Why Liverpool Aren't Getting the Best from Wirtz Yet

Assessment of Florian Wirtz's first nine appearances for the Merseyside club has generally landed at the identical verdict - it has been an underwhelming beginning.

Several commentators have been more critical. Ex- Three Lions striker Wayne Rooney said the £116m signing "damages the equilibrium" of Liverpool's structure.

"He's a top player and I'm sure he will improve - but he's experienced a gradual beginning and I believe there's no question about that," said Rooney.

The young German is yet to score or provide an assist for his new club, but is that showing the whole picture?

In this analysis we examine how effective he has been, why he isn't performing as expected yet, and how Liverpool could extract the best out of him.

The squad's equilibrium is disrupted, but they are clearly experiencing a period of change.

Head coach the Dutch tactician has altered his tactical setup this campaign - and possibly the loss of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold posed bigger questions than anticipated.

In a similar approach to the manager's previous club team, Liverpool are attempting to play with a greater number of rotations between players, progressing through the middle of the pitch with quick, tight-area interplay.

This logically explains for Wirtz to be the central creative hub to connect all elements collectively.

But, in reality, he has been tasked to do a function that is slightly different from one he is used to.

And that has reduced how often he finds himself in situations to score or assist.

This setup fails to extract the best out of the player as an individual, but he hasn't been bad in this less-than-ideal position.

The midfielder is receiving the possession further back with increasing frequency.

The right-back was impressive in his capability to distribute the play when playing deep, and the team appear to be significantly lacking that quality.

Captain Virgil van Dijk's long switch to forward Mohamed Salah is a effective way for them to get the ball up the pitch reliably. Alternatively, the squad are missing the passing quality in their defensive line to locate teammates up the field.

That responsibility has been placed on Wirtz at times. He has been retreating deeper to receive the possession before changing direction and trying to drive it up the pitch. He is able to do this because of his technical quality, but it is reducing the opportunities he operates close to the opposing goal.

If build-up responsibilities can be shouldered by a different teammate, it possibly allows the attacker to position himself higher up the field.

Curtis Jones has the ability to do this in a central midfield partnership or on the left flank, and could represent an alternative Slot could consider as he looks to enhance the German's preferred style.

Among the most significant contrasts Wirtz is experiencing in the English top flight is the reduced space and increased pressure exerted to him.

Positioned centrally between the lines against extremely compact opposing teams such as the London club, the German has found himself with reduced opportunity and space to play.

For his former club, there were matches in which the midfielder would position himself on the left wing while his team-mates advanced the play up the pitch before passing to him.

Alternatively, he would position himself in middle attacking midfield areas, particularly against sides that provided more room between the defensive units in games that became more counter-attacking in nature.

Ex- Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso profiled the talent effectively because each of these situations would allow him to receive the possession with separation - meaning he could receive and carry forward with distance between himself and a defender.

To get the best out of the player, delivering the possession to him when there isn't instant marking on him is ideal.

Whenever he is able to collect the play on the half-turn and carry it forward - with space between himself and the nearby player - he is able to use deceptive movements and a change in pace to destabilize opposition defensive structures.

Comparably to the Merseyside club attacker Jack Grealish, his best work both on the dribble and in his passing comes from situations in which he is carrying the possession and driving at defenders.

This is why many of the German's best instances this season have occurred in transitions.

Separation can be found by deploying him on the wing initially or by passing to him in the center quickly. When he is positioned between the defensive units, particularly when an opposition's structure is stretched, team-mates must accordingly execute direct passes to find the midfielder.

England's top division's physical demands has strategic consequences but also impacts players individually - and the German appears to have still not completely adjusted to this change.

With Slot's faster and more position-switching style of offensive play, Liverpool are vulnerable to fast breaks, with fewer players supporting the play. This requires forward players like Wirtz to counter-press with energy when the possession is lost.

Wirtz has fully committed to the out-of-possession instructions and has pressed intensely. Offensively, he is being encouraged to drop deep to assist in building up while having the freedom to contribute to offensive moves on each of the left and right.

All of this is taxing physically, and some of his subpar on-the-ball actions may be down to fatigue. Among all players to play 400+ minutes in the Premier League this campaign, the midfielder has run the fifth-highest distance per 90 minutes and the highest of any club player.

In a recent interview with German media, Wirtz spoke about the contrast in his performances this season compared to last.

He said Slot had expressed a opinion "it might be because we harass a frequently and I run a lot".

The midfielder added: "To illustrate, the running stats: I am consistently at the top there because I try to push hard and do what the coach demands. I need a significant power and stamina for that. When I have the possession, I could be missing a small amount. That it will simply come progressively, as I gain more experience, improve physically, be able to do things more easily, and subsequently, whenever I have the ball, become {fit|conditioned