It makes me think of “usage rate,” which you hear way more about in basketball than football. Basically, how often a player is involved in possessions when they’re on the floor. Some guys need a high usage rate to be effective. They are at their best when everything flows through them. Think prime Harden or Luka right now (for NBA fans). If you take the ball out of their hands, you kind of neutralize what makes them elite.
Then you have the opposite type, players who thrive off the ball. Coming off screens, making cuts, spacing the floor, and so on. (prime Klay Thompson) In football terms, that is more like forwards making runs in behind or midfielders constantly moving between the lines without needing a ton of touches. Haaland is the obvious example up top, and even someone like Gini during his time with us had a huge impact without being a high-touch player because of his movement and work off the ball.
Then there are hybrids. Salah and Mane are a perfect example. They could dominate with the ball but is also a massive threat without it because of positioning, strength and finishing.
Wirtz definitely feels much closer to that high-usage NBA archetype. When the ball is at his feet, he is incredibly dangerous with his creativity, tight control, and vision. But he is not really someone who stretches teams or hurts you with off-ball running. So if he is not getting a lot of touches, you are not maximizing what he brings.
That is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that if he is in your side, you probably want to build phases of play around him a bit more. That is where the fit question comes in for us, because our best sides under Klopp did not really rely on one central hub like that. It was more shared responsibility. We will see how Iraola sets us up. The good news is that I have no worries about Wirtz’s ability to press and counter-press; he will fit Iraola’s system like a glove in those moments. It is just the attacking phase where Iraola has previously preferred a more direct, high-risk approach, and I’m still not sure where Wirtz fits best in that kind of system.
Completely agree he needs to give the space to find the ball and get things moving. I don’t remember him coming into his own half to do that last season, but I could be wrong. I see him picking up the playing 1-2’s and also drifting into space to create opportunities (lazy reference coming up), kind of like Messi has played as he’s got older. Defo a player to build a team around if Iraola is minded to do it.
As well as getting the ball to him this is key to making him shine as just getting the ball to him and with last seasons off the ball movement just doesn’t work.
Most of his best play came with quick interplay with Hugo, basically pass & move.
He isn’t an Mbappe or Mo, he is more of a team player and tries to make things happen for the team and at times is a failing as he should at times, as you say take the game by the scruff of the neck and take the shot rather than setting up someone else.
One assist. I think the pass to Musiala for the chance could have been better.
If he can just get his final pass and shot a bit crisper he could be amazing.
I always think of Coutinho when I watch him play - I know they’re not the same player… but still see similarities and then think that Wirtz can’t dribble as well and can’t seem to shoot and score much. You could see that he could have the potential to do those Coutinho style goals cutting in on edge of box and curling into top corner but don’t really see that yet. He’s still young though.
Also, could he play in central midfield with a free role to wander and have others cover him from there
How come he’s been put on the LW wouldn’t he be able to develop even more influence if he was in central midfield and allowed to wander.
He was signed because he excels in possession play and breaking low blocks, two areas in which we had identified as areas that needed improving. The fact we didn’t get the best out of him so far is down to poor coaching not because he isn’t suited.
Cheers for the replies, yes he needs to improve.
I don’t think he’s any slower than Coutinho -but could be wrong- and therefore would like to see him beat a man or two and finish off rather than only playing as cog in the wheel keeping everything ticking over.
It’s just strange as you’d think with his development he’d already have these skills in his locker.