rewrite this title Florian Wirtz: From Slow Start to Central Figure at Liverpool – Soccer News

When Liverpool secured the signature of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, the reaction around English football was immediate. You could almost sense the collective jolt from Premier League rivals. One of the world’s brightest young footballers was joining a squad that had already cruised to the 2024‑25 title.

Even with a £100 million fee — rising to £116m with add‑ons — few questioned the investment beyond rival supporters or those unfamiliar with Wirtz’s Bundesliga exploits.

It has taken far longer than many anticipated, but Wirtz’s recent form strongly suggests that the player Liverpool expect to build their next era around is finally settling into his role.

Curiosity surrounded how he would fit into Arne Slot’s system, yet he offered a promising glimpse immediately by registering an assist four minutes into his competitive debut. A slick pass released fellow newcomer Hugo Ekitiké to score against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley.

Still, despite Liverpool opening their Premier League title defence with five consecutive victories, their performances lacked conviction — and the same was true for Wirtz. His talent was apparent in scattered moments, but he often appeared physically overmatched, occasionally made poor decisions, and struggled to form the intuitive connections with teammates that had defined his time at Leverkusen.

In Germany, Wirtz had hit double digits for both goals and assists in back‑to‑back seasons. Yet despite Liverpool winning matches early on, he remained without a league goal or assist beyond that early Community Shield moment. Then came a collective slump.

Liverpool collapsed into a dreadful run: nine defeats in twelve matches across competitions, winning only three. Wirtz shone in Champions League victories over Eintracht Frankfurt and Real Madrid — delivering two assists against Frankfurt — but the fact that both standout displays came against opposition from outside England only strengthened arguments that adapting to Premier League intensity was proving difficult.

With a heavy transfer fee and a glowing reputation, criticism inevitably followed. Pundits and rival supporters seized their chance, branding him “too lightweight,” “overhyped,” and “unsuited to English football.”

Slot, though, made it clear from the start that physical adjustment would be essential. When Wirtz left the pitch during the 1‑0 win over Arsenal in August looking injured, his manager clarified the truth: it wasn’t an injury at all.

“After 85 minutes, I don’t think he knew he could have cramp in so many places,” Slot joked, describing it as a classic Premier League “welcome.” He stressed that even hugely talented young players from abroad require time to adapt to the league’s physical demands — something Wirtz was working on.

His wait for a first Liverpool goal continued. He briefly thought he’d ended it against Sunderland when his strike deflected off Nordi Mukiele in a 1‑1 December draw at Anfield, only for replays to confirm the shot was drifting wide. It was ruled an own goal.

Signs of traction came against Brighton ten days later. In a 2‑0 home win, Wirtz won possession nine times — three more than any teammate — the highest total he had produced in a Liverpool shirt. And in the buildup to Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham the following week, statistics told another story: he had created 25 Premier League chances, at least seven more than any player still without an assist in the 2025‑26 campaign. Creativity wasn’t the problem — finishing from teammates was.

A perfect example came in December at Stamford Bridge. Coming off the bench in a 2‑1 defeat to Chelsea, Wirtz conjured an outrageous reverse touch with the inside of his left foot to set up Mohamed Salah. It would have been a sensational assist — if Salah hadn’t fired wide.

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But his breakthrough finally arrived against Spurs. After regaining the ball, Liverpool countered, and Wirtz split the defence with a perfectly weighted pass to Alexander Isak — another big‑money arrival still finding his footing — who lashed home to give Liverpool the lead. Unfortunately, Isak’s momentum was halted immediately when Micky van de Ven’s attempt to block the shot resulted in a broken leg. Wirtz, on the other hand, pushed on with growing confidence.

That Tottenham match marked another milestone: it was the first time he surpassed 100 touches in a Premier League match (105). He repeated the feat in the following game against Wolves (106), where he also finally scored his first league goal. Moments after Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring, Ekitiké slipped Wirtz through the middle, and he calmly poked the ball past José Sá. Relief flooded his celebration, and his teammates’ reactions made clear how much the moment meant.

Remarkably, his first goal came with his 21st league shot of the season. Only Bournemouth’s David Brooks (28) and Liverpool teammate Alexis Mac Allister (22) had attempted more without scoring.

Ekitiké’s assist was also one of six goals the pair have combined on this season. In fact, Wirtz and Ekitiké have been involved in more goals together than any other Premier League duo in 2025‑26, with each player assisting the other three times.

His physical adaptation was showing up in the numbers as well. Against Wolves, Wirtz contested 15 duels and won 11 — both personal bests — pointing to how much more comfortable he had become with the pace and physicality of the league.

Once he broke his duck, the goals began to flow. He scored again in a 2‑2 draw at Fulham and once more in a 1‑1 meeting with Burnley in early January. But it was his performance in Liverpool’s 4‑1 win over Newcastle United that truly seemed to shift public perception. With only 52 touches, he managed a goal and an assist, showing he could influence a match without dominating possession.

His dazzling first‑half footwork opened up Newcastle’s defence for Ekitiké’s equaliser at Anfield. His second‑half finish — a precise, composed strike into the bottom‑left corner following Salah’s pass — gave Liverpool a crucial two‑goal cushion.

After producing no goals and only three assists in his first 21 Liverpool appearances, Wirtz has since exploded for nine goal contributions (six goals, three assists) in his last eleven. Since his revival began on December 20 against Tottenham, no Premier League player has more goal involvements in all competitions.

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So what changed?

One major shift is volume of involvement. At Leverkusen last season, Wirtz averaged 83.6 touches per 90 minutes. In his first 20 Liverpool games, that number fell to just 63.9. Over his last 12, it has surged back to 81.9 — nearly identical to his Bundesliga influence.

His touches in the opposition box have risen too, from 5.0 per 90 in his early Liverpool outings to 7.6 more recently. A touch‑map comparison shows he’s now operating more often in spaces just outside the box, especially on the left — areas he frequently used at Leverkusen. Injuries to Cody Gakpo saw Wirtz deployed on the left at times, and it appeared to bring out his best.

His physical transformation has helped as well. He has clearly added muscle, and his duel‑win rate reflects it: up from 36.2% in his first 20 games to 45.5% in his last 12 — even higher than his success rate in Leverkusen’s 2023‑24 campaign.

Interestingly, he is now creating fewer chances (2.2 per 90 compared with 2.8 earlier), but the quality of those chances has improved. His expected assists per 90 has jumped from 0.25 to 0.39. He’s creating less often — but more dangerously. That likely reflects a better understanding with teammates and more purposeful timing in the final third.

In a recent BBC interview, Wirtz admitted he had hoped to adapt instantly to the Premier League. “I wanted it to be an instant success,” he said. “But it didn’t happen like this, and I had to stay strong in my mind.” He added that he reminded himself he hadn’t forgotten how to play football — that the game in England wasn’t completely alien — and credited those around him for supporting him.

One of his lowest moments came in November’s 3‑0 defeat at Manchester City, where he attempted just 24 passes in 83 minutes, his fewest in any league start for Liverpool, while producing two off‑target shots and no chances created. With City visiting Anfield on Sunday, the timing could not be better for Wirtz to show how far he has come.

He has scored in five of his last six home matches, and with City’s defensive frailty increasingly evident, the stage is set for him to demonstrate definitively that he has arrived.

Slot praised Wirtz’s growth on Thursday, emphasising his physical and off‑ball improvement while noting that his technical brilliance was never in doubt. And on the same day, Wirtz earned a nomination for the Premier League Player of the Month award for January.

Given his vast price tag, it is easy to forget he is only 22, with years of development ahead. It is far too early to declare him a guaranteed Liverpool superstar — but the optimism surrounding his trajectory is far greater than it was at the start of the season.

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