Florian Wirtz has made significant strides since his arrival at Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen. The German midfielder was signed for £116 million, a fee that naturally came with high expectations from the start.
Florian Wirtz has made significant strides since his arrival at Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen.
The German midfielder was signed for £116 million, a fee that naturally came with high expectations from the start.
While there was early criticism in the media during his first few months, Wirtz’s recent form has started to shift the narrative around him.
Wirtz and Ekitike have now combined for six goals this season, including another link-up in last week’s win over Newcastle United.
With Manchester City up next, Arne Slot will be hoping his two in-form players can deliver again on Sunday.
Arne Slot weighs in on Florian Wirtz’s time at Liverpool so far
The Liverpool manager addressed the media ahead of the City clash, touching on a range of topics.
One of them was Jeremy Jacquet, who’s expected to officially join from Newcastle United later this month.
Slot also gave his thoughts on Wirtz’s progress, noting that while there hasn’t been a huge jump in technical ability, it wasn’t something the player really needed. The focus has been elsewhere.
The 47-year-old said: “I think you saw first and foremost, full credit to the player [Wirtz] on the pitch and the gym, putting in the work. If someone is struggling physically at the start, you have to keep them in to improve and he was an example of that.
“He didn’t improve that much on the ball because he has always been special, but he has the connections with his teammates. Off the ball is the biggest improvement with him, and that combo makes you ready for Premier League.”
How Florian Wirtz performed in the previous Liverpool vs Manchester City meeting
As mentioned, Wirtz took some time to get up to speed in England, and was still not at his best earlier in 2025/26 when Liverpool travelled to the Etihad Stadium.
City came away with a 3-0 win, with the German starting the game on the left wing.
Wirtz ended that defeat with a 0.09xA and didn’t make a single key pass, something he has been doing a lot in recent weeks.
The versatile midfielder also failed to have a shot on goal and completed just one dribble against the Manchester outfit.
But based on recent displays, we should see a completely different Wirtz this time around.
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Category: General Sports
