Florian Wirtz
Phil Noble via Reuters
Germany manager and former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has given Andoni Iraola the blueprint on how to get the best out of Florian Wirtz.
It's been a difficult period for Wirtz since he made the big-money move to Anfield. Adapting to the Premier League can often be a struggle for players, and Wirtz has far from hit the heights expected of him so far.
The hefty price tag can't have helped Wirtz when it comes to the pressure on his shoulders to perform, but Liverpool and Iraola need to find a way to try to make that transfer fee seem reasonable.
Iraola has shown a lot of faith in Wirtz so far this season, refusing to drop him from the starting XI despite his struggles.
There's no doubt Liverpool are under pressure to ensure this signing doesn't turn out to be a disaster, and playing him into form is clearly the plan.
There is an argument to suggest that Iraola needs to try something different with Wirtz, rather than just consistently playing him until it starts to work.
Former Liverpool boss Klopp may have handed Iraola the blueprint on how to get the best out of Wirtz.
The German international scored for his country, playing in a slightly different role to what he does for Liverpool.
Florian Wirtz vs Serbia
Florian Wirtz vs Serbia
Looking at his heatmaps and where Wirtz was getting on the ball, he was much higher and more central. At Liverpool, Wirtz is often tasked with dropping deeper to get on the ball, while also drifting out to the left-hand side.
In Germany's 2-0 win over Serbia, Wirtz was instrumental, and he was getting on the ball in high, central, and dangerous areas.
Iraola needs to stop Wirtz from coming into deeper areas to try to dictate or drifting out wide, and instead be allowed to play in the areas of the pitch where he can truly impact the game.
Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola
Liverpool certainly won't be giving up on Wirtz just yet, considering the monster fee they paid to bring him to the club from Bayer Leverkusen.
The only solution is to find a way to get the best out of him, and that task is now in the hands of Iraola after Arne Slot failed to do so.
Liverpool can't afford to throw the money they spent on Wirtz down the drain. There is absolutely no doubt there is a player in there, it's just about unlocking it and allowing him to reach his full potential.
Klopp may have handed Iraola the blueprint, and it's up to the Liverpool boss to implement it.