Florian Wirtz has been told where he must improve for Liverpool this season as the 23-year-old looks to make a greater impact following a difficult debut campaign at Anfield
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during the Premier League match against Fulham
Florian Wirtz has been told he has to improve at Liverpool(Image: Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler has warned Florian Wirtz needs to improve in the final third this season after a difficult first year in front of goal.
The Germany international signed for the Reds from Bayer Leverkusen a little over a year ago, turning down the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich to make the move to Merseyside. He signed for a staggering £116.5 million ($157 million) but is yet to truly live up to that price tag.
Last season, the 23-year-old scored seven goals and registered 10 assists across all competitions. This season, he has just one assist to his name so far, which came in the 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest.
Although Wirtz was rested and not included in the squad for the Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham on Wednesday evening, the attacking midfielder was still a topic of conversation pre-match. Speaking to ITV Sport ahead of kickoff, Fowler delivered his verdict on Wirtz and where he needs to improve this season.
"We can sit here and we can be positive about these players, but the fact of the matter is we want them to outshine and do better than the opposition," the former striker explained.
"A lot of the stats for Wirtz were that he’s run much more than his teammates in the other midfield positions, but you don’t really want him to be running back and picking up balls off center-halves, you want him to be doing all his good work in the final third of the pitch, which is obviously what Liverpool bought him for.
"They brought him in to try and unlock defenses, and that’s where they’ve struggled in terms of when teams sit deep against Liverpool. I’ve said this for a few years now, Liverpool have struggled to break teams down, hence you spend £125 million-plus on players, and it hasn’t happened just yet.
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League match against Atletico Madrid
Florian Wirtz has endured a difficult first year at Liverpool(Image: Photo by Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
"I think he’s neat and he’s tidy, Wirtz, and we give him all the plaudits for the right reasons, but he’s got to improve in terms of that final third for Liverpool."
So far this season, Liverpool has won just two of its five games across all competitions. Victories against Ipswich Town and Atletico Madrid were sandwiched between draws against Newcastle, Forest and, most recently, Fulham.
Under new head coach Andoni Iraola, the Reds are adapting to a new style of play with an attack that looks vastly different from last season. With Mohamed Salah having departed, new signings Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz are now the Reds' options out wide.
Alexander Isak is the sole striker while Hugo Ekitike recovers from injury, which means keeping Cody Gakpo was crucial. Otherwise, Rio Ngumoha is now a fully fledged first-team member, which means there is plenty for Wirtz and his teammates to adjust to.