The Florian Wirtz mystery: why has he not found Leverkusen form at Liverpool?

Is Wirtz struggling at Liverpool as badly as most outside observers believe? Some criticism has been OTT and a fee rising to £116m heightens demands but, yes, compared with his performances in Germany and for Germany Wirtz has underwhelmed at Liverpool. The past week has encapsulated his Liverpool career so far. In the Champions League rout of Lask he was everywhere, exploiting gaps between and behind the Austrian club’s defence and knitting together a dominant display against limited opposition. In the previous game against Manchester City, however, when Andoni Iraola needed big players to step up in the absence of Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, Wirtz was ineffective, wasteful and withdrawn when his team were chasing the game at 0-1. It also did not help his cause that Rayan Cherki, a cheaper alternative whom Liverpool considered and passed on, completed City’s victory with a sublime goal. AH

What are the main reasons for this? The physicality and intensity of the Premier League appear to be Wirtz’s biggest issues. He can be swamped, knocked aside, leaving Liverpool’s central midfield exposed. Iraola this week rejected the notion that the playmaker is struggling with English football, although his answer almost veered in support of the argument. “It’s not about whether they are foreign teams or English teams,” the head coach said. “It’s about different kinds of games. Some games are more comfortable, with more time to think, sometimes less. It’s not about the competition.” But, as Brentford are likely to demonstrate on Saturday, there is less time to think and little opportunity to get comfortable in the Premier League. Wirtz produced three assists in 11 Champions League games last season, the same amount as he did in 33 Premier League matches. His passing accuracy this season – from an admittedly small sample – is 80% in the Premier League and 91.5% in the Champions League. AH

Interactive Does he have the ‘on-pitch personality’ to succeed at Liverpool? That is a question that can be levelled at many of Liverpool’s signings since the 2025 title win. The shift towards acquiring expensive “finished products” has left many pining for the hunger and spirit of emerging talent that characterised the club’s re-emergence under Jürgen Klopp. Wirtz does not have an ego to match his price tag. He is a conscientious, dedicated professional who Iraola, like Arne Slot before him, has found to be a good listener willing to put team instructions first. He is also, it seems easy to forget, only 23. Wirtz may not be a demonstrative force but he shows personality on the ball, always looking to receive it and take responsibility. His talent is clear but has not been seen consistently enough in a Liverpool shirt. AH

What needs to happen tactically, and in general, for him to thrive at the club? Wirtz was sold on Slot’s vision for him as the central, creative force of a new-look Liverpool attack that would turn the slender wins of the title-winning season into dominant, emphatic victories. It never happened, and Slot was sacked without finding a position that best suited Wirtz. Iraola immediately confirmed Wirtz would be his No 10 and got to work on him building a close rapport with Isak. There were some promising signs before Isak got injured again. Wirtz can justifiably argue that forces beyond his control have conspired against him at Liverpool and that, as his relationship with Bradley Barcola and Isak improves, so will his end product. He would also be helped by the addition of an out-and-out defensive midfielder who could offer Wirtz licence to roam and greater protection to the Liverpool defence. Monaco’s Lamine Camara, whose proposed move to Chelsea collapsed on deadline day, is of interest. AH

How good was Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen? Unbelievably so. In his final two seasons in the Bundesliga you could make the case that he was the best player in it. He racked up goals and assists in European competition too (he was excellent in the Champions League in 2024-25 before injury halted him in the knockouts) but you can’t just describe it in terms of numbers. He dominated the big matches and acted as the conductor of Leverkusen’s orchestra. Teams who tried to kick him out of games almost universally failed, making the idea he can’t hack the Premier League physically a flawed explanation for his difficulties. AB

Interactive How much of his success was down to ‘on-pitch personality’? Partly it was, but on a technical and tactical level his success was also partly down to the freedom Xabi Alonso allowed him. As Alonso said in November 2023 (during Leverkusen’s unbeaten double-winning season) every player had responsibility to patrol an allotted zone “but Flo is different” – he was given licence to prod opposing defences as he saw fit. Alonso’s rotation of him made sure he remained fresh and impactful, his hat-trick in the 5-0 win over Werder Bremen that clinched the title in 2024 coming after he was brought on as a half-time substitute. AB

Is the Bundesliga being weaker than the Premier League a factor? I don’t think we can say that isn’t a factor – but this is something Wirtz himself predicted. Many in his entourage thought he would be better served by joining Bayern Munich instead of Liverpool and he acknowledged he was taking the tougher option. He knew it was a risk but was determined to challenge himself. Another point is how different the Bundesliga is tactically; it has a similarly high tempo but is far more chaotic, which is perfect for a player with his sang froid to exploit. AB

Interactive He shone recently for Germany. Is he being used in a notably different way? He has been given greater freedom (and a little less responsibility off the ball), more akin to his Leverkusen role, but what has been important is having Klopp cheerlead for him. The manager has not missed an opportunity to say how great Wirtz is or how his good international form is “good for Liverpool”. Klopp also gave him the captaincy for the last game (and a half), showing Wirtz and the world that he believes not only in his talent and influence but in him as a leader. It feels like the more contact he has with Klopp, the better for him and his club. AB

Do you have faith in Wirtz being a success at Liverpool? Wirtz can be a class act, a lovely footballer to watch, and it would be premature to write off a gifted talent who – as the previous answer about Isak and a defensive midfielder suggests – has not had the platform to fully express himself at Liverpool. But the question of whether the Premier League suits him and whether he suits this Liverpool team continues to gnaw away. Wirtz needed a strong start to the season after the difficulties of his debut campaign at Anfield and, with one assist and no goals in six Premier League appearances, that has not materialised. There was encouragement in his overall performance and in his understanding with Barcola against Lask, as there has been on several Champions League nights, but Iraola needs his playmaker to produce a repeat in games such as Brentford away. Wirtz will remain categorised as a luxury player if another difficult Premier League assignment passes him by. AH

Maybe. The deck has been largely stacked against him since he arrived: there were too many changes to a champion team in the summer he arrived, plus he was expected to pull the strings in a side that still had Mohamed Salah. He has overcome big setbacks before, such as the 2022 anterior cruciate ligament injury that took a long while to get over, so he has the character to go with his class. Wirtz has the ability to succeed at Anfield but unless the conditions around him change I think it will be very hard to do so (I can imagine him being great for Bayern in a couple of years, post-Michael Olise). AB