Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz has received good ratings for his performance for Germany, so why can’t he do the same in a Reds shirt?
Wirtz signed for Liverpool in a £116million summer move, and in 10 games, has one assist and no goals. He’s yet to have a direct hand in a goal since the Community Shield, and his below-par performances saw him dropped for the Reds’ last game.
But for Germany, the midfielder continues to be a shining light. In 34 games for his country, he’s scored eight goals and assisted seven.
He did not have a direct hand in a goal in the World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg – which Germany won 4-0 – but he was a positive influence on the game.
Multiple German outlets suggested Wirtz’s performance was a better one than he’s put in this season for Liverpool.
Ran stated he was ‘very active’ and wrote that he ‘repeatedly found himself in dangerous areas, but his moves were never quite as powerful as they should be’.
He was also said to be ‘unlucky’ when his second-half free-kick hit the post.
Spox wrote that Wirtz ‘attempted many things and initiated several attempts.’
And Sport.de said the Liverpool man ‘arrived with heavy legs’ but his ‘form slump didn’t really show.’ They explained he ‘played plenty of good passes into the gaps and looked for solutions with his dribbling.’
That said, they felt he showed no ‘truly brilliant moments,’ which is fair given he neither scored nor assisted.
The ratings tally with Wirtz’s SofaScore rating of 8.7. The stats on the site show him to have been a more influential player for Germany than he has been for Liverpool this term.
Wirtz touched the ball 95 times against Luxembourg, made two dribbles, and 88 per cent of his passes were on target.
Compared to his Premier League stats for Liverpool, he had essentially double the impact for Germany in some of those metrics.
MORE ON LIVERPOOL FROM F365:
👉 Liverpool dominating PL, Wirtz POTY, new Hojlund among ten PL knee-jerk reactions already wrong
👉 Liverpool target Guehi ‘overtakes’ Konate on Real Madrid list but Reds are ‘optimistic’
👉 Arsenal evolution into title favourites summed up by table which has shock club bottom
His average touches per game in the English top flight is 48.7, while he dribbles successfully 0.9 times per game, and has a pass accuracy of 80 per cent.
Wirtz was also playing a different position for Germany – on the left flank – to the central one he frequents with Liverpool.
He was stationed more out towards the left when he played for Bayer Leverkusen, and had an impact there. As such, it seems filling space further towards the touch line, which is where most of his touches came from, allows him more freedom.
It must be said that Luxembourg are a lower quality side than any Wirtz has played against in England, but he was essentially twice as good as he has been for Liverpool so far.
READ MORE: Ranking six Liverpool scapegoats on blame for mini-crisis as Florian Wirtz above Mohamed Salah
