Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz has come under fire in the opening weeks of the season, with the 23-year-old having registered just one assist under Andoni Iraola
Liverpool number seven Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool number seven Florian Wirtz.(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
It is wishful thinking to believe that Florian Wirtz would go away with Germany for a couple of games and return to Liverpool a completely different player — but a change of scenery will do him no harm.
Jamie Carragher created plenty of headlines with his analysis of Wirtz in a Reds jersey so far over the weekend, half-jokingly suggesting that Jurgen Klopp is the "one hope" left of Liverpool seeing the best of the 23-year-old. But while his start to the season has been far from electric, the criticism of the Liverpool ace has gone too far.
Up to now, Wirtz has produced just one assist this term in all competitions. He really struggled to get involved at Bournemouth over the weekend, which prompted Carragher to call for him to be taken out of the team.
READ MORE: 'I watched Florian Wirtz regularly in the Bundesliga - he can take Liverpool to another level'
Given the limited depth in the Liverpool squad, though, removing Wirtz is not that straightforward a solution. With Hugo Ekitike injured, there is hardly a long queue of players waiting to take his place.
It is obvious too that Wirtz has real talent if Liverpool can find the right platform for him. His best work so far this season has been carrying Liverpool upfield from deep, but the stuff that leaves a bigger impression comes nearer to goal, and that is where he must make more of an impact.
"I also have expectations for myself to decide games," Wirtz admitted last week. "We need me and the attackers to finish the games off, so we definitely try to work on that."
Only six players in the Premier League have covered more ground per 90 minutes than Wirtz this season, which is a key component for an Andoni Iraola team. As Klopp said while he was working as a pundit at the World Cup, though, give Wirtz the right platform and his attacking numbers will come.
Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz
Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz(Image: Getty Images)
"I think he has everything you need to be a stand-out player," Klopp said before the summer's tournament kicked off. "I don't want to put any pressure on the boy, but he showed already how good he can be."
"We have to move away from the idea that we need to see special moments from him," Klopp, now in charge of Die Mannschaft, added earlier this week.
"He is there to help us as a team. We have to make sure that Flo feels comfortable with us. When the team works, then every player shines as a consequence. You have to be satisfied with a game in which Flo Wirtz gave everything but didn’t have a goal or assist."
Whatever happens while Wirtz is with Germany, Liverpool has a huge run of games coming after that, taking on each of the current top four in the Premier League next.
Get a couple of good performances under his belt in the next week or so, and things could change quickly. It should be remembered, too, that at 23 — still two years younger than Mohamed Salah was when he signed for Liverpool, or a year younger than Kevin De Bruyne when he first moved to Manchester City — he still has lots of room for development.
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"Will Klopp help him? Yes, and starting from this international break, he has done something which I think is very smart," Iraola said last week. "He has picked two squads and he will see more players and also it will give the players some time off."
Wirtz will play in the second two of Germany's four games, giving him a few days' rest beforehand. When he comes back, it would be unrealistic to think that he will suddenly explode into the kind of player that Liverpool thought it was getting — it appears set to be much more of a slow burn.
As Bradley Barcola gets up to speed, though, and if Wirtz can regain some confidence, there is no reason to think he can't improve. His Bournemouth performance was poor — but against Atletico Madrid, he showed that the system can work. It is only fair to highlight both games while acknowledging that more needs to arrive as quickly as possible.
There is a huge talent there, as his 57 goals and 65 assists for Bayer Leverkusen — all up to the age of 22 — prove. It is up to Iraola to find a Liverpool system in which he can flourish, but writing him off at this stage would be foolish.