Expensive Germany playmaker showed only glimpses of his quality in the Merseyside derby win against Everton
As Mohamed Salah’s farewell tour continues apace, Liverpool are desperately seeking new heroes but are still overly reliant on the veterans. The next generation has to take the team forward but it was the calmness of the Egyptian and Virgil van Dijk that secured a dramatic late victory in the tightest of Merseyside derbies.
The summer’s recruitment was supposed to future-proof the Premier League champions but it has created a season of transition. One of the key arrivals was Florian Wirtz, bought for a brief club record fee of £116m fee from Bayer Leverkusen. The costs of signing world-class players are always going to take the headlines but should soon be forgotten once the individual starts displaying their talents.
At 22, Wirtz has at least a decade to go in his career and will expect this year to provide a mere footnote once he retires. Moving leagues is always difficult for a young footballer, especially a creative No 10 who needs to have an unmatched speed of thought and movement to be the main instigator.
Almost no one at Liverpool can claim to have peaked this season and that clearly has affected those coming into the dressing room. If the people around you are not at their best, how can a newcomer expect to change the direction of travel? Many factors aid how a person settles in new surroundings and Wirtz has not received the assistance from others to make it a seamless transition.
