There are moments in football when a player reminds the world exactly why they cost so much money. For Florian Wirtz, Friday night in Basel was precisely that moment.
The Liverpool midfielders put on one of the most complete individual performances seen at international level this season, producing two goals and two assists as Germany came from behind twice to beat Switzerland 4-3 in a breathless friendly.
The 22-year-old curled a stunning effort from 18 metres to put Germany ahead for the first time in the 61st minute, before sealing the win with an equally spectacular strike from the edge of the area deep into stoppage time.
It was, by any measure, a genuine masterclass – one that earned him a perfect 10/10 rating on Sofascore and left the German press hailing him as the man who “saved” Julian Nagelsmann’s side.
With Wirtz having poured everything into that Switzerland performance, Nagelsmann has now signalled he intends to manage his players carefully ahead of Monday’s friendly against Ghana in Stuttgart — and that is music to Arne Slot’s ears. The Germany head coach confirmed on Sunday that rotation is firmly on the agenda:
The game is from a slightly different point of view. We have to rotate a bit to control a few players who are coming back from injuries or are under a lot of strain. Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry and Florian Wirtz have had and continue to have many intense games,” said the 38-year-old as quoted by Kicker. “I’m not completely blinded and I’ll go through with it come hell or high water. I also need the clubs.”
It suggests Wirtz is expected to be among those rested against Ghana, meaning he should return to Merseyside with fresh legs and minimal additional wear ahead of what is a blockbuster fixture for the Reds. Liverpool face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, April 4.
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