Liverpool need to learn how to put their arm around Florian Wirtz to get the best out of him before he is forced to leave Anfield.
Wirtz moved to Merseyside in a €125m deal from Bayer Leverkusen last year, beating the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid to his signature.
The deal was supposed to be a coup. But so far, the 23-year-old has failed to live up to the hype he had earned in Germany.
He had a record of 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games for Leverkusen but so far has managed just nine goals and 15 assists in 64 games for the Reds. His presence in the team continues to be a growing problem.
Liverpool vs Germany
Arne Slot failed to work out the solution to that issue last season. Matters have looked slightly more positive under Andoni Iraola, but Wirtz has still managed just two goals and five assists in 15 games to date.
Strangely, the midfielder appears to be more comfortable playing for Germany. He managed three assists in four games at the World Cup. And he has two goals and an assist in three games for his nation since October too.
He appears to be thriving under Jurgen Klopp since his arrival to the national team. The former Liverpool coach has made a point of offering his backing to the Liverpool star since day one.
Indeed, he appears determined to employ his man management skills to his utmost to get Wirtz firing again.
What’s wrong at Liverpool?
That raises the question of what’s going on at Liverpool. And journalist Marcel Reif believes that he has the answer.
“I saw Wirtz play in the stadium many times back when he was at Leverkusen,” he said on the BILD show Reif ist Live.
“Then he moves to England. He finds himself under a manager who essentially says: ‘There’s no need to even discuss Wirtz.’ And, perhaps even more importantly, there are the players around him—teammates who say: ‘It’s great to have Flo with us.'”
“If they can’t manage that at Liverpool, they won’t get the best out of him, or at least not what he’s truly capable of delivering.
“Eventually, he’ll end up sitting on a plane, feeling utterly dejected as he says his goodbyes. Players like him need that sense of ease, a lightness of spirit, a certain mindset.
“It’s not that he’s lost any of his technical ability. It’s just that he needs to feel comfortable, to feel that everyone is looking out for him.”
