Why The Reds Haven't Yet Found the Best from Florian Wirtz Yet

Analysis of Florian Wirtz's initial nine games for Liverpool has typically reached the same conclusion - it has been an disappointing beginning.

Several commentators have gone further. Ex- Three Lions striker the Manchester United legend stated the £116m signing "disrupts the equilibrium" of Liverpool's setup.

"He's a top player and I'm confident he will get better - but he's experienced a slow start and I think there's no denying that," commented the former striker.

Wirtz is still without a goal or provide an goal contribution for his current team, but is that showing the complete story?

In this analysis we examine how effective he has been, why he isn't performing as anticipated so far, and how the club could get the maximum out of him.

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

Head coach Arne Slot has altered his approach this season - and possibly the loss of right-back the England international created greater challenges than expected.

In a similar approach to Slot's Feyenoord team, Liverpool are attempting to play with a increased frequency of rotations between teammates, advancing through the central areas of the field with rapid, tight-area combination play.

It therefore makes sense for Wirtz to be the primary creative hub to connect everything together.

But, practically, he has been tasked to perform a function that is slightly different from one he is familiar with.

And that has reduced how often he finds himself in situations to find the net or assist.

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

Wirtz is receiving the ball further back more often.

The right-back was outstanding in his ability to distribute the ball when playing deep, and Liverpool appear to be significantly lacking that quality.

Skipper Virgil van Dijk's long switch to forward the Egyptian winger is a great method for them to get the ball up the pitch reliably. Otherwise, Liverpool are missing the passing quality in defence to find team-mates in advanced positions.

That responsibility has fallen on Wirtz at certain moments. He has been dropping deep to get the possession before changing direction and trying to drive it up the pitch. He is able to perform this role because of his technical quality, but it is limiting the opportunities he operates close to the opposition goal.

Should build-up responsibilities can be taken by a different teammate, it potentially enables the attacker to position himself more advanced the field.

Curtis Jones has the capability to do this in a double pivot or on the left flank, and may be an alternative the manager could turn to as he looks to complement Wirtz's preferred style.

Among the most significant differences the player is encountering in the Premier League is the limited space and increased pressure exerted to him.

Positioned centrally between the lines against extremely organized defensive sides such as the London club, the German has been positioned with reduced time and room to play.

During his time at his former club, there were matches in which the midfielder would position himself on the left flank while his team-mates progressed the ball up the pitch before passing to him.

Alternatively, he would operate in middle advanced midfield positions, especially against opponents that provided more space between the lines in games that became more transitional in nature.

Ex- Leverkusen boss the Spanish manager utilized Wirtz well because both of these situations would enable him to receive the ball with space - meaning he could receive and carry forward with room between himself and a opponent.

For extracting the maximum out of Wirtz, getting the possession to him when there is not immediate marking on him is ideal.

Whenever he is capable to collect the ball on the turn and drive it forward - with distance between himself and the nearby player - he is capable to use deceptive movements and a change in speed to disrupt rival defences.

In a similar manner to Everton forward the England international, his best performances both on the dribble and in his distribution originates from situations in which he is driving with the possession and driving at players.

That is why several of Wirtz's most impressive moments this season have come in counter-attacks.

Space can be created by positioning him on the wing initially or by passing to him in the center early. If he is positioned between the lines, especially when an rival team's defensive shape is spread, team-mates must accordingly play forward passes to locate Wirtz.

England's top division's intensity has strategic consequences but also impacts players individually - and the German seems to have not yet completely adjusted to this change.

With the manager's faster and more position-switching approach of attack, Liverpool are susceptible to counter-attacks, with reduced players behind the play. This requires forward players like Wirtz to press immediately with intensity when the ball is turned over.

Wirtz has fully committed to the out-of-possession directives and has harassed energetically. In attack, he is being instructed to drop deep to assist in building up while having the freedom to participate to offensive moves on both the left side and right.

This combination is demanding on fitness, and several of his poor on-the-ball actions may be down to fatigue. Among all footballers to feature 400+ minutes in the top division this campaign, the German has run the fifth most ground per 90 minutes and the highest of all club player.

During a recent discussion with German media, Wirtz spoke about the contrast in his performances this campaign versus last.

He stated Slot had expressed a opinion "it could be because we harass a lot and I run a considerably".

Wirtz added: "To illustrate, the running stats: I am consistently at the forefront there because I try to exert maximum effort and execute what the coach asks. I require a lot of strength and energy for that. Whenever I have the possession, I might be missing a small amount. The expectation it will simply develop step by step, as I gain more experience, improve physically, become capable to perform actions more effortlessly, and subsequently, whenever I have the ball, become {fit|conditioned