his feet in a new country.
Where is Florian Wirtz’s best position for Liverpool?
Murphy believes Liverpool have a dilemma on where to play Wirtz. He explained: “The problem for Liverpool with Wirtz, and it is a small problem in many ways, is that where can they make, what position is he going to play that becomes his own? Because he seems reluctant to play him as a 10 with two midfielders behind.
“He's been playing him off the left tucked in, off the right tucked in, even played as a false nine. Where is he going to find his home in the team that becomes his position? Because when you think of all the successful teams, you don't really have one of your main superstars flitting in and out of different positions.”
Wirtz started his career at FC Koln and rose up through their academy. He was a regular at various different youth before making the switch to Leverkusen. The Pulheim-born man then went on to score 57 goals in 197 outings for his former team before Liverpool came calling.
Murphy continued: “Liverpool under (Jurgen) Klopp, (Mo) alah was on the right, (Roberto) Firmino, (Sadio) Mane's on the left, you know the midfield three. All of them had their positions. Now occasionally you might adapt. Sometimes I think Mane played centre-forward for a brief spell. (Luis) Diaz played centre-forward last year under slot for a brief spell because of needs must.
“But Wirtz at the moment hasn't found his perfect role in the team. So that's the one thing we're going to have to look out for in the second half of the season. But I think for all Liverpool fans to start watching him play to the level he is, is really exciting and something that bodes well for the future, irrelevant of who's in charge.”
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