Florian Wirz has had a disappointing start to his Liverpool career but the player is “too good to fail” according to former Germany international Benedict Havedes.
The 2014 World Cup winner and later Germany national team manager was speaking to a small group of international reporters about the fortunes of German players in the Premier League.
“(Nick) Waltemaeide is now doing well in the Premier League and it’s good to see him gaining more and more experience at a higher level. “It’s always good when players play overseas and become better players because it’s different competition and playing against different players.
“This is especially the case with Florian Wirz, who played an outstanding role at Leverkusen.
“he is that Not only players no way The player, it was him. that The player and he had so much fun in the Bundesliga last season that if he changes clubs (when) he may not get full support or the same positions from the start as he did at Leverkusen and he will have to recreate this.
“But I would say he has too many good qualities, his mentality is too good and he will show how good he is. I am sure he will show this at Liverpool in the second half of the season because he is too good to fail.”
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Gary Neville asks how Arne Slot will get the most out of Florian Wirtz.
questioner sky sports If you’re surprised Wirtz hasn’t already taken the Premier League by storm, Howedes admitted he was, but outlined the difficulties facing his 22-year-old compatriot.
“Yes, he hasn’t performed at his best since the beginning, but I was a little surprised because he is still young. He is a young player, he is changing countries and clubs for the first time in his life.
“He doesn’t have any family or friends around him to fully support him, there are no players who know what he can do and he probably doesn’t feel complete trust from everyone – supporters, the club, the manager.
“Everyone had full confidence in him at Leverkusen and now he has to go one step further at Liverpool.
“I’m a little surprised, but I’m sure we’ll do better in the second half of the season.”
As a proud German, Howedes is keen to see Wirtz back to his best form in time for next summer’s tournament.
“We need to get him back to his peak performance. He is not at his peak right now and that is what we are asking of him: Get his form back and peak his performance to create something special at the World Cup.”
Analysis: Wirtz is better than some people think.
There is no escaping the fact that Wirtz has yet to score a goal or assist in the Premier League. Considering the £116m fee Liverpool paid to sign Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, this will invite ridicule.
He was close. It was his shot that Nordi Mukiele deflected into his own net in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland as Liverpool came from behind to earn a point for the first time this season. There were no assists, but he couldn’t control how other players finished.
Wirtz ranks among the top 10 players in the Premier League for chances created from open play this season. The Champions League statistics are even more impressive. Only Kylian Mbappe has produced more in that competition.
Wirtz has been criticized for failing to adapt to the physical environment of the Premier League, but he has certainly brought an intensity as well. He is among the top 10 players for possession in the final third of the pitch.
Among athletes who have run more than 75 kilometers total this season, Wirtz ranks in the top six for distance runs and high-intensity sprints per 90 minutes. There are 166 of them. There was no lack of energy and his off-the-ball movement was impressive.
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Jamie Carragher praised Florian Wirtz’s performance for Liverpool against West Ham.
His teammates don’t always spot those goals, but they’re still adjusting to having a different type of player in the area. Wirtz thrives on little interactions like 1-2s and give-and-takes, but the ball doesn’t always come back his way.
He will have to adapt to the lack of space, especially in the number 10 position. According to Genius IQ data, the average time it takes Wirtz to receive a pass is just 0.81 seconds, the fifth-lowest in the Premier League among possible passes of 1000 or more.
But Wirtz is still creating, and his qualities are still evident to those watching rather than judging him by headline numbers.
Is it too good to fail? A total of 15 appearances in the Premier League seems like a reasonable conclusion.
