Florian Wirtz

[teesred]

I think what's surprised me most about him is how slow he seems. I expected him to be rapid quick but he's not pacey at all.
He seems to need too long and hopefully that's an adjustment thing.

[Steveo]

Yep - Grav seemed like that first season too. It is a huge adjustment and to be fair to Wirtz this season even more changes than Klopp’s final season. I am also expecting for the click moment - might never arrive tho - most likely it will but the probability is - next season…

They ripped up the book this summer - panicked a bit - the tragic loss of Jota must surely be factored into to some of that too.

Slot seems extremely level headed. He interviews very well even after a difficult defeat.

We just have to keep the faith.

[teesred]

Yep - Grav seemed like that first season too. It is a huge adjustment and to be fair to Wirtz this season even more changes than Klopp’s final season. I am also expecting for the click moment - might never arrive tho - most likely it will but the probability is - next season…

They ripped up the book this summer - panicked a bit - the tragic loss of Jota must surely be factored into to some of that too.

Slot seems extremely level headed. He interviews very well even after a difficult defeat.

We just have to keep the faith.

Aye you're right. It might be a rough arduous season but if it is he's earned credit and we probably need to be a bit patient. A title win last season was more than we dared dream.

[RedMagic]

Wirtz needs to quickly realise and adjust to the fact that he isn't going to get the same amount of time and space in the PL in comparison to that which he got in the Bundesliga.

He is being hampered in a somewhat similar way to how Gerrard and Lampard were hampered when playing for England. They all need or needed space to operate in or to run into. The more players you have operating in the same area of the pitch the less space each of those players has available to them.

I think one of the ways to get more out of Wirtz is to give him more space by playing two deeper lying midfielders, something that would hopefully also mean that our defence would be harder to get at.

[eggy81]

I think what's surprised me most about him is how slow he seems. I expected him to be rapid quick but he's not pacey at all.
He seems to need too long and hopefully that's an adjustment thing.

He seems excellent at gaining the half yard but too slow or just the options aren’t presenting themselves for him to take advantage and now he seems to be playing it safe more than earlier in season. Still he does create dangerous situations plenty in most games but we seem devoid of our finishing at the moment.

[Insidious]

Is he really sid? Thought we paid over 100m for Voronin the 2nd

I didn't know he had talent!

Yes he is absolutely a massive talent.

That doesn't mean he will succeed here of course - sometimes players are at the right club at the right time, or with the right Manager at the right time, or play within the right playing style at the right time - and sometimes they don't.

Or indeed some lads have enormous potential, but never fulfil it - or bloom late, or are better suited to certain Leagues, or are on fire for a couple of years before tailing off, or are injury-prone....etc etc etc

Aquilani was rated ridiculously highly in Italy as being the next big thing as a Trequartista, featured in footie ads etc over there - never really happens for him. De Bruyne labelled a flop at Chelsea, goes onto be one of the best mids the League has seen. Coutinho was absolutely Dynamite but for too short a spell. Balotelli had everything to be a top striker in terms of physique, touch, ball-striking but his temperament (understandable given his background) wasn't suited.

Wirtz is absolutely quality from a talent perspective. Guarantees absolutely nothing though.

He is on a 5-year deal - that's a 60-month spell. If you were to pin me to a prediction (if he stays long enough) I can see him being a slow-burner for 18 months but then being pretty Boss for the remaining 42 months - and I'd happily take that.

I'm a Wirtz-believer, though I totally understand why others aren't right now.

[Kev0909]

Nah you're lying Wirtz did nothing in germany and was a nobody

It's basically signing Pepe (The arsenal pepe) But even worse!

no wonder leverkusen wanted rid

lolz

[Steveo]

As miller said - Wirtz isn’t getting anywhere near the levels Coutinho was at for a numbers of years, he doesn’t have those tools. If you’re accepting of that - you won’t be too disappointed.

He has quality - that’s not in doubt - the question is how much and when will it shine? I am well aware that it takes time for many players - See Robert Pires… but most show something, as yet - I’m sorry -unless you have a low bar technically speaking - you won’t have seen anything worthy of even half the fee.

But he is 22, and he will get better than he has been thus far… Of that I am confident, But I am equally confident that he was massively overpriced... at least at his current level. You never know - in 2 years we might be saying he was a snip… That’s football

[Kev0909]

Seems like we're in a endless loop and it's pretty boring hopefully we have something else to talk about soon

Hence my sarcastic reply's

Look, he didn't get them stats in germany and didn't play how he did and wasn't valued over 100m for no reason he'll come good at some point, not exactly helping when gakpo is the most threatining forward for christ sake

Also it's a bit of a weird buy considering how direct and boring the prem is getting, is there any room or a place for Wirtz to fit in with that style? there's no good passing or good football anymore.

[Steveo]

The bigger problem - and it isn’t helping Florian - is the one where you can’t see the plan. That might be great in the longer term - Slot and co might have blind sided everyone with a new concept. And that would take plenty of time to bear fruit with so many new players in one hit.

I said it before - he will almost certainly have been earmarked for deployment in a similar role to Coutinho - but tailored more to link up. Ghosting in and utilising his almost Alonso-like vision and ability further forward - instead of a Coutts-like dribble and strike. But I dunno - it’s evolving as we speak and he may even end up occupying Salah’s position in a totally different setup.