Florian Wirtz admits it “might take a few more games” to find his feet at Liverpool, but the £116 million signing has no concerns over his early performances.
Wirtz may have been expected to hit the ground running given the fee involved in his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen, but his start to life at Anfield has been quiet.
Unlike Hugo Ekitike, who has scored three goals and assisted another in his four appearances so far, the Germany international’s form is more understated.
After an improved showing in the 1-0 win over Arsenal before the international break, however, Wirtz netted an outstanding free-kick in his country’s 3-1 win over Northern Ireland on Sunday.
Speaking to German broadcaster RTL after that game, the 22-year-old gave an honest verdict on his early form at Liverpool.
“It might take a few more games. It’s a different league, a different kind of football,” he explained, per sport.de.
“I knew that, and I’m glad I’m here.
“When will I score for the first time? I have no idea, hopefully in the next game. It will come eventually.”
Wirtz’s form so far
Despite the perceptions of Wirtz’s first outings against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal, the new No. 7 has still shown his worth.
Per FotMob, Cody Gakpo (six) is the only Liverpool player to create more chances than Wirtz in the Premier League (four), while only Ekitike (0.55) has a higher rate of xG and xA per 90 (0.29).
The intensity of the English top flight is viewed as his biggest hurdle, but Wirtz (1.1) has also won possession in the final third more times per 90 minutes than any of his teammates bar Curtis Jones (1.3).
That comes with the third-highest rate of successful tackles per 90 in the squad, with the attacking midfielder (1.8) behind only Dominik Szoboszlai (2.3) and Milos Kerkez (1.9) – both of whom have played as full-backs.
Wirtz’s adjustment period comes as part of a wider system change under Arne Slot this season, with the setup closer to a traditional 4-2-3-1.
That revolves around the £116 million signing and has therefore magnified the pressure on him to perform in – as he rightly points out – a new league and with new teammates.
He clearly retains a firm belief in his abilities and his stunning strike against Northern Ireland should ensure he reports back to the AXA Training Centre this week full of confidence.
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