Florian Wirtz Finally Finding His Feet at Liverpool as Andoni Iraola Unlocks £116m Star
Ben McAleer
It’s fair to say that Florian Wirtz is yet to live up to expectations following his big money move to Liverpool last summer. The German arrived to great fanfare having shone for Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen.
The debut campaign on Merseyside, though, didn’t quite go to plan. Indeed, Wirtz managed just five goals and three assists in his maiden Premier League season. Having parted with £116m to bring the midfielder to Anfield, fans expected more.
Regardless, last season was a disastrous one for Liverpool. They endured a dire Premier League title defence that culminated in Arne Slot’s dismissal back in May. Wirtz can be forgiven for undergoing a difficult transitional campaign. The appointment of Andoni Iraola presented the 23-year-old with a fresh opportunity to live up to the billing.
And while he hardly covered himself in glory in the opening weeks of the season, sub-par showings against Bournemouth and Manchester City a case in point, there are signs that Wirtz is slowly starting to turn his Liverpool fortunes around.
Wirtz started to silence doubters
"I think he needs to come out of the team, I said that last time out and I'm going to say it again,” former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher said of Wirtz after the City defeat. The comments came after Carragher had criticised the creative star for a poor performance in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth.
The City outing seemed to spur Wirtz into life. He provided successive assists in wins over LASK and Brentford. Wirtz then scored in the 4-3 Champions League victory over Villarreal. It was his shot that deflected off compatriot Pascal Gross that set Liverpool on their way to a 2-0 home triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
Wirtz is unlikely to go the whole way and fulfil his hefty price tag, but he’s starting to prove an effective option in the number 10 role.
Much of that is due to Iraola’s use of a 4-2-3-1 setup. It’s not too dissimilar to the system that Slot used last season, but the former Bournemouth boss is deploying willing runners down the flanks. Mohamed Salah was able to beat a man when he switched on the afterburners, but he was a winger who favoured the ball to feet.
By comparison, Iraola has Bradley Barcola, Victor Munoz and the emerging Rio Ngumoha flying down the flanks. They are wingers that are prepared to make darting runs down the wings. This in turn provides Wirtz with an outlet on either side to really maximise his vision. He ranks second (22) to Gross (23) for chances created in the Premier League this season. Five attempted through balls is among the top 10 in the division, and more than any other Liverpool player.
He’s been aided by Iraola’s insistence that he play in the number 10 role. There were times last season where Wirtz featured from the flank. This meant he was unable to gain consistency in central areas that impacted his transition from the Bundesliga to the Premier League.
Now, Iraola has placed his faith in Wirtz to play as the central creator, which is undeniably his best position. It’s taken some time, but Wirtz is starting to show just why Iraola wants to use him behind the striker rather than to the right or left.
Szoboszlai injury aiding Wirtz
A further contributing factor has been the absence of Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian has been sidelined since coming off early on in the 2-1 win over Brentford. There is a chance he may return for Sunday’s welcome of Arsenal.
Like Wirtz, Szoboszlai is a player who prefers playing in the central attacking areas. Granted, he can play as either a number eight, or even at right-back if required, but the former RB Leipzig man’s best role is through the middle. As such, when Iraola has started both Wirtz and Szoboszlai together, the key area in the final third becomes congested.
With the latter sidelined, Wirtz has that freedom to drift across the attacking zones to really hurt teams. Combined with a more functional midfield pairing of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, he has the creative license to wreak havoc in the final third. The most chances he has created in a single Premier League game was nine in the 2-1 win at Brentford. Seven of those came after Szoboszlai was replaced by Trey Nyoni.
The possible availability of Szoboszlai does present Iraola with a selection conundrum. Wirtz hasn’t been as consistent as the Hungary star in a Liverpool shirt, yet is justifying his price tag when Szoboszlai isn’t in the team. Striking a balance in the midfield is Iraola’s primary concern.
For now, Wirtz is finding his feet after a rocky 18 months on Merseyside. Liverpool fans are hoping it continues as they seek to extend their winning run to six matches at Arsenal’s expense this weekend.
