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Florian Wirtz was in high spirits as he joined the German squad on Monday, despite being benched just two days prior for Liverpool's match against Chelsea.
Wirtz was brought on at half-time when Liverpool were down 1-0 due to a goal from Moises Caicedo. He almost made an immediate impact with a clever flick to Mohamed Salah, but the Egyptian's shot went wide.
Despite several impressive moments, Wirtz couldn't help Liverpool break their losing streak. Cody Gakpo managed to level the score for the Reds, but a last-minute goal from Estevao resulted in Arne Slot's team suffering their third consecutive loss and relinquishing their top spot in the Premier League to Arsenal.
For Wirtz, who was making his seventh appearance in the Premier League, the wait for his first goal or assist continues. Unfortunately, the '007' memes also continue.
Wirtz does have one assist to his name for Liverpool, which came during his debut against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield. However, that remains his only contribution so far, having now played ten matches for the club.
The October international break might be a welcome respite for the young player, with Germany set to host Luxembourg before heading to Northern Ireland for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Wirtz netted his sole strike of the season during the previous international window, finding the net with a spectacular free-kick in the return match against Northern Ireland.
Going into the break, following Germany's 2-0 loss to Slovakia in their opening September encounter, he had faced fierce criticism from supporters in his home country. However, since that point, numerous German icons have stepped forward to support the midfielder as his 'sluggish' beginning to life at Liverpool persists.
Germany sporting director Rudi Voller attributes Wirtz's struggles at Anfield to his new colleagues, acknowledging it will require patience for the creative player to find his rhythm. "The major distinction is: at Bayer Leverkusen, despite the individual quality of the other players, he was always looked for," Voller explained on Sky90.
"Players like Granit Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo, or Robert Andrich certainly ran the game. But the moment Florian made himself available, he always got the ball. Even as a young guy, he was already the chief. I deliberately watched some Liverpool games with him: he does an incredible amount of work, runs a lot, makes many sprints, and also goes deep.
"But he isn't played to in the way he was used to at Leverkusen or with the national team. That's something that has to be developed over weeks and months. I know that he's not one of those divas in his position who stand around with their heads down if they're not passed to three times. Florian isn't like that.
"He's not only an extraordinary footballer, he also has a great character. He will give everything from the first to the last minute, always push forward. He also has incredible running stats. He will assert himself. We're very happy that he is with us for ten days now. I am convinced he will deliver two wonderful international matches."
This isn't the first occasion Völler has defended Wirtz, having previously urged the midfielder to 'show the English' during discussions with BILD earlier this month. "Florian shouldn't let himself get carried away," he remarked. "I have no concerns about that: He'll show the English what he's made of.
"Florian is playing in a new league and a new club. These are normal adjustment problems. Almost every professional has them. I have no doubt that with his running and playing ability, he will make the breakthrough."
German icons Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lothar Matthäus have also expressed confidence that Wirtz's talent will eventually flourish at Liverpool, drawing from their own overseas experiences. "We have to give the players a bit of time," Schweinsteiger emphasised during his induction into the German Football Hall of Fame in Dortmund.
"Especially when you move from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, you also have to adjust a bit. I've experienced that myself." Schweinsteiger naturally experienced his own Premier League adventure with Manchester United in 2015, though he found himself sidelined by incoming manager José Mourinho after merely one campaign.
Drawing from his own experience, he doesn't anticipate Wirtz encountering similar difficulties. "He will delight us all in the future," he added. "Florian Wirtz is a fantastic footballer, a great character. We should be happy that we have such a player in Germany."
Whilst Matthäus never graced English football, he did secure his own high-profile switch to Inter Milan in 1988. "That's normal after such a big move abroad," he told Sky Germany last month. "But he's a superb player, he will get used to the Premier League over time and be able to handle the even bigger pressure.
"I felt the same way at Inter Milan at the beginning. Andi Brehme, whose transfer was rather quiet, performed immediately at Inter. I had to get used to everything, partly due to the media hype and the higher transfer fee."
Similar to Wirtz, Michael Ballack represented Bayer Leverkusen before securing his own Premier League switch, though the midfielder's journey took him via Bayern Munich before joining Chelsea on a free transfer in 2006. Having previously confessed his lack of surprise at seeing his fellow German reject the Bavarians in favour of a Merseyside move, he also informed BILD that Wirtz possesses far too much quality to struggle in England.
However, similar to Voller, he acknowledged that Wirtz would receive 'almost every ball' from his teammates at Leverkusen, whereas that wouldn't be the situation at Anfield. "There's a lot of competition within the Liverpool team, and expectations of Florian Wirtz have increased from the outside," he said. "Or rather the expectations he has of himself.
"And at the beginning, it won't be like it was in Leverkusen, where everyone plays for him and he gets almost every ball. That's why it's legitimate that he still needs to find his way around a bit. But he's such an exceptional footballer, so I'm not worried about him. For him and his development, the move to England wasn't a bad move."
Meanwhile, Philipp Lahm has similarly expressed confidence in Wirtz as he praised the midfielder's abilities. "I'm not worried about Florian Wirtz at all," he said.
"Because he's such an outstanding, brilliant player who simply makes his teammates better. Quality and class always prevail, and that will absolutely be the case with Florian Wirtz."
In more comfortable circumstances with Germany, Wirtz will aim to vindicate his countrymen over the coming fortnight. Looking ahead, perhaps a productive international period could turn out to be precisely what he requires to truly ignite his Liverpool journey.
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