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Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz was, until Alexander Isak arrived, the Reds' club-record transfer after moving for a fee that could reach $158 million (£116 million) including add-ons. And with such a price-tag comes plenty of expectation.
Wirtz was criticized by the German media earlier in the week — and some have been unfairly critical of his early Liverpool performances too — but he fired back by netting a sensational free-kick that flew into the top corner against Northern Ireland.
In Sunday's World Cup qualifier, he was the player who created the most chances (three) and drew the most fouls (four). He only gave possession away five times in the 90 minutes.
However, the German press was still not that impressed by Wirtz's performance. Indeed, despite his goal, the Liverpool ace was given some more below-par verdicts.
"For a long time, as was the case during the Slovakia match, we wondered: where has our magic foot from his Leverkusen days gone? But then he let it rip, hammering the dream free kick into the net to make it 3-1," tabloid BILD said, giving him a rating of three.
Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung was slightly more generous as they handed him a mark of four, but claimed that Wirtz has lost his way since moving to Liverpool this summer.
It said: "A home game for the Effzeh talent, born in the Cologne suburb of Pulheim, who rose to world-class status across the Rhine in Leverkusen.
"But also a home advantage? Not really. He seems to have forgotten his joy of playing in Liverpool. But not his free-kick skills in the 3-1 win, which boosted his rating."
"His exceptional ball skills also brought occasional moments of joy to the Cologne crowd, but Wirtz is currently having problems with his technique," Süddeutscher Verlag said.
"Too often, he seeks personal salvation in it when he wants to create something truly special with solo performances. Sometimes it borders on the need to make a name for himself.
"He then loses himself in stubborn dribbling instead of keeping the game flowing with a simple pass. He is intended as a playmaker, but rarely identified as such.
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"During the break, someone obviously gave him a few useful pointers, because in the second half, Wirtz was significantly more effective on the ball than before. His free kick to make it 3-1 should have at least as much of a soothing effect on his somewhat strained ego."
And Der Spiegel added: "At one point, a murmur went through the crowd when Wirtz pulled off a clever trick at the corner flag, sending an opponent running into empty space.
"It looked nice, but ultimately wasn't effective. And he didn't have enough of those moves. But he also improved significantly in the second half and rewarded himself with his free kick to make it 3-1."
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz has had a slow-ish start to life at Anfield but there is a lot of context that needs to be added to that. He is adjusting to a new league and has played Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal so far: three of the most intense matches possible.
Wirtz will come to life when he is used to the speed of the Premier League. Against Burnley next weekend, for instance, that should be a contest where he gets a bit more space to show what he can do.
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