Daniel Sturridge acted as a pundit to cover Liverpool’s Premier League meeting with Manchester City.
Liverpool started the tie slowly and had to rely on Milos Kerkez to get them out of trouble.
Meanwhile, if the Reds were going to cause City problems, it was likely to come from one of Hugo Ekitike or Florian Wirtz.
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Liverpool v Manchester City - Premier League
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Wirtz has improved a great deal since he arrived from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer, now adding goal contributions on a regular basis.
The 22-year-old was expected to be used as a number 10 when he first arrived at Anfield, but he excelled on both wings as well.
Philippe Coutinho comparison made as Florian Wirtz praised vs Manchester City
Now, while covering the game live on Sky Sports, Sturridge has highlighted what the German has brought to Liverpool.
When discussing Wirtz’s creative influence, he made a comparison to Philippe Coutinho, suggesting he is the first player since the Brazilian to bring that creativity to Anfield.
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He said: “Wirtz’s game is developing. The numbers he’s now putting on the board, he’s doing very well.
“I like the areas he picks up, in those pockets, on the half-turn.
“The creative influence – that’s something that’s been missing over the previous seven or eight years. Philippe Coutinho was doing things and being a creative influence. Wirtz is the creative influence at Liverpool Football Club.”
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Florian Wirtz during Liverpool v Leeds United - Premier League
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Who does Philippe Coutinho play for now?
Coutinho left Liverpool to sign for FC Barcelona in a big-money deal back in 2018.
But the now 33-year-old struggled for regular game time in Spain and never quite reached his true potential.
Coutinho remains active and has returned to his home country to compete for Vasco da Gama.
The Brazilian season only began in January 2026, and the South American midfielder has so far scored two and assisted one in four this term.
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