Florian Wirtz

[Nineteenx]

See Wirtz is like Thiago for me, all fur coat and no knickers a very good player in a slower league

[miller0863]

Would it help Wirtz with his shooting, passing and decision making if Gakpo and Salah were playing better?

[justme]

I just don't know where you play him.. hes not a wide player on the left of midfield and hes not in a 3 in midfield.
Our midfield worked last season with the 3 of Grav/Macca and Dom.. you can't get away with 2 and Wirzt. Graveberch has not been great this season cause hes basically not had any help. Dom is physically strong in midfield. Hes playing right back because Slot doesn't trust Salah to work hard enough. I doubt Arne Slot knows how to fix this. so hes gone in the summer

[eggy81]

Why does he try that unusual looking stunned finish so often. When it looks like laces are the better call. Most frustrating thing about him imo. He’s actually been pretty good most of the season in general play but yes. Not really showing what you’d expect for so much money and it has impacted our play fitting him in.

[RedMagic]

You can get away with Wirtz playing in an AM role just so long as you have at least two players behind him who can provide the positional awareness, protection for the defence, and control to help balance out anything we're currently not getting from Wirtz.

The trouble with our established midfield three is that despite what one or two would like to believe, Mac Allister is not capable of adding any of the above attributes to our midfield. I'm increasingly coming across fans, pundits, journalists etc who have finally realised the same.

Then we have Gravenberch. He has fallen off a cliff. Why? Is 'the Slot effect' having the same affect on him as it seems to be having with almost all of our other players? Or was his last season an anomaly and now he's just reverted back to putting in performances nearer to his usual level, albeit with them being made worse by what's going on around him?

Jones simply isn't good enough to be at best anything more than a bench or squad player. He is similar to Mac Alilister when it comes to his failings. On one hand he offers a bit more 'oomph' for want of a better term, but he also offers less end product. He'll have one or two decent but not great games and as a result some people start heaping praise upon him only for him to then immediately revert back to his usual level.

Finally we have Szoboszlai, the one midfielder we have who is currently justifying his position in the team and the praise he's getting. However he can't do it all on his own, and it certainly doesn't help his or our cause by being played at RB.

We need to start making serious changes both on and off the pitch. On it the two areas that need a major overhaul are the midfield and defence. The type and extent of those changes will depend on how we are going to set up, and who we intend to play in that set up.

[Nineteenx]

Macca does a lot of covering nicking the ball pressing counter pressing making the play, it’s better with a midfield three, it really worked with a midfield three a false nine and two wide forwards.

We didn’t need Wirtz or 2 new number 9’s we needed to keep Diaz or replace him, really dumb letting him go when we could see he was just coming into the form if his career

It was really dumb letting Nunez go he scored enough, about the same as Bobby did, got assists and he created chaos and helped us break down those stubborn defences even when not scoring or assisting and a player like that is gold to bring off the bench for the last 15-20, we don’t have anything like that now and it’s part of the reason teams get at us late in games, we’ve no-one keeping them honest at their end.

I’d be happy if we got 85m for Wirtz and spent it on a top LFWD or RFWD that would make more of a difference to us than he would.

I just think he’s too stylised tries to be too cute too much of the time and it’s all done a little too slow and obvious for the speed of our League

I think he gets in the space Macca, Szobo and Grav arrive into and that hinders all three, and the false 9 in there helped the press and counter press and was a shield blocking defenders when our mids drive forward or to play into and receive it back and pop it off again

All things that worked really well for us

[RedMagic]

Mac Allister does a lot of covering? Given that our midfield is so easy to play through I'd say that he isn't covering particularly well.

Wirtz definitely wasn't a priority, but an opportunity was there to buy him before other teams swooped in and we decided to take that opportunity. It's not his fault that Slot isn't using him properly, nor is he being helped by what's going on around him. Just as with other players, I doubt it's a coincidence that nearly all of them are not performing anywhere near what they are capable of. If he's still here hopefully we'll see the best of Wirtz if and when his teammates and manager give him a suitable platform to do perform to the high level he is obviously capable of.

[KnightnShiningArne]

Given he's joined a rather dysfunctional team this season, I'd say he's had a good season and contributed a fair amount (not only in goals/assists/chances created, but also the overall flow and link up of our forward game). No more or less than that really, there's clearly a lot more to come from him and that will surely come with better coaching/in a more balance and settled side.

[Ravo19]

My only issue with wirtz is his position he's not a wide attacker or a 8.best role a 10 and fits better in dreaded 4 2 3 1 or 4 2 1 3,not sure if a 4 3 1 2 or 4 3 2 1 will suit wirtz,isak,ekitikie and salahs replacement

[Nineteenx]

Let’s see him at RFWD with Frimpong supporting from RB where to two linked up really well for Leverkusen, seems the most obvious common sense thing to do

[LFC-DPG]

How did he get on during the international break?

[Steveo]

Superb in the win against the Swiss and they would have likely lost without him - less so v the Ghanaians…

[faridtoxteth]

That is how he played under Alonso as well.
Need we say more?

[Steveo]

Is Alonso a yes man tho..? Because inside F$G's new setup... that looks like being a prerequisite.

[eggy81]

Is Alonso a yes man tho..? Because inside F$G's new setup... that looks like being a prerequisite.

Also his style of playing so many quick short passes with intricate movement. I’m just sceptical we can do it to the requisite level to succeed in the premier league.