Florian Wirtz has had a disappointing start to his Liverpool career, but former Germany international Benedict Haudes says the player is “too good to fail”.
The 2014 World Cup winner and future Germany national team manager spoke to a small group of international reporters about the fate of German players in the Premier League.
“It’s good to see[Nick]Woltemade playing a good role in the Premier League now and getting more experience at a higher level. It’s always good when players play abroad and develop into better players because it’s a different competition and you play with different players.”
“This is especially true of Florian Wirths, who played an outstanding role at Leverkusen.
“He is a player, he is not just a player, he is a player and he had a lot of fun last season in the Bundesliga, so when he changes clubs he may not have the full support and the same position from the start as he did at Leverkusen. And he has to create this again.
“But I say he has very good quality, his mentality is very good and he will show how good he is. I am sure he will show that at Liverpool in the second half of the season because he is too good to fail.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Gary Neville asks how Arne Slott can get the best out of Florian Wirtz
Asked in an interview with Sky Sports if he was surprised Wirts had yet to take the Premier League by storm, Howdes admitted he was surprised, but offered an explanation for the difficulties faced by his 22-year-old compatriot.
“Yes, I was a little surprised that he didn’t perform at his best from the beginning, but he’s still young. He’s a young player and it’s his first time in his life to change countries and change clubs.
“He doesn’t have family and friends around him who fully support him, he doesn’t have players who fully understand his abilities, and he probably doesn’t feel the full trust of everyone: the supporters, the club, the manager.
“Everyone at Leverkusen has full faith in him and now he has to develop step by step at Liverpool.
“I was a little surprised, but I’m sure he’ll perform even better in the second half of the season.”
As a proud German, Howdes wants to see Wirtz back to his best in time for next summer’s tournament.
“We need him back to his best performance. At the moment he is not at his peak. What we want from him is to get back in shape, get him to the peak of his performance and create something special at the World Cup.”
Analysis: Wirtz is better than you think.
For Wirtz, there is no getting away from the fact that he is yet to score or assist in the Premier League. This is bound to draw derision, given the £116m fee Liverpool paid Bayer Leverkusen to bring him to the club in the summer.
He was much closer. It was his shot that Nordi Mukiele deflected into his own goal in Liverpool’s come-from-behind win against Sunderland, which gave them their first point of the season. There were no assists, but he can’t control others’ finishes.
Werts ranks in the Premier League’s top 10 for chances created from open play this season. In the Champions League, the statistics are even more impressive. Only Kylian Mbappé has produced more in this competition.
Wirtz has also been criticized for not adapting to the physicality of the Premier League, but he certainly brings intensity as well. He ranks among the top 10 players in possessions gained in the final third of the pitch.
Of the athletes who have run a total of 75 kilometers or more this season (166 of them), Wirtz ranks in the top six in distance per 90 minutes and high-intensity sprints. There was no lack of energy and his off-the-ball movement was impressive.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Jamie Carragher praises Florian Wertz’s performance in Liverpool vs. West Ham
Those runs aren’t always being spotted by teammates and they’re still adjusting to having a different type of player in those zones. Wirtz thrives on small interactions like one-twos and give-and-gos, but the ball doesn’t always come back to him.
He needs to adapt to the lack of space, especially in the number 10 position. According to Genius IQ data, Wirtz’s average time to receive a pass is just 0.81 seconds, the fifth-fastest in the Premier League among players who have received at least 1,000 passes.
But Wirtz is still creating, and his quality is still evident to those watching, rather than judging him by the headline numbers.
Too good to fail? With 15 appearances in his Premier League career, that seems like a reasonable conclusion.
