Florian Wirtz has struggled to show his best form for Liverpool since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, and Danny Murphy has spoken out on his time at Anfield so far
Danny Murphy has shed light on why he thinks Florian Wirtz has failed to hit top form for Liverpool since his big-money move. The Reds splashed out a whopping £100million, along with £16m in add-ons, to bring Wirtz in from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
Despite setting up Hugo Ekitike for the first goal in the Community Shield match against Crystal Palace over two months ago, Wirtz hasn’t managed to score or assist since then. His performances, both as a number 10 and on the wing, have sparked debate among fans and pundits alike.
In an interview with Wetbasis, ex-Liverpool star Murphy said: “Talking about the Wirtz subject, one week he’s playing with Ekitike and one week he’s playing with Isak. The wide player doesn’t change on the right but it does a bit on the left.
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“He’s also had a mixture of midfield partnerships behind him and when you’re a No. 10, you start building up relationships with the midfielders. Who’s going to give me the ball early, who can I trust and rely on to get me the ball early. If we talk about Wirtz for example.
“So he’s got to adapt to this amazing physicality of going to play in Newcastle, or playing against Arsenal, these two physically powerful teams and adapt really quickly.
“In addition to that, adapt to the expectations and pressure of the supporters and the media of what he is supposed to deliver.
“I’ve seen enough of the brilliant moments from Wirtz to not be concerned. The talent, the vision, the skill set he has is there for us all to see.
“I think his biggest issue is his adaptation to the speed of the Premier League and I know from personal experience, that only comes from playing. Getting your mind and your body used to that.”
Wirtz – who faces Northern Ireland on Monday night with Germany – has crafted more opportunities than any other player in the squad.
Murphy continued: “I don’t think it’s a tactical or positional thing. I think he’s found himself in great positions many times.
“There’s a statistic that emerged the day before the weekend’s fixtures that in all competitions, he’s crafted more opportunities than anyone else.
“Even when you look at the Chelsea game, we’re not talking about Wirtz positively or Liverpool positively, but his first touch when he came on was this incredible pass to [Mohamed] Salah. Nine out of ten times, Salah scores that.
“Had he done that, Liverpool might have won the game and we would have been talking about Wirtz’s brilliance. Even against Everton, he put it on a plate for Salah who missed and for [Jeremie] Frimpong who kicked fresh air.”
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