The Wirtz cycle so far;
#10 → bench → LW → #10 → RW → bench → false 9 → bench
And in the midst of that out the squad twice in the cup games.
His minutes range from 90 to 75 to 45 to 15, no continuity or stability whatsoever.
Poor lads been here a few months and must be wondering what the fuck is going on.
A circus show.
Yeah, give the poor lad a blanket.
It’s funny how commentators say in every game that this is the best we have seen of Wirtz this season. I would love him in such a free flowing front 3 role more often. The way he links with Ekitike is what we may see more often once he’s played more with the rest of the folks. Signs of great things to come.
Oh no, he was again stuck out wide on the left, told to hug the touchline. Poor lad.
Yeah, well played and hopefully we see more of that, both from the structure of the team and him individually.
He was nominally on the left, but his movement across the front was unlike anything we expect of Gakpo, or even Diaz.
Exactly, because the other two are more wingers (last season we played with both though) and Wirtz is more of a between the lines players.
It’s absolutely nothing outrageous when he plays off one of the sides, but with the freedom to receive more central, go press in other zones, create the extra man. He’s not being asked to play like Gakpo when he plays on the left. Of course, he will have responsibilities to be there in certain phases and moments.
We’ve seen a ton of players of his style play in these kind of roles and successfully, both individually and collectively. Especially since he has struggled, there’s no hiding from that.
It’s very good for him and for us, that there’s more than one way of making it work and now we have to keep proving it.
Yeah, the signs are definitely there. Ekitike and Wirtz seem to build up an understanding for each other. That bodes well for the coming times. Salah has improved as well lately, even though his usually sublime first touch and sense for a pass seems to let him down at times, but parallelly to Wirtz, he’s gradually improving.
Once Wirtz will have completely arrived in this club, he’ll be the glue linking all parts together. He’s a magnificent player, and will make all players surrounding him even better.
When I see him playing off the left, I never expect anything good to come of it but it seems to work in CL (maybe because of Robbo backing him up and Ekitike getting himself everywhere and maybe it’s because teams don’t actually go Stoke on us and we just helplessly submit). He will definitely need time, I’m not sure if this can work in PL (I think he was quite anonymous in that role at Crystal Palace) but he has to start somewhere, so…
I think parking him on the offensive wing gives him more space to run and express his creativity and freedom to take up dangerous positions compared to putting him in midfield or in the middle where its congested.
When I remember right Klopp fielded Coutinho on the left side of a front-three.
For me Couts was more a10er than a winger.
So why not the same with Wirtz, given certain similarities between both players?
Yeah its a telling comparison especially as the decision to primarily station him on the left was in large part because Klopp decided we pressed more effectively and generally defended much better in that shape than we did when he was stationed ahead of two CMs in what might be considered his more natural role.
I think a lot of us tend to see the thing unfolding in a game that we went into it thinking about, but that dynamic was precisely my concern with the evolution Slot has been trying most of the time up until now and was a huge reason for how much more fluid and connected we looked on both ends of the game yesterday
Yeah, I’ve used that comparison before. Moving Coutinho to the left side, or left half-space, was Klopp’s immediate move. Though they are again a bit different if we go into detail. Wirtz will still appear more central to receive and combine, while having some responsibilites on the left. He will not play as a classic winger.
Too many people are shafting Wirtz when he was far from our biggest liability yesterday.
People would take care to remember how Szoboszlai struggled for his first year+ here. He had a very good first month and then struggled for form and fitness for the rest of the year. The following year, Slot commented on how Szobo had an excellent work rate but wasn’t productive enough in the final third. And now Szobo has been our player of the season thus far.
Same with Gravenberch, who had quite an unimpactful start to his career here before figuring things out and becoming a highly effective six.
Midfielders take longer to adapt. Wirtz is a CAM/False 9 trying to fit into a hugely reshaped attack. Give him time and we’ll reap the rewards.
I am glad someone remembers that.
https://x.com/SkySportsNews/status/1987896769397620984
https://x.com/footballontnt/status/1987973219060772889
Basically put the ball in the back of the net when Wirtz gives you a good opportunity
Indeed it would help reduce noise if a couple of those nice assist passes were clinically finished.
The pile on and potshotting is easy when the team loses and the stats show zippo goals and assists.
But how good to be a pundit and take these lazy angles for the headlines to then froth up the masses. But it’s a results and stats business.
There will always be one of the big clubs in the firing line. Our turn. I do smirk when the headlines now suggest Chelsea had a smart transfer strategy when they were mocked all of last year and Arteta is now more than capable.
But back to Flo.
I have complete confidence and can’t wait until the numbers change and a few people go quiet.
Flo will come good,and soon,don’t get the pile on,seems he has laid the ball off and it seems to help if someone can put the ball in the back of the net.
Give it time,there is no doubt the lad is a class act!