Florian Wirtz agreement reached as Liverpool struggles continue

Florian Wirtz is yet to score or assist in the Premier League for Liverpool but has received plenty of support from a number of Germany legends

Florian Wirtz was in high spirits as he linked up with the Germany squad on Monday, despite being benched for Liverpool’s recent loss at Chelsea. The 22-year-old was brought on at half-time with the Reds trailing 1-0 due to a goal from Moises Caicedo.

The German almost made an immediate impact with a clever flick to Mohamed Salah, but unfortunately, the Egyptian star missed the target.

Despite several impressive moments, Wirtz couldn’t help Liverpool break their losing streak. Cody Gakpo managed to level the score for the Reds, but a last-minute goal from Estevao handed them their third consecutive defeat and allowed Arsenal to overtake them at the top of the Premier League table.

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For Wirtz, who was making his seventh appearance in the Premier League, the wait for his first goal or assist continues. The ‘007’ memes, referencing his lack of goals or assists, persist.

Wirtz does have one assist to his name for Liverpool, which came during his debut match against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield. However, that remains his only contribution so far, having now played ten matches for the club.

The upcoming international break might be a welcome respite for the young German, as Germany prepares to host Luxembourg before heading to Northern Ireland for their latest World Cup qualifiers.

Wirtz bagged his sole strike of the season during the previous international window, unleashing a spectacular free-kick against Northern Ireland in the return meeting.

Prior to the break, following Germany’s 2-0 loss to Slovakia in their opening September encounter, he had faced fierce scrutiny from critics in his native country.

However, a string of German football icons have since rallied to support the midfielder as his sluggish beginning at Liverpool persists.

Germany’s sporting director Rudi Voller attributes Wirtz’s struggles at Anfield to adapting with his new colleagues, acknowledging the playmaker needs time to find his rhythm.

“The big difference is: at Bayer Leverkusen, despite the individual quality of the other players, he was always looked for,” Voller said on Sky90. “Players like Granit Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo or Robert Andrich certainly ran the game.

“But the moment Florian made himself available, he always got the ball. Even as a young guy, he was already the chief.

“I deliberately watched some Liverpool games with him: he does an incredible amount of work, runs a lot, makes many sprints, and also goes deep.

“But he isn’t played to in the way he was used to at Leverkusen or with the national team. That’s something that has to be developed over weeks and months.

“I know that he’s not one of those divas in his position who stand around with their heads down if they’re not passed to three times. Florian isn’t like that.

“He’s not only an extraordinary footballer, he also has a great character. He will give everything from the first to the last minute, always push forward. He also has incredible running stats. He will assert himself.

“We’re very happy that he is with us for ten days now. I am convinced he will deliver two wonderful international matches.”

This isn’t the first occasion Voller has rushed to Wirtz’s defence, having previously urged the midfielder to ‘show the English’ during a chat with BILD earlier this month.

“Florian shouldn’t let himself get carried away,” he stated. “I have no concerns about that: He’ll show the English what he’s made of.

“Florian is playing in a new league and a new club. These are normal adjustment problems. Almost every professional has them.

“I have no doubt that with his running and playing ability, he will make the breakthrough.”

German legends Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lothar Matthaus are equally convinced that Wirtz’s talent will eventually flourish at Liverpool, drawing on their own overseas experiences.

“We have to give the players a bit of time,” Schweinsteiger stressed during his induction into the German Football Hall of Fame in Dortmund. “Especially when you move from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, you also have to adjust a bit. I’ve experienced that myself.”

Schweinsteiger made his own switch to the Premier League with Manchester United in 2015, only to discover himself frozen out by incoming boss Jose Mourinho after merely one campaign.

Drawing from his own experience, he doesn’t anticipate Wirtz will encounter similar difficulties.

“He will delight us all moving forward,” he continued. “Florian Wirtz is a fantastic footballer, a great character. We should be happy that we have such a player in Germany.”

Whilst Matthaus never featured in England, he did sign for Inter Milan in 1988 in his own high-profile switch.

“That’s normal after such a big move abroad,” he told Sky Germany last month. “But he’s a superb player, he will get used to the Premier League over time and be able to handle the even bigger pressure.

“I felt the same way at Inter Milan at the beginning. Andi Brehme, whose transfer was rather quiet, performed immediately at Inter.

“I had to get used to everything, partly due to the media hype and the higher transfer fee.”

Similar to Wirtz, Michael Ballack represented Bayer Leverkusen before making his own transition to the Premier League, though the midfielder travelled via Bayern Munich before joining Chelsea on a free transfer in 2006.

Having previously confessed he wasn’t shocked to witness his fellow countryman reject the Bavarians in favour of a move to Liverpool, he also informed BILD that Wirtz is simply too talented a player to struggle in England. However, similar to Voller, he highlighted that Wirtz would receive ‘almost every ball’ from his teammates at Leverkusen, whereas that wouldn’t be the situation at Anfield.

“There’s a lot of competition within the Liverpool team, and expectations of Florian Wirtz have increased from the outside,” he said. “Or rather the expectations he has of himself.

“And at the beginning, it won’t be like it was in Leverkusen, where everyone plays for him and he gets almost every ball.

“That’s why it’s legitimate that he still needs to find his way around a bit. But he’s such an exceptional footballer, so I’m not worried about him. For him and his development, the move to England wasn’t a bad move.”

Meanwhile, Philipp Lahm has similarly expressed confidence in Wirtz whilst praising the midfielder’s abilities.

“I’m not worried about Florian Wirtz at all,” he said. “Because he’s such an outstanding, brilliant player who simply makes his teammates better.

“Quality and class always prevail, and that will absolutely be the case with Florian Wirtz.”

Representing Germany in more familiar surroundings, Wirtz will aim to vindicate his countrymen’s faith during the forthcoming international break.

Following that, perhaps a productive period with Germany could provide precisely the catalyst required to truly launch his Liverpool journey.

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