Key stat reveals why Liverpool fans should keep faith with Florian Wirtz following slow start
There’s no denying that Florian Wirtz has endured a slow start to his Liverpool career, but we’ve found a key stat that should provide fans with optimism.
The German playmaker was signed from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £116million, making him one of the most expensive signings in football history.
He won the VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season during his last two years in Germany and expectations were sky high upon his arrival at Anfield.
While he did produce an assist during his debut in the Community Shield, he’s largely struggled to make an impact in England so far.
The number of touches he takes per 90 is down by 23 compared to his last season in the Bundesliga and his open play expected assists have reduced considerably.
However, while most of his underlying stats do look disappointing on the surface, there’s one area that he still comes out on top.
Despite his slow start to life at Liverpool, Wirtz has created 21 chances across all competitions – the joint most of any Premier League player, alongside Everton’s Jack Grealish.
In terms of chance creation, his best performance of the season came during Liverpool’s 3-2 triumph over Atletico Madrid, where he produced five key passes.
He also managed to create four chances against Burnley and Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.
While only one of his 21 passes have been converted into an assist, it does highlight that the German attacking midfielder is being productive, despite his slow start.
However, with a £100m+ price tag to justify, Wirtz will need to start producing the goods on a more regular basis to justify his place in Arne Slot’s XI.
Liverpool have struggled to strike a balance between attack and defence this season and Jamie Carragher has suggested that dropping Wirtz could ease their problems.
“I’m not watching a top team,” Carragher said on CBS Sports following Liverpool’s loss against Galatasaray.
“Liverpool are not playing football, they are playing basketball. And I told Slot this on the first game of the season against Bournemouth.
“They obviously have a fantastic manager. Liverpool last season were a top team, but also a workman-like team, which they’ve sprinkled a bit of stardust on in terms of the transfers they have brought in.
“And they haven’t gained anything going forward, but they’ve lost a lot defensively. I think for the manager now, he know needs to really earn his money.
“He did last season, by winning the Premier League, but there are few problems he has got to fix. It will be really interesting how he does about it, because he spent a lot of money on certain players.
“Right now, the balance of the team is not right, and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz, who is just not at the races at all.
“He’s a young boy, coming to a new league, and has plenty of time to go.
“But right now, he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool go back to what they were last season, and try to build some confidence and some stability. Right now it looks like a mess.”
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